About Us
Toitū is to care for the life of this place, our people and future. It is our name and commitment.
- Our company
- Our impact and commitments
- Accreditation and recognition of our programmes
- Our partnerships
- Our memberships
We are a team of scientists and business experts who have come together to protect the ecological and economic future of this place.
We lead positive change through a system of robust environmental programmes that are internationally recognised. We help businesses be more sustainable by giving them the science-based tools, actions and evidence they need to make real progress. We are sharing passion backed by proof. We build and share momentum through collective action. Toitū connects people and businesses, actions and outcomes. We help everyone see the value of taking action – and doing it together.
Toitū is to sustain holistically, to sustain continually so that together, we can sustain the life of this place, our people and our future.
Together, we are Toitū Envirocare. Take steps with us.
Our company
Our origins are in science; our future is in environmental regeneration and economic sustainability.
We’re here to lead and guide positive change with a system of environmental programmes, based on science and backed by evidence. We help businesses realise efficiencies, reduce their carbon footprint, and be more sustainable.
We’re here to help you tell your sustainability story. We give businesses the tools, actions and evidence needed to make measurable progress– and be recognised for it.
- 800+ clients
- 4500+ certificates issued
- 264+ million tonnes CO2e verified footprints
- 8.4+ million tonnes CO2e reduced by our clients
- 1.5+ million tonnes CO2e offset by our clients
Since 2001, our programmes have ensured that New Zealand companies are benefiting from international best practice, applied science, and effective tools. Toitū Envirocare is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, a Government-owned Crown Research Institute. Though developed for New Zealand business needs, Toitū Envirocare’ offerings currently serve over 800 clients worldwide.
Our Toitū carbonreduce, Toitū net carbonzero and Toitū enviromark certifications meet and exceed the requirements of ISO standards and ensure consistent and comprehensive reporting, benchmarking and management under international best practice. We are determined to uphold independence, demand rigour, and value collaboration.
Certified B Corporation®
Toitū Envirocare is delighted to be a Certified B Corporation®. Certified B Corporations® (B Corps™) are for-profit companies that use the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. They meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
We are committed to being a business that not only acts as a power for good, but does no harm. Through our services, we empower other organisations to improve environmental performance, but within our own business we have taken specific steps to ensure we are improving our performance across five categories: governance, workers, customers, community, and the environment. Learn more about our commitments to our people, place and future here.
Impartiality, independence and integrity
We understand impartiality and commit to providing impartial and transparent verification services for the certification of greenhouse gas assertions, environmental management systems and energy management systems. We manage interests that have influence on impartiality and ensure that our certification activities are objective.
We conduct ongoing risk assessments to identify conflicts of interest. These are reviewed by our Senior Leadership Team and the Independent Technical Advisory Panel, which is made up of members representing our key activities and interests. Both actual and perceived risks are assessed within a conflict of interests and related parties register. Management actions are implemented to eliminate, manage or minimise conflicts of interest where they exist.
Conflict of interest is further covered through contractually binding agreements to ensure that all our certification activities are conducted with integrity in an independent and impartial manner. Personnel who are involved in verification and certification activities do not engage in consultancy or technical advice for these clients. We require internal and external personnel to reveal any situation known to them that may expose them or our certification programmes to any conflict of interest.
To provide our clients with confidence in our certification activities, it is essential that our certification decisions are based on objective evidence and that our decisions are not influenced by other interests or other parties.
Feedback, complaints and appeals
We welcome comments that our clients, stakeholders and the general public offer related to our website, our calculators and our certification programmes. Your feedback helps us to improve these programmes and the FAQ sections of our website and programme guidance. Please contact us with your feedback.
Should you have any complaints about our verification and certification services, we will work with you to resolve these issues in a timely manner. Where your organisation disagrees with a certification decision, we will acknowledge and investigate your concerns.
For Toitū net carbonzero and Toitū carbonreduce members, if we fail to resolve your complaint within an agreed timeframe, you have the right to raise your complaint with the Joint Accreditation Service of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) at www.jas-anz.com.au. Where your organisation disagrees with a Toitū net carbonzero or Toitū carbonreduce certification decision, we will acknowledge and investigate your concerns. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right of appeal to the Certification Manager. A final appeal can be made to JAS-ANZ.
