Global headlines are increasingly highlighting the urgency of the climate crisis, and in the small town of Raglan (population 3,500), a local yoghurt company decided it was time to take action.
“It’s easy to sit back and think ‘well, the problem is too big, what can I possibly do about it?’, says co-founder Tesh Randall (aka Mrs Coconut), “But unless businesses start taking responsibility for the emissions they create, things will never get better.”
They realised the logical starting point was to begin tracking the impact they currently have. “If you don’t measure your emissions, how will you go about reducing them?” points out co-founder Seb Walter (aka Mr Coconut).
Raglan Coconut Yoghurt worked with Enviro-Mark Solutions, a government-owned environmental certifications company, over a 5 month period, gathering data about their operations and measuring their emissions in all areas of the business, including freight, fuel,and power usage.
They also put together a road-map for the future, setting realistic targets for reduction and improvements. Tesh says, “We found that our emissions mainly came from freight, waste,and electricity usage. We’re planning to improve freight consolidation, reduce waste to landfill, and change to a 100% renewable electricity supplier to reduce these impacts.” This was independently audited in July 2019, and they have now received their carboNZero certification, joining the ranks of forward-thinking companies like Yealands Estate Wines and Antipodes Water Company.
The carboNZero programme is accredited by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) and was the world’s first to be accredited under ISO 14065. Its certification mark is recognised in over 60 countries through the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
Enviro-Mark Solutions CEO, Dr Ann Smith praises Raglan Coconut Yoghurt’s commitment to being part of a low carbon economy. “For there to be a real change in the way business is done we need companies to stand up and demonstrate their commitment to a more sustainable future. Raglan Coconut Yoghurt is now actively involved in monitoring, reporting and mitigating its carbon impacts and we look forward to seeing the difference they can make. I would personally like to pass on my congratulations and look forward to their carbon reductions.”
Raglan Coconut Yoghurt have offset their emissions for the last year of trading with carbon credits in projects that include supporting carbon sequestering in Puhoi and Kurinui forest reserves, and they have become members of the Climate Leaders Coalition as a further commitment to their goals as a carboNZero certified business.
“It feels good to be doing this -it has taken time, effort and investment, but it’s the right thing to do and we hope that other businesses will join us!” says Tesh.
RCY
