Environmental Choice Festive Season 2012 ECOmmunication

environmental choice new zealand ecommunication

festive season 2012

who do we trust with our future? making an office they can’t refuse kiwis decorate the Dorchester pulling the supply chain

Environmental Choice goes to school

I t has been another positive and progressive year of growth, with innovation and motivation obvious among those “bearing the ring” of the

country’s top ecolabel. We celebrate that energy.

Our Colmar-Brunton market research survey early in the year showed that we are trusted and have substantial influence on purchasing choice; a great reason to feature the ECNZ logo prominently on licensed products. But it also showed we have work to do in conveying the international status of the label, and the new marketing imagery on the cover reflects both these aspects of trust and global strength.

The all-new Office Activities specification (view the draft here is set to bring a new visibility and proliferation to the label, as it can be applied to most offices of 5 or more staff (equivalent) and the fees are set to encourage small and medium enterprises.

Media seem to have given more space, time and bytes to the environment this year, with more attention focussed on Environmental Choice as a result of more media and market communications. Our annual report (available on line) received a facelift and there are new flyers (above) available with appealing graphics – these can be customised for licensees; both can be used to show the credibility and strength of the label to potential

customers.

Licensees we approached to go on video with their thoughts on the label have been enormously supportive with comments including “it’s essential for our business” and “it is now in everything we do” and even “it’s who we are”. These comments, some of which are peppered through this edition, will be amplified in a presentation to the stakeholders’ meeting on February 15th, when there will also be a message delivered by the Minister for the Environment.

On the wider stage, congratulations to ECNZ General Manager Robin Taylor on his fifth re-election to the chair of the Global Ecolabelling Network. Robin continues to bring a contemporary and consensual approach to the work of the organisation.

All in all, we see 2012 as a year from which we can spring even higher and achieve even more. Because the more we all feature our trusted ecolabel, the more that trust becomes worth.

Environmental Choice New Zealand PO Box 56-533, Dominion Rd, Auckland 1446. Phone: 09 845 3330 Email: [email protected] www.environmentalchoice.org.nz

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Make them an office they can’t refuse

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O btaining the ECNZ seal sets a business and its approved products apart from the competition. As Les Mills gears up to

expand its certified fitness centres across the country, their example of being “fit for purpose” sets us all a challenge - is our office environmentally fit, in this age of eco-awareness?

Surveys have found that the quality of a workplace is almost always seen by employees as a measure of their value to a company. That translates into performance and staff retention. The new ECNZ specification for Office Activities is a checklist that will show businesses how to improve their environment and its impact across a broad range of operations.

The potential for positive publicity and a gaining a new business “edge”, especially for the first offices

to gain the seal, should be significant. The cost of application and assessment is being kept as reasonable as possible. The draft specification which is on our website will give you a head start towards applying once the specification is finalised and open in the new year. It could be a great discussion document for a staff meeting.

We will be making available a special plaque with the seal to designate our new environmental office leaders. Whether you are a professional service, such as law, office bureaux, accountancy or finance; or whether you administer a government or council department, a trades office, an education facility, hotel or hospital – all offices could benefit from adopting the guidelines and passing assessment to prove they are environmental champions.

Below: Element magazine and Jasmax architects conceived a blueprint green office, with the advice “Buy Environmental Choice products… just about everything you will need.”

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New Zealand retains global chair

R obin Taylor has been re-elected Chair of the Board of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN) The AGM and Board

Meeting were held in Rio de Janeiro 5-9 November 2012, hosted by ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards), the organisation that administers the local programme. Dr Chaiyod Bunyagidj (Thailand) left the Board and Ms Zhang Xiaodan (China – CEC) was elected as a new member.

A record 300 delegates attended from government., industry and consumer groups, with representatives from several South American countries in the process of developing ecolabelling programmes (Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile , Argentina and Brazil). A regional workshop jointly hosted by ABNT, the UN Environment Programme and GEN had the theme of Regional cooperation on ecolabelling and sustainable public procurement. GEN Members contributed significantly to the workshop.

New Zealand represented the Oceania region with a presentation to a workshop evaluating and

considering how to improve market penetration of ecolabelled products.

The meeting reported that over 60 percent of GEN members have now completed the GEN Internationally Coordinated Ecolabelling System (GENICES) programme. Through a peer review process, this ensures that members all operate to the same high standards, and enables greater sharing of information for label assessments worldwide.

