Total Utilities’ sustainability pledge springs into action with Toitū Envirocare CarbonZero certification

26 March 2021

We are delighted to announce that as of February 2021 we are Toitū carbonzero certified. This means our commitment to taking positive action on climate change has been officially recognised. 

We walk the sustainability talk by managing and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, wherever we can, and neutralising our unavoidable emissions.

Who is Toitū and what is Toitū Envirocare Carbonzero?

Enviro-Mark Solutions is now Toitū Envirocare. Toitū means “to sustain continually”. It asks us to work together continuously to care for our planet, people and communities. Toitū connects actions with outcomes and asks us to hold fast to the land, to our pride and to all living things.

Toitū carbonzero certifications “meet and exceed the requirements of ISO standards and ensure consistent and comprehensive reporting, benchmarking and management under international best practice”.

Total Utilities’ Carbonzero facts and targets

Our company emissions are quite small at 20.57 tCO2e, but we know we can do better.

That’s why we have set an ambitious, yet achievable, annual target of reducing our baseline emissions of 10% per year over the next three (financial) years.

Most of our emissions come from land transport – 80% is petrol and diesel use – and the remaining is domestic air travel and electricity (see graph below). The obvious next step is to be smarter around our travel choices, yet still deliver excellent service and competitive pricing.

Total Utilities’ Carbon Reduction Goals

Total Utilities will do the following to reduce our emissions.

  1. Prioritising online meetings over travelling to meetings – where possible and practical.
  2. Grouping client visits where possible if travelling a distance, this includes national travel and domestic flights.
  3. Using recycled packaging and choosing courier services that have sustainability programmes in place.

Caring for people and the planet

Rather than buying carbon offsets, we have decided to support renewables-based projects that benefit at-risk communities. This means that along with contributing to renewable energy initiatives, we are also doing our bit to create jobs and improve the overall health and wellbeing of these communities.

We all benefit from sustainable action

We are thrilled that we can join a growing collective of hundreds of organisations who are leading the way to a low carbon future.

But it doesn’t stop there. At Total Utilities we have the skills and the experience to support more New Zealand businesses to measure, manage and reduce their carbon emissions and energy consumption. When you switch to renewable energy sources and manage your energy consumption, you not only reduce your transport and power bills, but you can limit your environmental impact too.

Our hope is that in being open about our sustainability targets and our progress, we will inspire you to make positive changes to the way you use and consume energy for a thriving Aotearoa.