Luminary marks 25 years by offsetting CO2 back to 1999

Digital agency Luminary is marking 25 years in business by retrospectively offsetting its carbon emissions back to when it started operating – 1 July 1999.

Says Marty Drill, CEO, Luminary: “As we come to the end of our 25th year, we are thrilled to announce that we have committed to offsetting all of the carbon dioxide we have created since we began, with the planting of 5000 mangrove trees in Bali.”

In 2019, Luminary celebrated its 20th anniversary by attaining carbon neutral certification. Since the start of the 2018 financial year, the agency has sponsored the planting of trees in the Reforestation Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Project in Western Australia, through carbon offset provider Carbon Neutral.

Luminary also worked with Carbon Neutral to calculate its total carbon emissions back to 1 July 1999, and has partnered with Mangrove Rangers in Bali (where it also has offices) for the planting of the mangrove trees.

Says Drill: “We became carbon neutral as we wanted to do business in a way that offsets our impact. As we approached our quarter-century milestone, we started to consider not just our present and future impact, but the impact we’ve had over the years we’ve been in business. We have been offsetting our carbon footprint since the end of the 2018 financial year, but that didn’t take into consideration the previous 17 financial years. So we decided to take action to offset our impact over that time.

“Part of our responsibility as a certified B Corp is to balance the needs of people and the planet with profits, and to influence change. We hope that by taking steps to address our historical carbon impact, we can make a positive contribution to the movement for change.”

As well as marking its 25th anniversary by retrospectively offsetting its carbon impact, Luminary will be donating $25,000 to 36 charities throughout the year. The program, dubbed ‘Luminary Hearts’, has been running since February. Luminary Hearts invites Luminary’s team members to nominate causes that are close to their heart. Each month, three different charities, put forward by the team, receive a share of the total donation pool of $25,000. Donations are being used to support a diverse range of charities across Australia and Indonesia.

Some of the key milestones in Luminary’s 25-year history:

1999: The agency launched with four people under the name ‘Get Started’

2000: Signed its first ‘household name’, partnering with Telstra to provide e-commerce sites to clients in Tasmania

2004: Started working with its longest continuous client, construction equipment hire company Fleet Plant Hire

2009: Built the website for the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission, which became the most widely broadcasted Royal Commission report in its first 48 hours

2016: Expanded operations to Indonesia, with the opening of its first Bali office

2018: Rebranded from Get Started to Luminary

2019: Became carbon neutral with the offsetting of carbon emissions through sponsorship of the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Project in Western Australia

2021: Became certified as a B Corp, cementing its pledge to use business as a force for good

For more of Luminary’s key milestones, visit luminary.com/timeline