The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) has acknowledged the Environment Aotearoa 2019 report, but is challenging communities to support its next steps.
The report released by the Ministry for the Environment highlights the most pressing environmental issues New Zealand is facing and outlines nine priority issues in need of attention, including high greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, which is already affecting Aotearoa New Zealand.
According to the council, members of the SBC and Climate Leaders Coalition are working on many fronts to show kaitiakitanga, reduce their emissions, and enhance their communities.
“This report provides valuable data to guide their efforts,” it said. “But we expect it will also act as a prompt to raise their ambitions for further action.
“The natural environment is an important part of what we value about living in New Zealand and many businesses are now very conscious of the role they play.”
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SBC noted New Zealand businesses are already responding to a number of concerns, including the build-up of plastic in the environment, pollution of our waterways, and climate change. It mentioned Countdown and The Warehouse Group as leaders in phasing out single-use plastic bags; multiple businesses who partnered with the Department of Conservation on their valuable initiatives; more than 85 businesses that joined the Climate Leaders Coalition; and many businesses taking the lead on rolling out electric vehicles in their fleets.
“We appreciate anything government can do to make it easier to take action, and we hope individuals in their communities will support these actions,” the council added.