Past Chair of GEN, Dr Ning Yu (Chinese Taipei), credits Robin Taylor with much of the progress on the peer review programme. “He determined to push forward the process in order to promote mutual trust and recognition over the past three years. Robin not only took the lead with New Zealand being the first program to be reviewed, but he also devoted himself to perform reviews on others. To date, more than half of the membership has passed GENICES and gained more credibility internationally. Robin addresses people softly, but pursues goals strongly.”

Robin Taylor with Tang Dingding, Director-General of Dept of International Cooperation, Ministry of Environmental Protection, People’s Republic of China.

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The label conducts ongoing dialogue with media. The inaugural issue of Green Earth magazine asks on

its cover “which eco-labels can you trust?”. In a double page story that counts 63 labels

in the market, it finds “one, simple, reputable eco label that we could confidently

recommend to our readers. Environmental Choice New Zealand is our pick.”

Journalist Steve Hart, in this month’s edition of the NZ Herald’s high circulation Element monthly

magazine, also looks at the aims, coverage and rigour of the label. If you miss his story in the edition of Monday 26

November, it is available on the news page of our website.

Promotion of the Office Activities specification draft attracted attention,

with over 7 minutes of radio time and coverage on various news websites.

Licensees continue to contribute welcome editorial information, and

make helpful contributions to co-operative advertising placements. The label would like to encourage more of

its “family” to consider factoring in a small advertising contribution for

leveraging their brands by associating placements with those of the label. In most

cases we achieve substantial value for money, and are often able to gain editorial

support, so it pays to be on board.

It also pays to use the Environmental Choice seal boldly (with category details) when

advertising or displaying licensed products, as research indicates that the label

influences the purchasing decision of 6 out of ten who recognise it.

To expand story simply click on the image to be directed to our website.

Early one morning...

A s part of our regular media monitoring, our media man Michael Hooper was perked up beside Radio NZ National on a Sunday morning to check on Chris Laidlaw interviewing Canterbury University author and stated expert on global ecolabelling schemes, Dr Pavel Castka. The good

doctor seemed not to have completed all his homework, and after conferring and listening to a replay of the interview which Michael had captured, ECNZ quickly had a rebuttal on its way to the studio.

Our sincere thanks to Chris Laidlaw for reading the message from Environmental Choice immediately after the 11am news and setting the record straight on GEN and the growth, breadth and international reputation embodied in New Zealand’s most trusted ecolabel. (A Colmar Brunton survey earlier this year showed trust levels in excess of 50% for Environmental Choice, which was the highest ranked New Zealand based eco-label.)

Meeting the media

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I an Jemmett of The Service Company is an irrepressible enthusiast for the label.

“ The Se rv ice Co mpany developed the Care4 range of products and applied for Environmental Choice purely on the basis that is was the most ethical and straightforward thing to do where our clients are concerned, and from a sustainability point of view. We w a n t e d t h i r d - p a r t y accreditation and it is the leader in that area.”

To achieve the specifications Ian said changes were needed.

“At the start we though it would be quite a difficult procedure, but as we got into it we found it to be very straightforward. It made a major difference because it helped to galvanise and focus our whole company, so that we are now looking at sustainability and environmental issues in everything that we do. It’s been a big advantage and we’ve positioned ourselves as being an innovative leader.”

“We had to document a lot of things we probably should have anyway,” says John Warman of Paint Plus. “But it was more than worth the effort.”

Check the list of specifications and ask for our brochure “Who do we trust?” . It explains more, and may also be used by existing licensees to underline the authority of their ecolabel.

Considering a liaison?

Take heart if the prospect of an ECNZ assessment seems daunting, as many who have been through it agree that the work involved can not only improve your sales success, but can be a rallying point for staff that will pay off with i m p r o ve m e n ts to products or services.

J amie Wiggins of Vidak comments. “I would recommend it, but I wouldn’t take it lightly. You have to go through the process, you will find a lot of things you need to change for the better, which will take

time and money and resources. However by doing so, you’ll reap some rewards, so it’s a good thing to do.”

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Pulling the chain

The effect upon supply chains , and thei r r e a c t i o n t o t h e ecolabelling assessment process, is something many licensees have spoken about to us.

I t’s been a lot of work but it’s been well worth it, says Croxley’s Tony de Felice “The criteria in the license ask you for significant detail, which we had to get from our suppliers, which has heightened our

awareness. “ It also prompted a closer look at all processes such as health and safety. “It’s made us focus in on process. You look at your lean manufacturing programmes, recycling, waste and energy management – all these marry in and it helps to improve the whole thing. It’s been good to watch people come on board with it and understand what we are doing.”

