BRANZ makes diamond

By - , Build 116

Despite the challenges brought by its relative isolation, BRANZ has achieved diamond certification, the highest level in the Enviro-Mark NZ programme.

A blitz on paper records produced 14 wheelie bins full of paper for recycling with a combined weight of almost two All Black packs.
A blitz on paper records produced 14 wheelie bins full of paper for recycling with a combined weight of almost two All Black packs.
Monitoring BRANZ electricity use over the last 3 years shows a strong correlation between outside temperature and electricity consumption. Improving thermal insulation as part of the site refurbishment should reduce these peaks in use.

BRANZ has been on a journey over the last 3 years to align its environmental performance with what it has been asking the building industry to do. It has been a valuable learning curve that culminated in the achievement of diamond certification by the Enviro-Mark NZ programme in November 2009.

The Enviro-Mark NZ programme is run by Landcare Research. Diamond is the highest level in the programme and is the equivalent of meeting ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental performance. At the time of certification, less than 20 businesses within New Zealand had achieved the diamond level.

Essential to walk the talk

The journey started in 2006 with the then CEO committing BRANZ to achieving gold level certification. Given that BRANZ advises the industry to act sustainably and think of the environment, he considered that we must do the same.

Achieving the gold level took 2 years, and the platinum and diamond a further year. Like all businesses that take on the Enviro-Mark NZ challenge, BRANZ had its special set of circumstances.

Isolation brings special challenges

The BRANZ site is situated in the country, a long way from public transport, and is not connected to the council’s sewerage system. The on-site sewerage plant is monitored daily, and readings are sent to a laboratory monthly and to the regional council 6 monthly. There is also a stream running through the site, and the Greater Wellington Regional Council visits once a year to ensure resource consent requirements are being met.

Because of this relative isolation, we had to be inventive in finding some solutions. For example, our rural delivery driver takes toner cartridges into Wellington for recycling, and staff drop off plastic and glass bottles at a recycling depot in the Hutt Valley.

BRANZ also has an uncertain supply chain, with a lot of the items tested to destruction. We may be testing insulation panels, fire doors and brick veneer walls one week and argon glass windows and roofing underlay the next. Anything left over needs to be disposed of responsibly.

Easy transition to diamond, but no room for complacency

The most satisfying outcome of the certification is that, of the 30 environmental aspects on site, the only new work required is to allocate a staff member to undertake internal audits and review the chemical register annually. This indicates that BRANZ has been acting responsibly for years – with a lot of the work going on behind the scenes. Staff remarked how easily we moved from gold to diamond. It didn’t seem a difficult achievement because much of the work had already been done.

We can’t rest on our laurels though – a lot of work still needs to be done. We may have achieved the diamond level of certification but we need to retain it, with all the challenges that the future holds.

Monitoring BRANZ electricity use over the last 3 years shows a strong correlation between outside temperature and electricity consumption. Improving thermal insulation as part of the site refurbishment should reduce these peaks in use.

For more

See www.enviro-mark.co.nz

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Articles are correct at the time of publication but may have since become outdated.

A blitz on paper records produced 14 wheelie bins full of paper for recycling with a combined weight of almost two All Black packs.
A blitz on paper records produced 14 wheelie bins full of paper for recycling with a combined weight of almost two All Black packs.
Monitoring BRANZ electricity use over the last 3 years shows a strong correlation between outside temperature and electricity consumption. Improving thermal insulation as part of the site refurbishment should reduce these peaks in use.

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