26 September 2019

thinkstep ANZ has signalled its ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions even further at the same time as it joins the GEN LESS movement, launched by Energy Efficiency and Conservation Association (EECA).

thinkstep ANZ is the first New Zealand company to update its science-based target in line with keeping warming to 1.5°C, the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement.

The new target has been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) which helps companies identify how much and how quickly they need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to make their own contribution to limiting global warming.

The announcement comes ahead of an Auckland workshop on setting carbon targets this afternoon, held in conjunction with WWF New Zealand and speakers from Mercury and SkyCity.

“We firmly believe in walking the talk”, said Barbara Nebel, CEO of thinkstep ANZ. “Sustainability is not only our business, it is what we live and breathe every day. Even though we only employ 20 people, setting a science-based target shows we take reducing our emissions seriously.

“We advise our clients, big or small, to work towards their science-based target, and setting our own target has given us much more insight into how we can empower businesses going through the process themselves. Committing to a 51% reduction in emissions is a challenging goal for any business, but we want to demonstrate what is possible.

“The newest pledge from the Climate Leaders Coalition commits members to adopt targets grounded in science that will deliver substantial emissions reductions so organisations contribute to New Zealand being carbon neutral by 2050. Our updated target will help us make a greater contribution to that goal, as well as supporting the GEN LESS movement to reduce energy use.

“We congratulate Contact Energy on committing to a more ambitious target this week as well and showing leadership in their sector.”

Kaapua Smith, Head of Sustainability, Contact Energy said “An important part of joining the Climate Leaders Coalition for us was the opportunity to work with and learn from other companies who are also on this journey. thinkstep ANZ have helped us to map our Scope 3 emissions to set our own target.”

David Tong, Climate Change Programme Manager, WWF New Zealand said “Meeting the challenge of climate action can seem daunting for small to medium-sized businesses. It is encouraging to see thinkstep ANZ leading the way for small businesses to be more ambitious with their emissions targets. 97% of New Zealand businesses employ fewer than 50 people. If all those businesses set targets, it would make a huge difference.”

ENDS

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