New Zealand: Business
Can big business and the environment get along?
11 Sep 2018
Sustainability can bring benefits to everybody – including company execs with their eyes on the bottom line.
NZ eco-friendly footwear wins backing of Leonardo DeCaprio
3 Sep 2018
Eco-friendly shoe brand Allbirds, founded by a New Zealander, has received investment from actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
Greenhouse emissions must be cut, says Ardern
28 Aug 2018
Cutting New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions was on the Prime Minister’s menu at a business breakfast in Auckland this morning.
Beware of cherry-picking, study tells businesses
28 Aug 2018
Companies might be cherry-picking sustainability measures that make them look good, with greenhouse gas emissions one of the least-reported factors.
Public wants green-guilt companies to foot bill
21 Aug 2018
The public wants companies responsible for climate change held accountable, a new survey shows.
Company wins $3.1m to recycle industrial waste
21 Aug 2018
Auckland company Green Gorilla has won a $3.1 million government grant to recycle commercial and industrial waste.
Sustainable investments outperform the market
17 Aug 2018
Companies which invest on the basis of environmental concerns often receive higher returns, new research shows.
Facebook leads record clean power purchases
17 Aug 2018
Corporations, led by Facebook, are purchasing more clean energy than ever, with 2018 already exceeding the record-amount set last year.
Businesses reluctant to factor in carbon prices
9 Aug 2018
Carbon prices rarely influence businesses’ decisions to install energy-efficient plant, according to a new report examining the market’s failure to drive down greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector.
Firms failing to disclose climate risks, says group
9 Aug 2018
Environmental group ClientEarth has reported a number of UK insurance firms for failing to disclosure their level of exposure to climate risks in annual reports.
Don't force carbon-risk disclosure, says board
6 Aug 2018
Carbon-risk disclosure by companies should not be prescriptive, the External Reporting Board is warning.
Kraft Heinz targets 100% sustainable packaging
6 Aug 2018
Kraft Heinz has committed to making all its packaging “recyclable, reusable, or compostable” within the next eight years.
What extreme weather will mean for businesses
3 Aug 2018
As the Northern Hemisphere suffers in heatwave conditions, lawyers warn of increased risk of litigation relating to extreme weather events.
Mastercard vows 20% emissions cut
30 Jul 2018
Financial services giant Mastercard has set a new goal to tackle greenhouse gas emissions across it global operations.
Companies climate-aware but quiet on carbon risk
27 Jul 2018
Most New Zealand companies are not disclosing their carbon risk – despite ranking the environment and climate change as their top priorities, a new survey shows.
Big investors call for low-carbon roadmap
25 Jul 2018
New Zealand and Australian investors with $10 trillion worth of assets are calling for a suite of policies to direct finance into the low-carbon economy.
Ngai Tahu targets a million native trees
17 Jul 2018
Ngai Tahu is planting a million native trees and converting some of its farms to horticulture as part of its strategy to deal with climate change.
Banks face divestment pressure from councils
16 Jul 2018
Banks can expect pressure from the country’s largest urban authorities to get their money out of fossil-fuel investment.
All businesses in the firing line, says Orr
16 Jul 2018
Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr has expanded on his climate change disaster warning.
Big Business makes public climate promises
12 Jul 2018
Details of support for the Zero Carbon Bill by businesses responsible for half the country’s greenhouse gas emissions have emerged today.
Super fund joins in global pressure on companies
9 Jul 2018
New Zealand’s $39 billion public retirement fund is among major investors applying renewed pressure to carbon-intensive industries.
The war on waste could make you wealthy
22 Jun 2018
The latest eco-drive has taken hold in middle-class heartlands in a way that this time it might just mean widespread, permanent changes to the ways we live and consume.
Funds manager puts 84 global firms on notice
21 Jun 2018
London-based Legal & General, which has close to £1 trillion worth of assets under management, has released its latest assessment of how 84 global corporations are responding to the risks posed by climate change.
Samsung commits to 100% renewable energy
19 Jun 2018
Samsung has become the latest international company to take the step towards obtaining 100 per cent of its energy from clean sources.
Dow saves $120 million by investing in nature
15 Jun 2018
The Dow Chemical Company says it has saved $120 million over the past year from its ‘valuing nature’ project.
Sustainable Business Network looks for winners
11 Jun 2018
Entries are open in this year’s Sustainable Business Network awards.
Green economy closes in on fossil fuel sector
8 Jun 2018
The green economy now holds roughly the same market share as the fossil fuel sector, according to a leading market analyst.
Big businesses back zero emissions
6 Jun 2018
More than 200 businesses, organisations and prominent New Zealanders say they support the Government’s drive to make New Zealand carbon-neutral by 2050.
Major businesses vow to get rid of plastics
5 Jun 2018
Twelve companies – including our largest supermarket chains – say their operations will be free of non-recyclable plastic by 2025.
