Five years of Toitū Net Carbonzero certification

Boffa Miskell is proudly a Toitū Net-Carbonzero certified consultancy since 2018. 

In line with our Climate Change Policy, we undertake an annual audit of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by our operations, and we offset our unavoidable emissions to maintain a net-carbonzero certification.

The 2022 audit showed that our emissions profile increased by 89 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e), from 327 tCO₂e in 2021 to 416 tCO₂e in 2022.[1] This increase is largely due to travel and operational habits shifting towards post-pandemic levels.

The three largest emissions sources in 2022 were air travel (220 tCO2e), petrol consumption (72 tCO2e) and diesel consumption (58 tCO2e). Despite this expected increase, we are still performing ahead of schedule to reach our 2030 emissions target of 55% less emissions than 2018.

In response to this audit, Boffa Miskell has developed a new emissions reduction pathway extending until 2030. Our emissions targets and reduction goals are now aligned Science Based Targets, following the United Nation’s goal to hold global warming to 1.5°C. Company policies have been adjusted to help our consultants cooperate to minimise emissions.

Boffa Miskell works continually to reduce our gross emissions by targeting domestic travel, our largest emissions source. We expect to see further reductions in our Scope 1 and 3 emissions to meet these new thresholds in the coming years.

To offset unavoidable GHG emissions, we support two independently certified international projects that prevent carbon emissions: investing in Gyapa Cook Stoves in Ghana, and the Amayo Wind Power Project in Nicaragua.

In 2022 we started an in-setting initiative to support projects that provide additional and measurable sustainable outcomes for our business, and the communities which we operate in, above and beyond our footprint. In the past year, we supported the Avoca Valley Restoration project on the Canterbury Port Hills. Led by the Summit Road Society, in partnership with local residents and stakeholders, the project aims to plant more than 45,000 trees in the Avoca Valley, with the potential to remove over 18,000 tonnes of CO22 from the atmosphere over the next 50 years.

This year, Boffa Miskell launched the Low Carbon Commuters Club, a company-wide initiative reducing the financial barriers for staff to access bikes, electric bikes and electric scooters for their commutes. By providing financing options, we are seeing staff members switch to active modes of transport.

Boffa Miskell continues to work alongside clients, project partners and stakeholders to assist Aotearoa New Zealand in mitigating and adapting to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. We aim to foster innovation and leadership in climate change action. We encourage open dialogue among employees and clients, to critically assess the impacts of climate change on project outcomes, and the emissions produced from project delivery.

[1] Note, this gross emission total excludes all emissions related to the Boffa Miskell 50th celebration event – these emissions were excluded from our annual audit and managed separately as part of the ‘carbonzero event’ certification.