The Warehouse Group steps up with carboNZero

Taking a massive leap forward in climate action, The Warehouse Group (TWG) is now a carboNZero^CertTM certified organisation.

An employer of over 12,000 staff, the iconic Kiwi brand consists of 258 stores under The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery, Noel Leeming and Torpedo 7 brands, plus a support office and distribution and fulfilment centres all over New Zealand.

“We believe that good businesses need good societies and environments to function successfully,” said TWG Chief Executive, Nick Grayston. “That’s why we are taking responsibility for our impact on the environment and helping New Zealand address climate change.”

^{L to R: Dr Ann Smith (CEO, Enviro-Mark Solutions), Sir Stephen Tindall (Founder & Non-Executive Director, TWG), Nick Grayston (CEO TWG), David Benattar (Chief Sustainability Officer, TWG), Hon James Shaw (Climate Change Minister)}

With their carbon footprint (full greenhouse gas emissions inventory) at over 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) the majority of their emissions are from shipping freight and electricity. To achieve carboNZero certification, The Group measured their emissions to international standards, have plans and initiatives to reduce these emissions and then took a major next step to offset their carbon footprint through high-quality carbon credits. The carbon credits were supplied by Climate Care, from projects located in China, India and Bangladesh - countries where the Group operates and wanted to give back to.   

It’s safe to say that TWG is not a new player in the field of climate action. Since 2013, they’ve been managing and reporting their emissions through the CEMARS® programme. Every year they have also reported to CDP – a global climate disclosure initiative.

^{Climate Change Minister Hon James Shaw at TWG's carboNZero certification presentation} 

Despite the move towards carbon neutrality, reducing operational emissions remains The Group’s main priority. Chief Sustainability Officer at TWG, David Benattar, says the Group has embedded emissions management into its business practices. “This includes calculating emissions impact as part of business cases, and factoring emissions into negotiations with, and selection of, suppliers.”

“Initiatives underway to reduce carbon emissions include introducing LED lighting in stores, as well as designing for natural light and using more electric vehicles in our company fleet.”

“We have a 2030 target of reducing emissions by 32% against our 2015 levels,” he adds.

Congratulating TWG, Dr Ann Smith, Chief Executive at Enviro-Mark Solutions says, “Enviro-Mark Solutions is proud to support The Warehouse Group in this bold achievement. Not only have they measured and verified their operational carbon footprint to rigorous international standards and strengthened their emissions reduction commitments, they have also invested in offsets created from clean technology projects in the countries where they manufacture their products to have a positive impact locally.”

“The offset projects are Gold Standard certified, delivering genuine emissions reductions and important social and community co-benefits.”

We, at Enviro-Mark Solutions, commend The Warehouse Group for their climate leadership and hope that this spurs the New Zealand business community to act against climate change.