Accreditations and Recognition
JAS-ANZ accredited
The Toitū carbonreduce and Toitū net carbonzero programmes are accredited by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) and were the world’s first to be accredited under ISO 14065.
Accreditation is the third-party endorsement of our competence to issue certification. This accreditation allows us to issue certification against ISO 14064-1, ISO 14067, and PAS 2050. Our accreditation means the Toitū carbonreduce and Toitū net carbonzero certification marks are recognised in over 60 countries through the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). See the JAS-ANZ public register here.
ICROA accredited
As New Zealand’s leading carbon certification organisation we look to sustain holistically and meet best practices internationally. We’re pleased to share that we’ve passed our annual audit by ICROA, meaning our emissions reductions and offsetting programmes meet the highest international standards of environmental integrity and in support of the Paris Agreement. For more information visit the ICROA Accreditation webpage.
Recognition in the UK
Toitū carbonreduce is recognised by the UK Energy Savings and Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) as a route to compliance (see section A3; Toitū carbonreduce may be referenced by its former name Certified Emissions Measurement and Reduction Scheme (CEMARS)).
Green Star materials recognition
Our programmes are recognised by the New Zealand Green Building Council’s Green Star programme under the materials category of the rating tool. This aims to address the consumption of resources used in building construction by encouraging the selection of lower impact materials. The points are based on a life-cycle approach and focus on responsible sourcing, transparency, and lower embodied impact over the life of the material. The relevant material categories include interior materials, timber, concrete and aggregate, steel products, steel fabricator/processor, and furniture. Certified products in those categories can earn extra points depending on the type of certification they hold:
- Toitū net carbonzero certified products can earn an extra .5 points
- Toitū carbonreduce certified products can earn an extra .25 points
- Toitū enviromark members can earn an extra .25 to 1 points depending on the material category
Management Capability Development Voucher Fund registered
Toitū Envirocare offers services that are registered with the Management Capability Development Voucher Fund. Find out more by visiting www.regionalbusinesspartners.co.nz or to find your local Regional Business Partner.
Our Partnerships
Toitū Envirocare actively works with government and industry bodies to maximise the availability and advantages of credible independent environmental certification to as many organisations as possible.
Achilles Group Limited – our license partner offering Toitū carbonreduce certification in the UK
Achilles provides a range of supplier management services to improve the efficiency of the procurement cycle while promoting health and safety, environmental management and wider supply chain responsibility. Our partnership adds greenhouse gas measurement, management and certification to their portfolio of services.
Together, we have worked to ensure that Toitū carbonreduce certification is widely recognised and accepted as a route to for both carbon and energy regulations.
Climate Leaders Coalition – on a mission to reduce emissions in New Zealand
The Climate Leaders Coalition is a group of New Zealand businesses committed to tackling the issue of climate change. Together, the members of the Climate Leaders Coalition represent a variety of industries and make up nearly half of New Zealand’s emissions. The Coalition aims to create a positive future for New Zealanders, business and the economy by helping New Zealand transition to a low emissions economy and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
Toitū Envirocare is a proud member of the Climate Leaders Coalition and already works with several other Coalition members on their emissions reductions.
www.climateleaderscoalition.org.nz
CoGo - Sustainable Living Made Easy
CoGo's on a mission to empower millions of people around the world to understand their personal carbon footprint and take action on their emissions.
Using world-first technology, CoGo's real-time API helps businesses and their customers to understand, reduce and offset their carbon footprints, and align their spending with their environmental and social values.
“CoGo's created an API that allows us to integrate our carbon footprint tracker into third-party apps and websites, including banking apps.” Ben Gleisner Founder and CEO
“We've recently won a contract with a leading UK bank to roll out to their 10M+ customers, and similar discussions are in progress with banks in NZ, AU and EU.”
Learn more at: www.cogo.co
Sustainable Living Programme – developing future living skills
The Sustainable Living Programme is a charitable trust that provides an education programme and learning guides to help householders develop future living skills for a healthier lifestyle and sustainable consumer choices.
Sustainable Living promotes and makes use of our Toitū net carbonzero household and travel & tourism calculators in their courses. Sustainable Living has worked closely with Toitū Envirocare in developing our public calculator.
Our Memberships
Toitū Envirocare is a member of the following organisations:
