Brands, businesses, and brilliant Kiwi minds are putting the world first, leading the way to a zero-carbon emissions economy by 2050 with some truly innovative and bold ideas.
More rubbish ideas.
Waste Management, New Zealand’s largest resource recovery, recycling and waste management provider is working on converting its fleet of more than 800 diesel waste trucks to electric. And they’ll be powering them using electricity from the methane gas captured at its landfills. Yep, they’ll be using everyone’s rubbish, capturing over 95% of gas emissions from landfills and turning it into electricity. That’s enough clean energy to power 24,000 homes and gets a whole lot of diesel emissions off the road. It’s just one part of their sustainability strategy, For Future Generations.
Turning pollution into pants.
LanzaTech, a New Zealand company, has even discovered a way to convert dirty carbon-rich gases from places like steel mills into clean fuel. Genius. They’re effectively recycling emissions into fuels and chemicals, which can power planes or turn pollution into yoga pants.
From beers to biofuel.
In 2015, innovative New Zealand beer brand, DB Export, partnered with Gull, New Zealand’s leading biofuel retailer, to develop a world-first; DB Export Brewtroleum, a biofuel made from the yeast leftover after the beer brewing process. DB Export Brewtroleum has saved 219,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions when compared with standard fuel over the last three years.
They’re also diverting contaminated glass from landfills and crushing them with a custom machine to create DB Export Beer Bottle Sand. So far, they have produced more than 300 tonnes of sand which has a wide range of uses, from construction and roading to DIY projects and sports field drainage. Look down if you find yourself in the Queenstown International airport carpark, it’s one of the projects that has used the innovative sand.
It’s smart business.
New Zealand business leaders from companies like Z Energy formed the Climate Leaders Coalition in 2018. The coalition represents 60 per cent of New Zealand’s gross emissions, employs nearly 170,000 people, and makes up a third of private-sector GDP. By joining the Coalition business leaders commit their organisations to publicly measure and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and work together in transitioning New Zealand to a zero-carbon emissions economy.
New Zealand contributes less than 0.2% to global emissions, and they want to get to zero carbon by 2050 to keep our world livable.
So, if you're looking for somewhere committed to changing the world and its climate for good… we know a place.
