A more sustainable future is under construction.
Just as we take a long-term view of our investments and buildings, we also take a long-term view of our impact on our environment. We're actively working towards reducing our carbon footprint and creating healthier workplaces for our people, communities and clients. Because a more sustainable future for all is the greatest investment we can make.
SUSTAINABILITY
TOITŪ: a mark of our commitment to sustainability
We are delighted to have obtained our base year Toitū net carbonzero certification in 2022, with year two re-certification in 2023.
Toitū certification ensures that we are meeting international best practice in terms of measuring, monitoring and reporting on our emissions. It facilitates the offsetting our remaining emissions through verified carbon credits to achieve a neutral balance.
Our head office is certified in accordance with ISO 14064-1 or ISO 14067, allowing us to make carbon claims with confidence. Compliance with the programme is independently verified annually to maintain certification. This isn't quite right-our head office is net CarbonZero, not the whole portfolio, so we have to be careful how we word this so our claims are correct and we don't get tripped up.
We're dedicated to reducing GHG emissions.
Reducing carbon emissions offers significant benefits for our business, our customers, and for our collective future. For that reason, JKGL is committed to operating in a GHG emissions efficient environment. We aim to explore all opportunities for energy savings throughout the business in order to establish ourselves as an environmentally responsible organisation - and to contribute to national carbon reduction targets.
Through Toitū, we have committed to a 10% reduction in GHGs by 2030; however, we strongly believe we can exceed that target and will aim to do so.
Total certified emissions for our HQ for the year to 31 March 2023 are 24.91 tonnes CO2e which have been offset using carbon credits.
NABERSNZ - the path to energy efficiency.
NABERSNZ is an independent tool for rating and tracking the energy efficiency of office buildings, backed by the New Zealand government. JKGL recently begun the process to obtain NABERSNZ ratings on both of our tower office buildings at 48 Emily Place, Auckland Central; and 45 O'Rorke Road, Penrose.
48 Emily Place has recently achieved a 4 star rating
For reference:
- NABERSNZ star ratings:
- 0 stars = very poor performance
- 1 star = poor performance
- 2 stars = below average performance
- 3 stars = good performance
- 4 stars = excellent performance
- 5 stars = market leading performance
- 6 stars = aspirational performance
NABERSNZ ratings help us to accurately measure, understand and communicate the environmental performance of our office buildings, while identifying areas for cost savings and future improvements. Our next goal is to look at how we might achieve 5 star ratings when we are next assessed.
It's becoming increasingly common for our international and local tenants to request that our office buildings be rated, and as part of our commitment to improving energy efficiency, we are more than happy to undertake this for the sake of our customers, staff and our working environment.
Initiatives to promote healthier, greener spaces.
The way we live and work is changing and we're pleased that our tenants are now routinely requesting LED lighting, rooftop solar installations, tanks for rain water collection and re-use, and end-of-trip facilities to cater for active commuters. Our sustainability intiatives include:
LED Lighting - using LED lighting reduces energy usage by as much as 20%, so we're replacing all older lighting with LED where appropriate throughout the portfolio.
Water recycling - a number of our sites feature water-recycling tanks and all new builds will include water recycling as a matter of course.
EV chargers - these have been installed at several sites and well received by our customers and staff.
- Solar - solar is one of the most effective ways to reduce running costs and positively impact CSR. Many of our sites already have solar installed - see some examples here.
Fleet vehicles - as part of our commitment to reduce emissions with Toitu we have undertaken to upgrade our fossil fuel fleet vehicles to hybrid or EVS as they come to end of life.
Memberships & certifications
JKGL is proud to have been a member of the New Zealand Green Building Council since 2020. What's more, a number of our staff have obtained Green Star certification and we have our own in-house Green Star Accredited Professional (GSAP).
