The Warehouse supports Emirates Team New Zealand to achieve a carbonzero certified campaign
The Warehouse has partnered with Emirates Team New Zealand to offset the team’s carbon emissions for its 36th America’s Cup campaign.
The partnership will see Emirates Team New Zealand become the first America’s Cup syndicate to have a Toitū carbonzero certified campaign.
The team’s emissions will be measured from July 2017 to the end of their campaign in 2021 and offset through investing in permanent native New Zealand forestry projects, in partnership with Toitū Envirocare’s carbonzero programme.
Further to this, the partnership has supported tree planting programmes with Trees that Count around the Firth of Thames, to help restore local waterways and native flora and fauna.
The Warehouse founder and Sustainability Champion, Sir Stephen Tindall says the combination of The Warehouse and Emirates Team New Zealand working together to play a part in combatting climate change is a good example of business and sport coming together to tackle such an important issue.
“The Warehouse and Emirates Team New Zealand are dear to my heart and it gives me great pride in seeing these two iconic Kiwi organisations taking action on climate change.”
“Both organisations have calculated their carbon footprints and will continue on a journey to not only offset these in the short term, but will use technology and innovation to further reduce carbon and CO2 dramatically over the next decade.”
“We hope other Kiwi businesses and sports organisations will join us, as it is not as difficult as it may seem.”
The Warehouse is part of the wider The Warehouse Group, which is taking responsibility for its impact on the environment. In 2019 the Group, also compromising Warehouse Stationery, Noel Leeming, TheMarket.com, 1-day.co.nz and Torpedo7 - became the first large organisation in the country and third major retailer in the world, to go carbon zero.
Chief Executive Nick Grayston says it is a privilege to support Emirates Team New Zealand with its environmental efforts.
“We believe that good businesses need good societies and environments to function successfully. “As a large New Zealand retailer with millions of customers through our doors every year, we are doing all we can to take responsibility for our impact on the environment and to help New Zealanders address climate change.
“Alongside Emirates Team New Zealand, we hope to encourage more action in this area and continue to do our part for the ongoing health of Kiwis, and the planet.”
Emirates Team New Zealand Chief Executive Grant Dalton says the team is pleased to take this step to measure and take responsibility for its emissions with a long-term view of carbon reduction for New Zealand’s natural environment.
“As a team that spends so much of its time on the water, we have always been conscious of our environment and doing what we can to minimise our impact on it as best we can.
“We are first to say we aren’t perfect by any stretch, but we are prepared to measure our emissions. This is a step in taking responsibility for the carbon footprint we create by becoming carbonzero certified.”
“To be able to work with The Warehouse as well as Toitū Envirocare to help us measure and offset our emissions is something that means a lot to everyone in the team.”
The carbon neutrality status will be achieved through Toitū’s carbonzero event certification programme. Toitū, a wholly owned subsidiary of Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, has based the carbonzero event programme on ISO 14064-1 and PAS 2050 principles. The campaign’s footprint has been calculated, fully offset with high quality PFSI carbon credits and independently certified as Toitū carbonzero event operations.
Toitū Envirocare Chief Executive Becky Lloyd commends Emirates Team New Zealand for their leadership.
“We expect world-leading innovations from Emirates Team New Zealand, so it’s only fitting they are also taking world-leading climate action. It’s a privilege to support Kiwi icons like The Warehouse and Emirates Team New Zealand to take science-based, meaningful climate action. Together we can show New Zealanders and the world that our net zero future is achievable.”
The scope of the certification includes all emissions associated with Emirates Team New Zealand campaign related to the preparation for the 36th America’s Cup Match (to be held in Auckland between the 6th to the 21st of March 2021). The estimated embodied emissions of the race boats are included in the scope. The offsetting does not include any emissions associated with the broader America’s Cup event organisers or attendees but exclusively emissions associated with Emirates Team New Zealand’s campaign.