Jamie Wiggins says the sustainability foundations of the company were carried further forward into the products through the requirements of ECNZ. “It was quite an intensive process. It got us to understand our own systems but really delved down into our supply network. We learned a lot more about our suppliers as a community.” Most were “happy to step up to the mark,” he says “and some were really challenged”. He cites the example of the office outfitter’s anodising providers having to change chemicals used for a pre-treatment programme. “This was not something anyone else was doing in the industry, but through the process we engaged in with them, they became market leaders as well.”

“It will continue to push us to innovate our products” says Jamie, adding that. He says ECNZ considerations have become part of their design process. “It also gives confidence to clients, and is in the sights of the Green Building Council. It is a big thing for us, and does really help us. ECNZ is one of the highest recognised ‘eco-tags’ within our market, and if you do have that you are more favoured than those without it. It is very positive for us.”

Christchurch attachment I n October, Corporate Express – a familiar name for its EXP range of licensed papers - became Staples New Zealand, officially donning the livery of one of the world’s major office products company. Based in

Massachusetts, Staples has a worldwide turnover of $25 billion and an active sustainability commitment. Last year Staples raised US$91,785 to assist victims of the Christchurch earthquake. In addition to its office paper, the company has four licensed commercial and institutional cleaning products.

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Palmed off

A uckland Zoo’s Conservation Fund is receiving a dollar donation from The Service Company for every 5-litre pack of its ECNZ approved Palm Oil-Free Liquid Hand Soap. The cleaning product

company’s awareness was raised by the zoo, says owner/ambassador Ian Jemmett.

According to the zoo, orang utans will be extinct in the wild in less than a decade if the current growth of palm oil plantations continues. Up to 10 percent annual growth in demand for the oil is a result of quick growth and cheap supply, says the zoo, adding “there is no truly sustainable palm oil available”.

“We were impressed with the zoo’s emphasis on sustainability,” says Ian. “We went to a lot of our manufacturers, but no-one could guarantee us palm oil-free. So we thought ‘let’s have a go at it ourselves’ and see if we could make all our Environmental Choice products palm oil-free. We’ve managed with all bar one.” The company also looked at its 900gm refill pouches which it formed with PVC-free material, developing a drop-in, set-dose dispenser which the zoo and the company hope to label as both palm oil-free and Environmental Choice approved.

Get a palm oil-free shopping guide and learn more at: http://www.aucklandzoo.co.nz/conservation/buy-palm-oil-free/palm-oil-free-shopping-guide.aspx

M arje Russ is an executive director at Tonkin & Taylor (T&T) environmental engineering consultants. She has a long association with Environmental Choice, as she managed the programme during

the 1990s when it was administered by Telarc New Zealand and International Accreditation New Zealand. She has maintained a close involvement with the programme and with The Trust since moving to T&T in the late 1990s. Marje and her team at T&T provide technical support to The Trust preparing specifications for products and services and completing licence application and supervision assessments. Marje’s international experience with environmental management standards and labelling has been called on by the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN), for whom she has completed research and provided advice to support the development of the GENICES assessment process for confidence building between GEN member programmes. She was also Lead Training for an UNEP Train the Trainer programme on ecolabelling in 2009 in Bonn.

Marje has academic qualifications in zoology and resource management and is professionally qualified as a Planner and Lead Auditor. Her background includes regional and state government water resources and environmental management in New Zealand and Australia in the 1980s, environmental certification, and environmental consulting in the UK and New Zealand. In the 1990s Marje established and managed New Zealand’s first accredited certification programme for ISO 14001 environmental management systems for Telarc New Zealand. She participated in a number of national and international committees and working groups establishing environmental standards and auditor registration and training programmes.

Outside of her work on environmental labelling, Marje assists companies to manage environmental regulatory compliance and risks, and maximise the value their organisations create by implementing environmentally sound and sustainable business strategies and management practices. She has a particular interest in environmental sustainability and integrated reporting and assurance. She is an inaugural member of the New Zealand External Reporting Advisory Panel (advising the New Zealand External Reporting Board on standards and assurance standards for New Zealand) and co-chairs Global Women Associates, a newly established Alumni organisation for the Global Women, Women in Leadership Programme.

You can contact Marje at [email protected] or 09 355 6045.

Meet Marje

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M otutapu Island in the Hauraki Gulf hosts around 12,000 visitors a year, and is flying the flag for Environmental Choice. Stacey Bensemann of Motutapu Outdoor Education Camp says most

activities are adventure based, and the camp wants to increase the environmental component. They are even offering packs of ECNZ-licensed cleaning products for guests to purchase, ensuring the spread of the camp’s own philosophy of supporting the label.

