News

New Zealand companies aiming for 100% renewable energy can now use energy certificates to achieve their ambitions.

The global RE100 initiative now recognises the New Zealand Energy Certificate System (NZECS), meaning that New Zealand businesses can purchase energy certificates to meet their RE100 commitment of sourcing 100% renewable electricity.

Suncorp New Zealand is one New Zealand business that has adopted a Certified Renewable Energy product through Meridian Energy.

Leading agritech and herd improvement cooperative LIC has launched a new fund to support innovations with the potential to positively impact New Zealands valuable dairy sector. LIC has launched an early-stage investment fund, named the LIC AgCelerator

Electric truck, bus and bike projects are sharing in a $3.2 million government funding allocation.
The eighth round of the low emission vehicles contestable fund has been announced by energy and resources minister Dr Megan Woods with 24 successful applicants.

Recipients contribute a total $5m themselves under the fund administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).

Clemenger Group New Zealand, which includes Colenso BBDO and Porter Novelli, has been award a Toitū carbonreduce certification, awarded to those making a viable effort to reduce their carbon footprint.

The group went under an evaluation which showed where it sat in terms of its footprint, and provided active measures the group could take to reduce it.

Jim Gall, CEO, says this is the next best step to ensure they have not only their clients needs in mind, but the country’s as well.

Z Energy chief executive, and CLC convenor, Mike Bennetts – the first guest on Stuff’s One Hot Minute video and podcast series – sets a challenge for the next Government.

It was part of the company’s move to renewable energy and to reduce emissions as it worked towards net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Billions of dollars of industrial buildings face becoming ‘stranded assets’ warns a new report by the Australian and New Zealand Green Building Councils today.

Green Star in focus: The case for sustainable industrial buildings warns of the increasing risk of significant industrial assets becoming stranded if they can’t show that they are low or zero carbon.

The report finds that new Green Star certified industrial buildings produce 66% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than standard buildings and shows that a minimal 2% upfront cost to support green design can result, on average, in lifecycle savings of 20% of total construction costs.

The report underscores that the technology, design, materials and expertise are available now to build more sustainable buildings which will meet investors’ growing demand for future-proofed investments that uphold environmental and social governance principles.

Fonterra is one step away from pushing the go button on its first factory to convert from coal to wood pellet energy.

The dairy company’s Te Awamutu plant in the Waikato is putting the finishing touches on the $11 million power source conversion which could be used as a blueprint for its other factories around the country.

It was part of the company’s move to renewable energy and to reduce emissions as it worked towards net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

New Zealanders are more satisfied with the Government’s efforts to combat climate change than they were a year ago.

But fewer than half rate the effort as good, according to the latest Ipsos poll for insurer IAG.

46 per cent think the Government’s actions in response to climate change are good, up from 35 per cent last year.

Only one in five rated the Government’s response as poor, down from 28 per cent last year – an overall improvement in the Government’s standing.

The brewery behind Heineken, Monteith’s and Tui has big plans to cut its carbon footprint.

Between the arrival of the ingredients and the departure of the product, each litre of beer or cider produces the equivalent of 0.076 kilograms of carbon dioxide. By the end of the decade, DB Breweries wants to slash that figure in half.

All up, the brewer’s processes emitted 8,149 tonnes of carbon dioxide last year, according to its just-released sustainability report – roughly what’s produced when 1045 passengers fly return from Auckland to Heathrow. Compared with 2018, the company shaved 1,032 tonnes (or 11 per cent) off its production footprint.

Funding is being offered by NZ Post to help its delivery contractors replace their vans with EVs.

As there isn’t an EV available for every application in the van fleet, NZ Post will maintain the funding offer until it reaches its target of 25% of “last mile” contractors using EVs by 2025.

When the rubber hits the road, will we be on track for smooth sailing?

That’s the question a group of heavy transport companies are currently asking themselves. As part of an SBC collaboration, they’ve set an incredibly ambitious objective to develop a low emissions pathway that will halve emissions from the domestic freight sector by 2030, and be net zero by 2050.

If one in five Kiwis opt to work from home once a week, we’d prevent 84,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere. That’s equivalent to taking 35,000 cars off the road, according to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).

The country could also cut our transport emissions by another 65,000 tonnes if business travellers flying between Auckland and Wellington chose to swap their meeting for a Zoom, Google or Teams video chat, the authority calculated.