CarboNZero organisations & products

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By Andy Kenworthy

CarboNZero: New Zealand's leading eco-label, with global credentials

If you’re a regular Good reader, chances are you are a LOHAS. LOHAS are defined by marketers as customers who have or aspire to Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability—well-educated consumers with high personal standards that are passionate about sustainable living, ‘green’ initiatives and have a real connection to sustainable goods and services.

LOHAS are keenly aware that all products and services have environmental and social implications in their manufacture, delivery, use and end-of-life treatment. But most of the environmental and social impacts still occur out of our sight, up the supply chain and down the disposal chain. Eco-labels and certification marks make these impacts visible and empower us to make choices about the organisations, products and services we use.

There are more than 220 different eco-certifications out there. Many eco-labels focus on product performance for only one life-cycle aspect (eg energy efficiency in use, sustainable harvest or fair trade), while others provide an entire framework for managing a company's sustainability performance. So how do we pick the good ones from the greenwash?

“The best eco-labels are subject to regular conformance assessment by an independent auditor.” —Ministry of Economic Development

Obviously, just because a company claims something does not necessarily mean it’s true. Many of us are understandably sceptical when bombarded every day with organisations, products and services claiming to be clean and green, sustainable and climate-friendly. And many consumers and business buyers still find it hard to accurately assess the quality and robustness of environmental and social sustainability marks. But it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that there are some certifications that cut through the greenwash and can be recognised as truly credible.

Thankfully, the carboNZero certification logo is one in which you can have total confidence. You can be sure companies, products and services carrying this mark are making genuine improvements in environmental and/or social sustainability.

The carboNZero programme is the market leader in this area, with the highest level of credibility and integrity for its certification, and it is streets ahead of anything else out there. It was the first ISO 14065-accredited greenhouse gas verifier outside the US, and the world’s first greenhouse gas certifier to achieve international accreditation under the auspices of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

This means the carboNZero certified organisations and products advertised in this guide are assured that their achievement epitomises the highest level of credibility, recognised in 50 major world economies.

Kathryn Hailes, carboNZero programme, marketing and communications manager, says: “We believe the only way to demonstrate to consumers that we are committed to getting it right and to also underwrite the investment of our clients is to seek the highest form of credibility.”

Certified carboNZero organisations practice responsible capitalism by providing goods and services using environmentally sustainable business practices. This includes measuring and minimising their greenhouse gas emissions, then offsetting any remaining emissions that they cannot avoid by purchasing verified carbon credits from credible projects in New Zealand. These projects include native forest regeneration, windpower farms and landfill gas recovery. Obtaining the carboNZero certification logo confirms that a company has made a positive environmental choice and improved their brand credentials through lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Measuring and reducing your carbon footprint is incredibly important, but many carboNZero certified organisations, products and services complete certification so they can also create a credible point of difference in the market, obtain market access, improve business networks and avoid accusations of greenwash. Carbon neutral claims can be a powerful marketing tool, particularly for carboNZero certified organisations that are exporting their products to key markets that face similar challenges.

Independently audited

Of course, other labelling outfits maintain that their systems are robust, but the fact is that all certifiers are not created equal.

Thankfully the Commerce Commission has recently placed new emphasis on tackling greenwash. In New Zealand, the ‘claims’ implicit in environmental labels are controlled by a number of regulatory instruments; one of the most significant is The Fair Trading Act 1986, enforced by the Commerce Commission. This prohibits misleading or deceptive conduct, and false or misleading representations about traded goods or services.

The Ministry for Economic Development has said: “The best eco-labels are subject to regular conformance assessment by an independent auditor.” The carboNZero programme requires all organisations, products and services to undergo independent verification prior to certification and they must publicly display their disclosure page, so you can see exactly what is involved in obtaining their certification.

International accreditation has allowed the carboNZero programme and its certified clients to gain a strong point of difference and capture a leading market position. When you see its logo you can be absolutely certain that the claim made by the organisation or product is genuine and transparent. The carboNZero programme has also recently appointed Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin onto its advisory panel, because it is adamant about getting it right.

All of this can be rather complex and confusing, and at times you may feel like you need a scientific degree to understand all the ins and outs of carbon measurement. But the good news is you don’t have to, because the scientists at the Crown Research Institute Landcare Research and the carboNZero programme have done it for us. All we have to do is demand carboNZero certified organisations, products and services.

carboNZero organisations & products

96 Wairau River Wines

From water to wine

97 evolu Botanical Skincare

Evolutionary skin care

98 Snowberry Beauty

Inner beauty enhanced

99 Toyota

Cleaner cars are just the beginning

100 Inca-fé

Pure Peruvian passion

101 Meridian Energy

Making the switch

102 Westpac

Dollars and sense

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CarboNZero^{Cert TM}

New Zealand's leading eco-label, with global credentials

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