Making the switch
Home » Good Guide » CarboNZero organisations & products » carboNZero organisations & products » Meridian EnergyMeridian Energy: electrifying eco-initiatives
Meridian’s Te Ãpiti wind farm, north of Manawatu Gorge
Reducing our impact and demand on the environment is one of the greatest challenges facing every industrialised nation.
Meridian Energy has gained an inspiring reputation for its commitment to generate all of its power from renewable resources. It is New Zealand’s largest state-owned electricity generator, supplying electricity to 182,000 residential, business and rural customers throughout our country. Good talked to Meridian’s Claire Shaw.
Meridian has worked hard on its environmental credentials. How deeply does it run throughout the company?
Sustainability has always been a big part of who we are. As a concept it can be seen as complicated, but it’s basically all about doing the right thing. Using our resources wisely and efficiently protects our environment and helps make sure we’ll have ongoing energy supplies for generations to come—it also makes good business sense to value and invest in authentic relationships with the partners we work with, our customers and the communities in which we operate. Taking a sustainable approach to all areas of our business means we look after the social, economic and environmental influences and influencers on our collective future.
Using our resources wisely and efficiently protects our environment and helps make sure we’ll have ongoing energy supplies for generations to come—it also makes good business sense to value and invest in authentic relationships with the partners we work with, our customers and the communities in which we operate. —Claire Shaw, Meridian Energy
How did Meridian’s relationship with the carboNZeroCert TM programme begin?
Meridian started measuring its greenhouse gas footprint in 2001 using Landcare Research’s e-manage calculator. We knew some of our customers switched to Meridian specifically because of our commitment to renewable energy and we knew that some of these customers had high expectations of sustainability of our company. We wanted to give them tangible proof that we were serious about being responsible and accounting for our emissions—and carboNZero certification was one of the ways we could do this.
Did you find getting the paperwork for certification an arduous process?
We’d been measuring our greenhouse gas emissions for several years before we embarked on the certification so we had access to most of the emission data. We engaged consultants to help us understand some of the complex issues surrounding our product certification and we certainly learned a lot as a company from the greenhouse gas accounting disciplines they taught us.
What’s the most obvious effect of the certification for the business?
Our customers can look to the independent certification as offering peace of mind that we think about how we generate and retail electricity, and seek to do this with the smallest possible adverse environmental effect.
Now you have carboNZero certification, what's the next big environmental milestone the company is aiming for?
Meridian often talks about planning for being a 100-year company. carboNZero certification is just one step in this process. Being responsive to the long-term interests of our customers, communities and country and delivering real value will keep our company in business for the long haul.
What would you say to company owners considering carboNZero status?
Credibly committing to carbon neutrality isn’t a gimmick or an easy path to choose. But carboNZero certification is something we’re proud to be part of, and the hurdles we leapt to gain admission should go some way to assure our customers that through being mindful of our behaviour we will affect some positive change for the future.
