Sustainability Spotlight: NZ businesses taking sustainable action
In NZ we are fortunate to have some globally leading sustainable businesses (think Kowtow, Ecostore, Ethique, Karma Drinks). But we all know that in sustainability we not only need these leaders who are really stretching what’s possible in sustainability but also for all businesses to start taking steps in whatever way they can to be more sustainable.
“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly, we need millions of people doing it imperfectly”
This quote, I believe, applies not only to waste but to all forms of sustainable action whether that be reducing waste, emissions reduction, worker wellbeing or creating equality. It’s not about turning your business on its head tomorrow but about us all banding together and starting to take steps in the right direction, collectively.
So, what steps are businesses and organisations in NZ taking to be more sustainable? Who are NZ’s undercover business sustainability champions that we might not always hear about?
1. Cashmere High School - Christchurch
As far back as 2012 Cashmere high school in Christchurch has been paving the way in sustainability in the education sector. In 2012, the student-led interest group, the Sustainability Council, started project ecoDriver to help manage the schools energy use.
Through the project the school cut its electricity usage by a third, including saving $30,000 a year by installing LED light bulbs, and running a "Switch off" campaign.
Things really ramped up in 2016 when off the back of the ecoDriver project, the students won the United Arab Emirates Government-funded Zayed Future Energy Prize. With the $100,000 prize money the school has been able to:
Install a 25kW solar PV system;
Piezoelectric floor tiles – which students walk and jump on to generate electricity to charge their mobile devices
a 2kW wind turbine.
The commercial grade solar PV system alone will provide potential energy generation of 32,500kWh per year and will reduce their carbon footprint by over 4 tonnes per year.
The school as wholeheartedly embraced sustainability as a part of it’s ethos and has been creating fun and dynamic ways to educate about generating sustainable energy through leading by action rather than lectures.
2. Trow Group - South Auckland
Avondale Markete - made entirely from deconstruction materials.
The construction sector is renowned for being one of the largest contributors to waste in NZ (and globally). One estimate suggests that 40-50% of NZ’s waste come from the construction sector. The hardest part about this is that often what is being disposed of, is still a good product that can find a home elsewhere.
Enter the TROW Group, an award winning Pasifika owned company who are paving the way in Deconstruction in NZ. Deconstruction is the selective disassembly of buildings and structures so materials can be recovered, repurposed, recycled or reused.
You can read more about TROW in action here → https://trowgroup.co.nz/project/kainga-ora-highbury-deconstruction/
3. The Cardrona Distillery - Wānaka
This week I was lucky enough to meet the team at Cardrona Distillery (unfortunately this was purely a sustainability trip - I’ll be back for a taster some time soon!). I’d heard some amazing things about the team at Cardrona and what they were doing to help the planet and I wasn’t disappointed!
Highlights include:
Sending the spent grain to the neighbouring farm as animal food (reducing waste and their carbon footprint).
Water recycling - it is drawn from their own bore and then returned to the water system in pristine condition.
Supporting and celebrating local artists by providing them with gallery space to showcase and sell their work.
A future focus includes working with their suppliers and customers to reduce their packaging waste!
My favourite thing about the team was that they saw sustainability as a long-term puzzle. They were step-by-step making improvements across each area of their business over time rather than seeing it as a one off event. You can read more about their work here and keep your eyes peeled for more to come from Cardrona.
4. Ruby / Liam - Auckland
We all know some of the global brands that have been paving the way for sustainability in the fashion industry (Patagonia, Kowtow, Little Yellow Bird). But what are other NZ businesses doing in this realm. The fashion designers at Ruby and their subsidiary brand Liam have taken some of the most creative approaches to sustainability that I have seen.
Through the COVID lock down they launched Liam patterns. Finding a way not only to reduce waste from overproduction but also having a social impact by giving us something fun and creative to do through lock-down.
More recently was the launch of their latest campaign Geo Knits Slow. This campaign works with another local designer to use offcuts destined for landfill and create cool new garments by way of knitting.
Both of these initiatives in my mind show the innovation that businesses can take with their products to bring sustainability to the forefront.
5. All Good Bananas
We’ve all heard the stories of the issues occurring in the Chocolate, Coffee and Tea production. But a lesser known industry that has it’s own troubles is with the humble banana.
Some of NZ’s leading sustainable business entrepreneurs (like Chris Morrison the founder of Karma Drinks) banded together to create All Good bringing us a banana that is not only good for us but better for the land and the people that grow the food. https://all-good.co.nz/our-story YUM!
The common theme I see across these businesses is that they don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. They take each challenge as it comes and slowly but surely make meaningful improvements. They aren’t deterred by barriers that pop up and treat them as long term puzzles to continue researching and iterating on even if they can’t be solved immediately. It is a team effort and everyone is invested in making sustainable improvements over time.
The Sustainability Mindsets of these organisations are critical to note for other businesses looking to embrace sustainability in their own practices.
What’s your business's next step in sustainable action? Take a look at Third Era’s Sustainable Business Audit to help generate some ideas.
