By adopting a Green Office programme and by providing environmentally or socially responsible products or services businesses can benefit in the following ways:

Adding to the bottom-line through resource efficiency

Being a responsible employer and member of the community

Raising competitiveness through innovation

Gaining market share

Helping to develop positive solutions

Staying ahead of legislation and adding value to national and local policy

Reducing risks of compliance with environmental and Health &Safety legislation, and protection of brand (from bad publicity)

Adding to the Bottom-line through Resource Efficiency

By conserving resources in the following ways you reduce costs.

q     Reducing energy use – improvements in energy and manufacturing efficiency go straight to the bottom-line because there are no direct cost factors

q     Reducing emissions, discharges and wastes – many manufacturing companies benefit through return on assets, sales and equity through reducing emissions.

q     Recycling or reusing waste – ‘closing the loop’ in terms of resource use (e.g. transforming waste into raw materials) saves waste bills as well as the purchase of new raw materials.

Being a Responsible Employer and Member of the Community

By adopting socially responsible practices business is able to provide a much more positive role in society by:

q       Offering products or services with integrity,

q       Avoiding waste and pollution,

q       Supporting local businesses that are ‘doing the right thing’ (e.g. operating their own environmental or social programmes)

q       Offering your staff a better work environment

q       Developing respectful and supportive relationships with suppliers

q       Avoid supporting socially unacceptable activities (e.g. child labour, exploitation of resources and cultures, cruelty to animals, promotion of alcohol, gambling, pornography or cigarettes etc)

Raising Competitiveness Through Innovation

With globalisation NZ business is having to compete with low cost inputs made from many parts of the world. Innovative design and technology are critical to avoid the competition with low labour costs or mass production around the world. NZ companies need to innovate rapidly and regularly. The terms used here are:

q       Eco Efficiency

q       Eco Design

q       Design for Environment or Sustainability

Gaining Market Share

By maximising the environmental attributes of products (e.g. energy efficient, fuel efficient, organically produced etc) companies can benefit from increased sales in a market that is looking for additional benefits from their purchases.

Helping to Develop Positive Solutions

There are a number of organisations and programmes running in New Zealand to address the issues associated with the design, manufacture and disposal of products. These can be useful when implementing your green office programme.  There are many different sustainability programmes and certification/labelling systems.  Some of the key ones are described below.

Environmental Management Systems

EMS’s are a set of procedures implemented by businesses or agencies to reduce environmental risk. In April 2001 there were 65 NZ companies ISO 14000 accredited. A number of Environmental Management Systems have been developed by agencies around the world. These include:

q       ISO Environmental Management series

q       Global Reporting Initiative – (GRI) was established in late 1997 with the mission of developing globally applicable guidelines for reporting on the economic, environmental, and social performance, initially for corporations and eventually for any business, governmental, or non-governmental organisation (NGO).

q       EMAS (Environmental Management & Auditing System)

q       Green Globe 21 – a standard for sustainable travel and tourism operations, endorsed and managed in New Zealand by the Tourism Industry Association of NZ.

q       Enviromark

q       Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) - The Forest Stewardship Council is introducing an international labelling scheme for forest products, which provides a credible guarantee that the product comes from a well-managed forest.

Non-accredited Systems

Initiatives, programmes or systems that are self-assessed and may be implemented with support from government staff or trained consultants.

q       GreenFleet  - is a simple, sustainable 3-step programme run by the AEBN to help
businesses and individuals to reduce vehicle pollution.

q       Cleaner Production – Business Care’s, aim is to work with, support, assist and encourage local businesses around New Zealand to use more sustainable practices and minimise their waste.

q       The Natural Step  - TNS offers a planning framework that is grounded in rigorous scientific principles and serves as a compass for businesses, communities, government organisations and individuals undertaking the path of sustainable development.

Environmental Labels

Environmental product labelling scheme provide businesses with standards to achieve in order to provide consumers with clear guidance about the environmental effects of products they purchase

q       Environmental Choice product label is a NZ eco-labelling standard endorsed by the Minister for the Environment.

q       The NZ Energy Rating Label for appliances has recently been implemented and is managed  by EECA

q       BIO-GRO, Demeter, AgriQuality and Ifoam are organic product labelling accreditation agencies.

q       Energy Star rating is an energy efficiency programme for office equipment developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency and promoted in NZ by EECA.

q       The AAA Rating Scheme identifies the water efficiency of appliances, and is managed by the Water Services Association of Australia.

NZ Sustainability Related Organisations

There are a growing number of organisations in New Zealand whose role is to support and encourage businesses to adopt better environmental or social practices. The following is a short and by no mean complete list of these

Auckland Environmental Business Network

Businesses for Social Responsibility

Business for Better Bays

Waikato Environmental Business Network

Business Council for Sustainable Development

Zero Waste NZ Trust

Target Zero

The Natural Step Foundation

BusinessCare

Staying Ahead OF Legislation & Adding Value to National & Local Policy

With government committing to Sustainable Development more legislation is around the corner. The latest policy developments in this area include:

q       National Sustainable Development Strategy

q       Waste Minimisation Strategy

q       National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy

q       Local Government Amendment Act no. 4. 

Legislation Protecting the Environment and Health and Safety of People

There are a number of Acts in place in New Zealand, which aim to protect the health & safety of people as well as that of the environment. The good news is that most of the legislation is inter-related.

The main pieces of legislation to be aware of are:

Health & Safety Legislation

Health & Safety in Employment (HSE) Act is administered by the Department of Labour (see www.osh.govt.nz for more information on the HSE Act)

The Health & Safety in Employment Act places a general responsibility on employers to provide a safe working environment for employees (and other people in the work environment such as visitors and contractors) including the development of procedures for dealing with emergencies.

Hazardous Substances Legislation

The Dangerous Goods & Toxic Substances Act

The Dangerous Goods Act classifies substances according to their physical properties, such as their flash point (flammability) and vapour pressure (volatility).

The Toxic Substances legislation classifies substances according to their toxic properties that is, generally according to their effects on human health.

Visit www.hsno.govt.nz for more information.

The Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act

HSNO is the major legislation controlling the import, manufacture, use, handling and storage of hazardous substances in New Zealand. This Act effectively replaces the Dangerous Good and Toxic Substances Regulations remain in force.

Visit www.ermanz.govt.nz for more information.

Environmental Legislation

The Resource Management Act (RMA)

The RMA is the main piece of legislation addressing the environment in New Zealand. The key purpose of the Act is to promote sustainable management of natural and physical resources, and it does so by controlling the effects of activities rather than the activities themselves. (see www.mfe.govt.nz for more information)

The RMA is implemented by Regional and District Plans.  These contain local policies and rules that affect your business.

Trade waste may be covered by a separate by-law; contact your local Council or drainage authority to find out about requirements for discharging to the sewer.