“We are currently working on becoming a more sustainable facility and incorporating environmental awareness into all aspects of camp,” says

Stacey. “One component of this has been to upgrade our cleaning products to 'eco-friendly' alternatives. We have chosen products that are Environmental Choice accredited and hope to encourage our visitors to do the same back at home and school or work.”

If you are visiting the island over summer, you’ll find Bellbirds on the flax, newly released kiwis in the Home Bay replanting, and ECNZ-approved products from both Eco Store and Green Earth in use. “We are trying to show visitors have that we can all make a difference,” says Tracey. Learn more at www.motutapucamp.org.nz

Thumbs up for Motutapu

T he familiar Resene paint pale with the Environmental Choice symbol emblazoned on the lid “gives peace of mind,” says the

company’s architect & specifier marketing manager Joanne Duggan. “A lot of people look at it and recognise it, and in the paint market in New Zealand you’ve got to have that symbol for people to be happy with their purchase. It’s not just what we say, it’s third-party verification.”

Resene pre-empted legislation removing lead from paint in the sixties, says Joanne. “We launched the first waterborne paint in Australasia back in the fifties, and that set us on a journey. Our lead chemist, Colin Gooch, wanted to sleep well at night, and that’s been a driver for us. It’s been a huge benefit for Resene to get involved with Environmental Choice; it gave paint a set of standards to achieve. When we achieved it in 1996 it gave us that third-party verification.” Then, she says, there were 34 products certified, and

today that has tripled. Whether it’s the environmental aspiration of architects, the working conditions of trades people, or the confidence of the consumer, Joanne says the ECNZ symbol is pivotal. “It allows us to look for smarter systems and provide really good quality paint with reduced impact on the environment, which is incredibly important. It’s part of who we are.”

Environmental Choice is proud to have stood alongside all the paint licensees who have attained the ECNZ specifications and taken New Zealand to the forefront of innovation in the sector internationally. From the early nineties, when Levene started the pale rolling, to the predominance of the seal today on brands of Dulux, Equus, Fine Art Supplies, Paint Plus, Resene and Wattyl, the industry is a prime example of the benefit of voluntary, self-improving, industry-driven ecolabelling excellence.

Our chemist sleeps soundly

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Kiwi colours decorate Dorchester

P aint Plus are saving time and money for some of the most prestigious properties in London, including Claridges, The Savoy,

The Grosvenor, The Dorchester, and the Waldorf Hilton which has written to thank them for their “eco friendly” range of low emission, fast drying and high coverage, ecolabelled paints. The Hilton London Tower Bridge was convinced, specifying “we require to use Paint Plus as a part of our sustainability commitment.” The letters of commendation talk of “products like no other available today” and Paint Plus director John Warman says one UK commercial customer reported labour savings of 38 percent though use of the products.

It originally started for the company, says John, when the then unusual concept of making waterborne coatings really required a third-party

endorsement. “Environmental Choice was the obvious one. There are plenty (of labels) out there that we could get a lot cheaper, and without any work, but they have no credibility. Environmental Choice is driven by ideology, by people who care and have a passion and it has great credibility. There’s nothing else comes even close to it.”

In terms of export “it’s central to how we market our products,” he says. It’s also about performance. “Environmental Choice has ‘fit for purpose’ within it, and that’s essential.” There’s widespread scepticism about green claims, says John “but we’re held to account, and with Environmental Choice behind us we’re confident wherever we go. It’s the one proof we need. It’s essential to our company and central to everything we do.”

New market for Kemsol

C hemical Solutions has just added Fiji to its export markets. In mid-November the company, which has currently has eight licensed cleaning products,

began a partnership with KAKS Marketing. Pictured is national marketing manager Tony Pattison with KAKS director Keshwan Nandan and members of the Fiji sales team at the launch of Kemsol in Lautoka.

“We’re the largest privately owned chemical manufacturer in New Zealand,” says Tony. “Having the ECNZ certification is certainly of benefit to us, and we are exporting right around the Pacific now and even the Caribbean, with some products into Australia and South-east Asia.” View licensed Kemsol products here.

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T he recycling of toner and ink cartridges made a giant leap this year with the licensing of Croxley Recycling.

This is part of the company’s expansion from recycling imaging consumables, such as toner cartridges, into full-scale printer dismantling and recycling - a move which will potentially double the size of the business unit and create 10 new full time jobs.

Robin Taylor says he is delighted that Croxley has become the first company to achieve the new Environmental Choice specification. He says achieving the right to carry the seal of Environmental Choice is not easy, and it has more practical meaning behind it than many people might realise. “Croxley satisfied us that they do deliver on the expected and advertised outcomes, and that their recycled product is fit for purpose. So, once again, consumers can be confident that the presence of the planet-and-tick symbol is real assurance of not just environmental preferability, but also of the performance of

products and services.”