Companies call on governments to act
5 Jun 2018
Companies with nearly $37 trillion under investment are calling on the world’s governments to step up action on climate change to meet the Paris Agreement targets.
How drones could boost economies by billions
1 Jun 2018
Drone technology has the potential to transform economies, says a new report.
Insurance industry goes slow on climate risk
30 May 2018
A new report has highlighted the global insurance industry’s continued failure to recognise the existential threats posed by climate change.
Green bonds help to protect waterways, forests
30 May 2018
The financial mechanism known as green bonds can help to overcome systemic failures in water infrastructure development that are increasing in frequency and severity as Earth’s climate shifts.
E-waste 'miner' wins Government funding support
28 May 2018
An Auckland company looking to “mine” base and precious metals from electronic waste is being given a Government boost.
Tesco cuts emissions by 13% in one year
15 May 2018
UK supermarket giant Tesco cut its 2017-18 carbon emissions by 13 per cent on the previous year, and a full 26 per cent on 2015.
BP profits leap 71% as oil prices rebound
3 May 2018
BP’s profits jumped 71 per cent during the first three months of the year, in the latest sign that the British oil company is back on the path to growth.
Fonterra turns to wood to help fire dairy plant
2 May 2018
Fonterra says it will replace some coal with wood at one of its factories, a move expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2400 tonnes a year.
New tool eases pathway to disclosure
2 May 2018
Businesses wanting to disclose their carbon exposure to investors have a new tool.
What if Tesla's time is running out?
23 Apr 2018
A massive cash burn and multiple factory snafus mean investors in Tesla are losing patience.
Directors face climate liability, says report
20 Apr 2018
New legal analysis shows that company directors in at least four Commonwealth countries must take action to address material climate risk or face legal and reputational risk.
Plight of the bees hits unaware businesses
17 Apr 2018
Declining numbers of bees, butterflies and midges could leave companies facing the prospect of reduced crop quality and a shortage of raw materials.
MEMO BUSINESS: Ignore carbon liability at our peril
10 Apr 2018
Businesses ignore carbon liability at the country’s peril, an international investment organisation is warning.
FOSSIL FAIL: Report points finger at Big Four banks
29 Mar 2018
All four of New Zealand’s largest banks have received fail marks in a new climate change report analysing bank lending to fossil-fuel investments.
Bloomberg praises EU drive for green finance
27 Mar 2018
Capital markets are “one of the most powerful tools in the fight against climate change” which is often “overlooked”, says billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg.
Adidas has sold a million shoes made of plastic from the ocean
20 Mar 2018
Adidas chief executive Kasper Rorsted has let slip that his company last year sold one million shoes made out of ocean plastic.
How stock market could help fight climate change
12 Mar 2018
Finance experts are trying to figure out how to integrate environment, social and governance factors into investment planning by comparing returns of carbon-efficient and carbon-inefficient portfolios.
Business seeks closer access to climate talks
19 Feb 2018
Business lobbies in Europe and the US are pushing for a distinct, direct and formalised “business channel” into UN climate negotiations.
Why now's the time for businesses to cost carbon
13 Feb 2018
Businesses are being told to price carbon into their forecasts now – regardless of whether they currently face a carbon price.
Big companies back circular economy moves
8 Feb 2018
A new global initiative to foster the circular economy principles has been backed by more than 30 major international companies.
Ikea buys 25,000 acres of sustainable forestry
7 Feb 2018
Swedish multinational Ikea has announced it is buying 25,000 acres of forest in Alabama.
Climate at the ballot box in local govt elections
Mon 15 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate action as well as anti-climate stances are both the subject of promises at this year's local government elections, with pledges to focus on resilience to extreme weather events widely supported, while plans for cutting emissions have been countered by promises to block such action, as voting papers hit mailboxes last week.
Watts not considering removing electricity from ETS
Tue 16 Sep 2025
Energy and Climate Change Minister, Simon Watts, says he is “not currently considering” removing electricity generation from the Emissions Trading Scheme, as proposed by NZ First Minister Shane Jones.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
13 Aug 2025
New Zealand's proposed approach to methane emissions has again been attacked by international climate scientists, with a new study saying the attempt to redefine climate target-setting by livestock-exporting countries undermines the transition to a sustainable and equitable food system
Vector hits emissions reduction goal five years early
5 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Auckland lines company Vector has met its 2030 emissions reduction reduction target five years early, more than halving its direct emissions, and crediting innovation and a laser-focus for its success in a hard-to-abate sector.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
Indigenous forest 'islands' could help transition exotic plantations to native bush
Thu 11 Sep 2025
Native forest 'islands' within exotic plantations might be the key to transitioning plantations from exotic to Indigenous, according to new research.
