Ecotricity Becomes First Energy Company To Be Toitū Climate Positive Certified

Ecotricity, New Zealand’s leading 100% renewable and net carbonzero certified electricity provider, has gone one step further to help tackle the climate emergency.

Consumers wanting to lower their carbon footprint can now choose Ecotricity’s Toitū climate positive certified electricity and help to significantly reduce the country’s CO2 emissions.

To achieve climate positive status, the company has gone through a rigorous process with Toitū Envirocare, whose certifications are internationally recognised data-led and science-based environmental programmes.

This involved the measurement of Ecotricity’s carbon footprint for its entire value chain and setting absolute science-aligned reduction targets. As well as offsetting remaining emissions through carbon credits at 125% to go beyond neutrality. Plus contributing a further 75% of its carbon footprint by supporting Toitū-approved local environmental and social projects.

Ecotricity’s Founder and Managing Director Al Yates said, “Despite many New Zealanders' well-placed intentions to act against climate change, their ability to take action is increasingly being put under pressure by more immediate personal socio-economic challenges.”

The average New Zealander emits over 6 tonnes of Co2 per year, of which about 1.4 tonnes comes from electricity usage.

“Other electricity retailers are using coal, gas and geothermal - which contribute to 1.4 tonnes of emissions,” said Yates.

“Ecotricity’s climate positive certified electricity generation comes only from renewable sources so it’s a simple, easy and effective way for Kiwis to immediately eliminate their emissions.”

Teressa Betty, CEO of Toitū Envirocare said, “We’re facing unprecedented times. We only have to look at the past month’s weather as an indication that climate change is not waiting.”

“New Zealanders are devastated by the impact of these recent events and it’s a wakeup call for us all to take urgent action,” she said.

“Achieving Toitū climate positive status is a huge achievement for any company, especially an energy company. Ecotricity is leading the way at a critical time by setting the bar for what good looks like.”

“We can’t stop climate change, but we can certainly minimise our impact. It’s helpful for organisations to remember that you can’t manage what you can’t measure. This means it is critical to look up and down your value chain and make positive changes wherever you can.”

“Ecotricity has gone above and beyond to map out each and every part of its business to identify hotspots, risk areas, and areas to improve upon continually. The more businesses taking action, the greater the impact we can collectively have on our environment.”

Ecotricity sources its Toitū climate positive certified product electricity from Genesis Energy, which exclusively provides this from renewable wind and hydro generation sources. The company also has a substantial base of solar customers who provide an additional supply of Toitū climate positive certified electricity when their excess electricity is exported to the national grid.

© Scoop Media