Robin says Croxley has already shown environmental leadership through the licensing of their scholastic stationery, envelopes and Codafile. “Now Croxley is leading the field in their contribution to and their achievement of this new standard for imaging consumables recycling.”

Croxley Recycling manager, Wayne Grieve, says having the Environmental Choice

label means consumers can be confident products are being recycled following strict criteria

t h r o u g h o u t t h e p r o c e s s . Sustainability Manager Tony de Felice

believes the intrinsic New Zealand identity of the ECNZ label matches that of Croxley. “We see it as adding value. Licensing has to some extent been consumer driven, but it is something the company thought it important to do, enabling us to do things better, all round. We think there’s a lot more work to be done in this area, around desktop printers for example. There’s plenty of scope to do more with Environmental Choice.”

Croxley pushes the envelope

Only one option

O ne of the world’s most sustainable companies, Swedish based SCA, is proud of not having a specifically green range of

products, says national sales manager Mark Stevens. “We look at sustainability in everything we do. There are three layers of certification that go around our products. For a start there is procurement of raw material, and in this part of the world 90 percent of all the product we produce has an FSC certification – it is a company policy globally that we use nothing from any controversial sources. We then have a manufacturing filter, an ISO-type certification on the manufacturing facilities themselves to make

sure that part of the process is as environmentally friendly as possible, then lastly we look for a certification on the product itself in the market in which it is being sold. In this part of the world it’s ECNZ.”

There is a prevalence of greenwash, and a range of “certification” says Mark. “I would suggest that 90 percent plus of all the claims out in the market, over any product category, would in my eyes be green-washing. It’s very hard for the consumer to separate the wheat from the chaff. There’s self-certification, where you put a tick on it and the words ‘environmentally friendly’, through to independent and vigorously vetted certifications, and we think that in this part of the world Environmental Choice is the only option. It is part of the Global Ecolabelling Network and so does have that international rigour.” This sets ECNZ above other labels, says Mark.

“We’ve been in Environmental Choice for over 10 years now, and I’ve seen a change over that time. People are getting more suspicious of green claims and they’re looking for verification. It’s taken a long time but the ECNZ brand is getting recognition. We see it in tenders, where they will be asking for specific certification, and we do see ECNZ being one of the certifications people are looking for.”

Congratulations to these ECNZ family members who have engaged in expanding their range of licensed products and services

New on the block

K imberly-Clark, owners of the Kleenex brand, offer a range of licensed washroom and other products including paper towels, kitchen towels, toilet tissue, and roll towels. Kimberly-Clark Australia is extending its association with WWF’s ‘Love Your Forests’ campaign to incorporate

business-to-business customers through its Kimberly-Clark Professional division. Jacqueline Fegent-McGeachie, Sustainability Manager for Kimberly-Clark Australia and New Zealand says, “Responsible procurement, including the ethical sourcing of materials such as forest fibre, is a key focus area for Kimberly-Clark and is increasingly important to our customers.”

C avalier Woolscourers is the first company to be licensed under the EC47 specification, issued at the end of last year. The process was previously part of a carpets specification, but now stands alone so it may have a wider application. It aims to motivate continual improvement in the scouring

process through ongoing reporting and monitoring. With New Zealand producing around 45% of the world’s carpet wool (and in total 14% of all wool), adherence to this standard has potential for significant environmental benefit.

Cavalier Woolscourers operates two modern scours, Canterbury Woolscourers in Timaru and Hawkes Bay Woolscourers in Napier, between them cleaning over one million kilograms of greasy wool each year. The company scours wool for 90 percent of New Zealand’s wool exporters.

Prepared by Spotlight Creative Media Ltd and Creative Mediaworks Ltd for Environmental Choice New Zealand (ECNZ). Editor Michael Hooper - [email protected] The not-for-profit New Zealand Ecolabelling Trust operates ECNZ - an ISO “type 1” ecolabel which is owned by the NZ Government. General Manager: Robin Taylor - [email protected]. Executive Assistant: Alex Williams - ph +64 (0)9 845 3330. Communications Advisor: Michael Hooper. For a higher resolution version of this newsletter or its contents, please contact: [email protected] The opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the NZ Ecolabelling Trust, ECNZ, or the editor. © Spotlight Creative Media Ltd | Environmental Choice New Zealand. ISSN 2230-5394.

We wish you a Kiwi Christmas We wish you a Kiwi Christmas We wish you a Kiwi Christmas And a Tui New Year Robin, Alex & Michael