Press Release
June 2010

Greenhouse Gas Certification Scheme Gets British Backing

New Zealand’s leading greenhouse gas (GHG) certification scheme has reached another international milestone.

The Certified Emissions Measurement And Reduction Scheme (CEMARS®), run by Landcare Research NZ Ltd’s carboNZeroCertTM programme, has become the first overseas-based scheme recognised by the UK Environment Agency as equivalent to the Carbon Trust Standard and hence meeting requirements under the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme.

Previously only the UK-based Carbon Trust met the requirements of the CRC.
The CRC is the UK’s first regulatory scheme aimed at improving energy efficiency and cutting emissions in large public and private sector organisations. The scheme started in April 2010 and is central to the UK’s strategy for improving energy efficiency and reducing GHG emissions. It has been designed to raise awareness in 5000 large organisations, especially at senior level, and encourage changes in behaviour and infrastructure.

Organisations must demonstrate that they have cut their emissions over one-to-three years, depending on their size and must also commit to achieving future year-on-year reductions

Organisations' carbon footprints are compared by customers, shareholders and other stakeholders so it's important that everybody is being measured against a standard that has been verified so there are no misleading claims.

Mike Tournier, business manager for the carboNZero programme, says, recognition of CEMARS by the UK Environment Agency, under the UK Climate Change Act, means that UK companies now have a choice of certifier for their emissions reduction reporting.

“In particular, our UK partner Achilles clients’, who have to report into the CRC, will receive the same financial benefits as Carbon Trust certified companies.

“It’s another great example of a New Zealand business punching above its weight in the world economy.

“The UK Environment Agency clearly recognises the quality, robustness and benefits of CEMARS certification. There have been many challenges placed in front of us and we’ve spent more than a year working to overcome these to ensure we have access to this important British market.”

Andrew Hitchings, CRC Project Executive at the UK Environment Agency, said CEMARS certification allows organisations who are leading the way in environmental management to be rewarded for their efforts to date.

“Including alternative schemes (CEMARS) will make it simpler for participants to show exactly how much genuine engagement they had with emissions management and reduction prior to joining CRC.

“CRC is a great opportunity for businesses and organisations to show what they have already achieved in reducing emissions and demonstrate a commitment to go even further.”
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