It seems almost a contradiction in terms – a plastics manufacturer winning the Toitū Brighter Future award for Climate Action (Biggest Reduction) in a large organisation.
But Sistema Plastics, the New Zealand company exporting its renowned kitchen storage containers, drink bottles and microwaveable products to 110 countries round the world, is riding a sustainability wave that has taken it to the top of the Toitū awards (as a large company making the biggest overall reduction in carbon emissions over the last two years).
Toitū Envirocare 's system of carbon and environmental programmes gives businesses the science-based tools, actions and evidence to make real progress – and the annual Brighter Future Awards acknowledge those making a real – and very measurable – impact across eight categories.
A delighted Sistema general manager, Chris Ramsey, says the company took heed years ago that the national and international mood was changing when it came to the planet and the environment: "Because we export to 110 countries round the world, we were able to see that sustainability was becoming important in some markets quicker than others.
"We knew we had a lot of work to do," he says. "We knew we had to reduce our carbon and, at the same time, produce the high quality product we've become known for."
Here's what they did: Perhaps the biggest contributor to their reduced emissions was international travel – or the lack of it.
"We've got to say that Covid-19 and the pandemic helped us with this a bit," says Ramsey.
"What we learned during Covid is that we could look at things differently. For example, we discovered that we could change our resources in certain areas and do away with much of our reliance on international travel – which is, of course, very heavy in terms of carbon emissions."
That alone reduced Sistema's carbon emissions from international travel from 980 tonnes in 2018 to 150 tonnes in 2020 – an 84 per cent reduction.
Another key initiative was to reduce their shipping footprint. Sistema's storage containers enclose "a lot of air", says Ramsey, so much work has gone into producing the containers so they can be shipped as a nest, rather than as containers which take up a lot of individual space: "We have spent a lot of time in designing products so they can be shipped in a way which reduces our carbon footprint by bulk shipping."
Nor are they stopping there. Ramsey says next year will see the introduction of Sistema products made from ocean-bound plastics (OBPs) – plastics which are sourced from raw materials suppliers instead of going into landfill or, worse, finding their way into the seas.
"At this stage, it will only be 3-5 per cent of our total revenue next year as we are only just starting – but it will ramp up a bit from there," says Ramsey.
Other Sistema initiatives included:
- Reducing their waste-to-landfill footprint
- Cutting electricity use wherever possible, like using a more efficient system to drive air compressors, fitting solar panels and maximising on-off times to use electricity more effectively.
- 100 per cent of rainwater collected from the company's 52,000 sq m roofs is filtered and used to cool machines.
- Greener transport – also an automated storage and retrieval system which minimizes the need for forklifts
- Recycling old products by encouraging consumers to enlist in the teracycle programme.
"The Toitū awards are great," says Ramsey. "They are based on science, are measured scientifically and they are all about impact – making a real difference. There are a lot of companies out there greenwashing, talking a lot about sustainability."
"These awards acknowledge meaningful sustainability and I am so glad for our team.
There has been a lot of people leaving no stone unturned to find every way possible to reduce our emissions and it is really good to see those efforts recognised."
The award is based on an organisation's footprint, known as its boundary, and takes into account their scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions. However, it doesn't cover what's called 'cradle-to-grave' of a produced product. This includes operations, manufacturing, distribution, retail, how the product is used, and finally its disposal.
Unlike other awards, they're based on data. So there is no favouritism and while the winners aren't public favourites, it helps demonstrate all businesses, regardless of industry or popularity, who are making headway in reducing their impact
Austin Hansell, Carbon Product Manager at Toitū Envirocare says: "We are recognising the organisations from the various Toitū Envirocare programmes making a significant impact in environmental sustainability. We are the currency by which businesses can forge change – and have the means to do so when certified under our programmes.
"The Toitū Brighter Future Awards are judged on impact, not public voting, with the winners scientifically proven to be making a positive difference to the world around them. It's simply progress. No business will ever be perfect and we have to keep improving, so these awards help acknowledge the milestones."
Criteria for the each category varied but all had to demonstrate significant reductions during 2021-22. To qualify, winners must have at least two years of comparable emissions. Performance is judged on the greatest percentage change in absolute total emissions (all scopes, tCO2e) comparing the latest year certified as of June 2022 to the respective prior year.
Winners of the eight Toitū Brighter Future Award categories were as follows:
- Climate Action (biggest reduction) in the Small Organisation category (with a carbon footprint of less than 200 tCO2e): New Zealand Superannuation Fund
- Climate Action (biggest reduction) in the Medium Organisation category: Achilles Information Limited
- Climate Action (biggest reduction) in the Large Organisation category: Sistema Plastics Limited
- Climate Action (biggest reduction) in the >50,000 tonnes tCO2e Organisation category: Auckland Transport
- Climate Action (biggest reduction) in the Product category: Tahbilk
- Climate Action in the Top Reducer (by volume) category: Silver Fern Farms
- Climate Action in the Top Reducer (closest to zero) category: New Zealand Superannuation Fund
- Exceptional achievement in Environmental Management: Te Pae
To find out more about the winners, finalists, and criteria visit toitu.co.nz/our-members/brighter-future-awards