Our Projects
Carbon Group has helped many companies and organisations take the crucial first steps towards a more sustainable and lower carbon future.
We have worked with those operating in a wide range of commercial and government sectors, including tourism, transport, health care, business services, energy, road construction, and local government.
In keeping with the need for “measurement before management” (i.e. understanding impacts before taking action), most of the project work has involved measuring carbon footprints, as well as providing advice on reducing environmental and carbon impacts.
As well as organisational footprints, we have carried out more specialised work, including the footprints of wastewater treatment plants and infrastructure development projects.
Understanding carbon levels will become increasingly important for all organisations, as the pricing of carbon becomes more widespread (for example, through the Emissions Trading Scheme). Essentially, the more carbon associated with an organisation's activities (including those of the supply chain), the greater the impact on costs as the carbon price steadily increases, which it is expected to do over the next few years. (For more information on the commercial rationale for action, click here.)
We have provided summary information on some of our projects below, but please contact us if you wish to find out more about our work.
The Low Carbon Zone
We have also developed a distinctive business community-based carbon action scheme, The Low Carbon Zone. This exciting scheme is targetted towards the SME business community who want to play their part in the move to a more sustainable and lower carbon future, but lack the time and resources to get going.
Click here for more details.
Our Clients
Please click on the links below for information on our work with a selection of our clients.
Bupa (previously Guardian Health Care) provides care services for the aged, in over 50 sites across New Zealand. The global Bupa organisation has a strong commitment to environmental good practice.
Bupa NZ appointed Carbon Group to undertake a carbon management project. This included the following:
- Calculation of Bupa NZ’s organisational carbon footprint for 2008
- Production of a comprehensive carbon management action plan, including actions on energy efficiency and waste minimisation
- Implementation of the action plan within Bupa sites (ongoing)
Bupa’s GHG emissions for the reporting year were estimated at approximately 6800 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The emissions profile was dominated from the gas and electricity used for heat and power (89% of total emissions), with most of the remainder resulting from car travel.
The Business Innovation Centre helps start-up companies to develop and commercialise technology. The Centre approached Carbon Group to define and implement a project to promote sustainable business within the Centre and amongst its start-up companies. The project also received financial support from the Shell Sustainability Fund, managed by the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development.
The project included estimating the Centre’s carbon footprint, developing a plan to manage their environmental impacts, and developing a sustainable business toolkit for use by the Centre and start-up companies.
One of the main outputs from the project was an introductory guide to sustainable business, which is available to view here.
As part of its commitment to report on all emissions from its assets and facilities, North Shore engaged Carbon Group to estimate the fugitive GHG emissions from its Rosedale Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Using data from the plant and international sources (including the IPCC), the plant's fugitive emissions were estimated at approximately 4600 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, for the year ending June 2009.
Most of the estimated emissions were from nitrous oxide, with only a small proportion of methane, due to the capture and use of the methane in the plant's biogas generator. Capturing methane was estimated to avoid the emission of about 30,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent over the year.
Hiway Stabilizers is one of New Zealand’s leading ground stabilisation companies, specialising in lower impact construction techniques.
As a company committed to minimising its environmental impact, Hiway commissioned Carbon Group to help it understand its carbon impacts, by undertaking an organisational carbon footprint.
Hiway’s GHG emissions were estimated at approximately 34,500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Emissions associated with the production of construction materials dominated the emissions profile, at nearly 90%. These so-called supply chain emissions were mainly from cement (54%) and lime (34%).
Auckland City approached Carbon Group to assess the emissions associated with the city’s stormwater infrastructure upgrade programme. Carbon estimation of infrastructure developments is developing in many other countries.
Carbon Group’s work on the project is based on the international standards for life cycle analysis and carbon quantification. By analysing both the emissions embodied in the components used on the programme, as well as emissions associated with the installation activities (such as fuel use in plant and equipment), the Council are gaining useful insight into carbon, and therefore future cost exposure.
Grant Thornton House is a new commercial office block in Auckland, designed with consideration of Green Star standards. Stephenson & Turner, Cisco Systems, Allianz and Grant Thornton are tenants in the building.
In line with the sustainable focus for the building, Carbon Group were asked to undertake a carbon management project for all tenants in the building. The project included calculating the carbon footprint and preparing an action plan for each of the four tenants, as well as assessing the energy performance of the occupied building against the Green Star standard and other external comparisons.
The analysis concluded that the building was meeting Green Star standards for base building electricity use, whilst waste production, and staff commuting patterns were within the typical range for Auckland businesses.
Stray operates a backpacker bus service in New Zealand. Operating in the tourism sector, Stray is keenly aware of the need to appeal to the "green" conscious independent traveller, and so looks at ways of understanding its environmental impacts, and identifying ways of reducing them.
Carbon Group have undertaken two carbon footprints for the company. This work, together with action in other areas, has helped the company to achieve the standard necessary to acquire the Tourism industry's Qualmark Green award.
Not surprisingly, emissions arising from bus travel make up the majority (over 95%) of estimated total emissions. Stray are committed to taking reasonable action to improve the efficiency of bus use, including upgrading the bus fleet with Euro 4 standard vehicles, and introducing incentives for bus drivers.
Spaceships operates a campervan hire service in New Zealand. Like Stray, Spaceships understand the need to appeal to the "green" conscious independent traveller.
The carbon footprint for the company was estimated at about 1350 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, with fuel use in the campervans contributing over 95%.
Carbon Group recommended a range of actions that Spaceships could consider to lower its footprint, and the company have already taken action by introducing some hybrid vehicles.
Liquigas is the supplier of LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) to the New Zealand market. The supply consists of domestically produced LPG (currently from the Maui field) and imports from Australia (origin Saudi Arabia).
The company's carbon footprint was estimated at over 23,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, with emissions from the marine shipping of the LPG from Australia contributing over 95% of the estimated total.
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