Planet

Sustainability Team

The Goal – to encourage and work towards being the most environmentally sustainable construction company in NZ, while also considering corporate social responsibility towards our community and the planet.

Stationery

An analysis of our stationery use has been undertaken and for high use products eco-friendly alternatives have been sourced, i.e. carbon neutral paper, metal or bamboo pens with refills, etc.

Cleaning Products

All cleaning products purchased are environmentally friendly.

Print Media

All printed stationery is purchased through Soar Print, who has the strongest sustainability credentials of any NZ printing company. They are compliant with ISO14001, carboNZero(CertTM) certified and offer both FSC and PEFC paper stocks.

In House Printing

Printers are leased through Canon, who with more than 50 years’ experience in managing sustainability issues, go above and beyond standard compliance to ensure their products are among the most environmentally friendly and energy efficient available.

E – Waste Recycling

All our electronic wastes such as laptops, monitors, phones, batteries, and other IT devices are safely disposed at Computer Recycling Centre and TechCollect. We also have an E-Waste bin at the office so we can get rid of electronic waste items conveniently.

Office Carbon Rating

Pending consultation.

Partnerships

Staff volunteer their time to help with multiple local and regional bodies (Friends of Mangawhau, LegaSea, Seacleaners) and partake in activities such as tree planting, bank stabilisation, track maintenance, ocean and beach cleans.

NZ Strong is committed to the protection and enhancement of the environment and full compliance with environmental protection legislation. It is the objective of NZ Strong to continually strive for improvement in the environmental performance of its activities and to exceed industry benchmarks wherever possible.

Construction Environmental Management Training

All operational staff are required to attend Construction Environmental Management training facilitated by Simon Gaines of Entire Consultants. Topics covered include: Background to the requirements of a Construction Environment Management Plan (CEMP), Roles and Responsibilities, Construction Activities and Environmental Effects, Implementation of a CEMP & Operation, Monitoring & Review and Controlling Risk.

Environmental Management Plan (EMP)

Contract specific Environmental Management Plans are developed, these include a site specific risk matrix to identify the likelihood and scale of the potential impact of our activities in the construction works. The main environmental risks involved with construction works that we must be mindful of include;

• Silt and Sedimentation
• Noise, Dust, Fumes and Vibration
• Spills
• Waste

The next decade is critical. The recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned of severe consequences of a failure to prevent global warming exceeding 1.5°C.

To limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C, emissions need to halve by 2030, and drop to net-zero by the middle of the century for the best chance of avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. In line with this urgent need, we have recently made a commitment to reduce our carbon emissions and are currently in discussions with a number of providers of carbon programmes and certifiers to see which best aligns with our business. Once we have engaged a provider and have undertaken carbon measurement, we will be able to set tangible science based benchmarks and commit to future measurable reduction goals.

In 2015 we committed to reducing our waste going to landfill on all projects. We set it at the Green Star requirement of a 70% diversion rate. At the end of 2018 our consistent diversion rate was 78% across all sites.