New Zealand Couriers is providing free carbon emissions reports to customers as part of a growing requirement for doing business.
Backed by listed parent company Freightways, the courier firm’s business intelligence team built the reporting suite in-house over the course of a year and quickly gained over 100 customers.
On top of government climate goals and customer requests, findings from EECA’s March 2023 Consumer Monitor shows 81% of New Zealand consumers want businesses to do more to reduce their environmental impact.
Driven by customer demand in sectors from advertising to charities to listed entities, and as a member of Toitū Envirocare, the courier company engaged the environmental certification and consultation body for recommendations on how to devise a sustainable software solution.
NZ Couriers national data and analytics manager Jeff Smith says the reports give detail on their customers’ courier transport emissions for greater transparency and informed decision making.
“More and more companies are becoming increasingly aware of their environmental impact.
“By offering emissions data on their courier transport, we’re able to help them get a clearer picture of their whole operation so they can then make calculated steps to reduce their carbon footprint,” he says.
A typical report provides a breakdown of data by organisation and mode of transport, looking at total delivery emissions, packages and weight.
“Data is collected live from our couriers’ scanners, compared to weight and distance meta data and then supplemented by pattern algorithms. It’s completely automated and means our customers get up-to-the-day accuracy,” Smith says.
The methodology behind the reports has been independently verified by Toitū Envirocare and the data is suitable for use in ISO standard compliant inventory.
Emissions reporting ‘critical’
One early adopter is 40-year-old outdoor advertising company Phantom Billstickers, specialising in traditional static street posters nationwide.
Its chief executive Robin McDonnell says it fits with the company’s ethos and the team has already implemented changes based on the data.
“We’re certified net carbon zero, so emissions reporting is critical for us. Since getting the reports from New Zealand Couriers, we’ve changed how we group items together for delivery and we source local materials for special builds rather than sourcing in Auckland and then sending around the country.”
Phantom Billstickers is not alone in its plight. Looking at overseas examples, NZ Couriers expects emissions reporting to become widely adopted locally in the near future.
New Zealand’s leading independent conservation organisation, Forest & Bird, also uses the service and wants to see more organisations take their environmental impact seriously.
“Ultimately, we’d like for all suppliers who work with us to report their emissions data too, so that we can be assured that they are also committed to reducing their organisation carbon footprint,” says Steve Williams, Forest & Bird’s business services manager.
NZ Couriers head of sustainability, Rob Levy, says the company is crunching its own carbon emissions data to make positive change.
“We’re a significant member of the transport sector and we’re well aware that we’re in an emissions-intense industry – this gives us a disproportionate opportunity to have a positive impact.
“It’s important to us to lead by example by being transparent and accountable regarding our climate actions,” Levy says.
