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A survey of employees at Suncorp New Zealand, one of the country’s largest insurance companies, has revealed that community and connection (79%) and collaboration and problem solving (66%) are the main drivers for employees wanting to return to the office at least part time following a period of working at home due to Covid-19.

In a briefing released today, 150 business leaders are urging the incoming Government to work in partnership with business to build momentum towards achieving New Zealand’s zero carbon goal. The briefing, commissioned by the Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and the Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC), represents the collective views of their members and signatories on climate action priorities.

Two climate-focused business groups, The CEO-led Climate Leaders' Coalition, and the Sustainable Business Council have got together to share resources, amplify their message and accelerate climate action. Kathryn Ryan talks to Mike Bennetts, Convenor of the Climate Leaders Coalition & CEO of Z Energy and Mike Burrell, Executive Director of the SBC about how it can be done without losing jobs. After the election, the combined group plans to present its prioritised recommendations to the next Government about policies on emissions and investments it would like to see.

The first retirement village operator to be Toitū carbonzero certified, Summerset's climate action story shows the organisation’s commitment to continually reducing their environmental impacts. he retirement village operator started its journey by committing to the Toitū carbonreduce certification programme in 2018. A Toitū carbonreduce certification means Summerset measured their emissions, set a reduction plan, and got third-party verified as per international best-practice. Though this was a great start, it was only the first step. The programme was a way for Summerset to start monitoring its emissions, increase efficiency and reduce operational costs. The certification process helped bring focus to key insights like emissions from the use of fertilisers, waste per person and business travel - all seen as opportunities to be more efficient. Summerset's sustainability initiatives quickly gained traction and the organisation decided to further bolster its commitment by offsetting their carbon emissions, gaining them the Toitū carbonzero certification.

More than 150 New Zealand business leaders have joined forces to collaborate on a collective vision for a sustainable, zero carbon New Zealand. Leading business organisations, the Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and the Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC), today launched their new strategies with a shared vision bringing more opportunities for them to partner on key climate action initiatives.

While the spotlight last week was on the climate change risk reporting announcement from the Government, there was another significant announcement that went overlooked in New Zealand, but will change how you set credible and meaningful net-zero targets. Barbara Nebel has the details. Even in the midst of an ongoing global pandemic, the list of companies, investors, universities, and cities leading the Race to Zero continues to grow. For some, this translates to setting ambitious carbon reduction targets, while others opt for a net-zero target. But how can a net-zero claim based on offsets move the needle on climate change? What criteria does it have to meet?

The updated Energy End Use Database estimates national energy consumption broken down by fuel type, sector, end use and technology. National data is available for the 2017, 2018, and 2019 calendar years. The database allows researchers, policy makers and the business sector to explore how energy is used by fuel type, sector, end use and technology. EECA has revised and improved data for a number of sectors in the database, including residential, and a range of industrial sectors.

Suncorp New Zealand has been named as a finalist for the Sustainable Business Network’s Climate Action Leader Award for 2020, for its commitment to renewable energy generation and reducing emissions. The Sustainable Business Awards have been running for 18 years and recognise and celebrate success in sustainability. The Climate Action Leader award is presented to an organisation that is actively leading and delivering impact and scale with climate action. In 2020, Suncorp Group joined RE100, and made a commitment to use 100% renewable energy by 2025. In July Suncorp New Zealand joined Meridian Energy’s Certified Renewable Energy programme, which allowed the business to report near zero emissions for Scope 2* and reach its target five years early. “We’re thrilled to have been shortlisted for the Climate Action Leader Award for our efforts to reduce our environmental footprint and support sustainable energy generation in New Zealand,” said Suncorp New Zealand acting CEO Jimmy Higgins. “Sustainable growth and lowering our environmental impact reflects our values of a resilient community, and our vision to protect what matters to New Zealanders.”

New Zealand companies aiming for 100% renewable energy can now use energy certificates to achieve their ambitions. The global RE100 initiative now recognises the New Zealand Energy Certificate System (NZECS), meaning that New Zealand businesses can purchase energy certificates to meet their RE100 commitment of sourcing 100% renewable electricity. Suncorp New Zealand is one New Zealand business that has adopted a Certified Renewable Energy product through Meridian Energy.

Leading agritech and herd improvement cooperative LIC has launched a new fund to support innovations with the potential to positively impact New Zealands valuable dairy sector. LIC has launched an early-stage investment fund, named the LIC AgCelerator