Focus on sustainability is “key to success”

26 September 2013

Focus on sustainability is “key to success” in modern business world

New Zealand Post Group’s head of Assurance, Malcolm Shaw, says behaving responsibly and ethically has become a fundamental part of successful business in the 21st century.

New Zealand Post Group this week secured its position as a leader in the field - with wins in two of the eight categories at the Sustainable 60 awards – the Community award and the Overall Large Business award. The company was also runner-up in the Environment category, and for Strategy & Governance.

”We’re enormously proud of our achievements in making New Zealand Post Group a more sustainable business, and being recognised in these awards is a reminder of just how far we’ve come,” Malcolm Shaw says.

“Over the past six years we’ve made sustainability a key part of how we do business across the many sectors in which we operate.

“In a tight business environment it’s just commonsense. Reducing your use of fuel and energy resources is a win-win, because it’s good for the environment and it saves on costs, which makes it an economic no-brainer.

In New Zealand Post Group’s case that’s seen a 10 percent reduction in fuel use, and a 16% reduction in carbon emissions over the past six years – an amount of carbon each year equivalent to about nine Blue Whales.

“Customers are also becoming increasingly aware of how responsible businesses behave, and how they conduct themselves in the community.

At the awards the New Zealand Post Group was recognised for its active and wide-ranging community investment programme.

“We’ve targeted our community support and engagement to create the greatest impact in the community. That includes partnering with charities, social entrepreneurs and groups like the Hikurangi Foundation (a charitable trust which focuses on low-carbon social innovation) to jointly tackle entrenched social and environmental problems.

“We’re working together to create better outcomes; with a focus on strengthening communities, protecting the environment and developing new businesses and enterprises.

“Our success in these latest awards doesn’t mean we’ll be resting on our laurels, and we’ve recently refreshed our commitment to ensuring sustainability and corporate responsibility will continue to be a core part of what we do every day, now and in the future.

“New Zealand Post has been part of this country for 170 years, and we’ve incorporated sustainable thinking as part of the way we do business. That’s important for our future success, and for the future of this country,” Malcolm Shaw said.

This year’s Sustainable 60 awards attracted nearly 60 entries from 25 companies.

(ends)

© Scoop Media