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Climate Change and Sustainability

The world is changing, but with proactive engagement on sustainability and climate change, businesses can successfully make the transition to the new low-emissions economy.

EXPERTISE & EXPERIENCE:

We are here to make sure your business remains ahead of the curve with sustainability and climate change to ensure you can manage the risks and can manoeuvre to capture the most advantage from the growing global demands for greater performance and transparency around sustainability including greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate Change and Sustainability is a rapidly evolving area of our practice directly relevant across almost every sector, including agribusiness, primary producers, industry and manufacturing. This is particularly relevant for any business with an export market focus where beyond compliance sustainability certifications and carbon emissions reporting are now the norm, and are increasingly required by investors, financial institutions, buyers and end market consumers. It is no longer enough simply to rely only on our clean kiwi image, the market more and more demands transparency, verification and reporting.

Domestically, the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act now sets the framework for Net Zero by 2050 and businesses need to be thinking about what their future will look like in a low-emissions economy. The Emissions Reduction Plan and National Adaptation Plan provide the details of how New Zealand will make those reductions, and how we need to adapt to a changing climate. Most large financial institutions will also be required to start making climate-related disclosures from 2023, under the Financial Sector (Climate-related Disclosures and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021.

We are uniquely positioned to assist. With long established Agribusiness, Commercial and Resource Management/Environmental practices, we understand the unique challenges and operating realities which you face. In addition to our long partnership with the primary and commercial sectors, we have in house expertise in advising on global industry and commodity specific standards for sustainability and traceability and reporting. We are experienced in advising on international carbon offset and reporting schemes including those under the UNFCCC, the European International Sustainability & Carbon Certification Scheme (ISCC) as well as voluntary standards such as the Verified Carbon standard. We also have knowledge and understanding of the proposals for pricing agricultural emissions.

Our team has deep knowledge of all New Zealand’s resource management and environmental legislation and framework, including the RMA (and its proposed replacement legislation), the Climate Change Response Act, and the new Emissions Reduction Plan and National Adaptation Plan.

TALK TO US ABOUT:

International and industry specific sustainability certifications and statutory requirements
Globally standardised sustainability reporting such as the Global Reporting initiative
The risks and opportunities around domestic climate change legislation and framework, including the Emissions Reduction Plan and National Adaptation Plan
International carbon reporting and offsetting
Resource management, environmental, climate change legislation and policy matters