Climate Positive Ākina

 

The climate emergency presents the biggest challenge of our time. At Ākina, creating positive impact is at the heart of the work we do with our clients and partners – so it’s important to us that our impact on the environment is positive too.

Our vision is of a sustainable, prosperous, inclusive New Zealand and world, and being climate positive helps us to move towards that. Being climate positive acknowledges the urgency of the problem, and demonstrates a commitment to being part of the solution. We know we’re only a drop in the ocean when it comes to global emissions, but if we’re serious about tackling the climate crisis, we believe we need to see action from all corners of business, government and society.

Ākina will consider a Te Ao Māori lens when approaching sustainability. We believe that through caring for people and the planet in the way we operate, we are able to keep moving forward in a sustainable way to create impact.

“Manaaki whenua, manaaki tangata, haere whakamua”
— Care for the land, care for the people, go forward
 
 

The ultimate goal of course, is to help keep the planet within a 1.5 degree rise above pre-industrial temperatures, in order to mitigate the worst effects of man-made climate change. The reduction of carbon dioxide emitted by human activity is one way of doing this. Though we’ll need to innovate large scale solutions to tackle the climate crisis worldwide, it is also important to focus on the impact that we can have both individually and collectively – taking advantage of the solutions that are already available.

Carbon offsetting is one of the solutions. If you’d like to find out more about carbon offsetting there’s a great breakdown on the Ekos website – they’re the social enterprise we use to measure and offset our carbon footprint.

 
 

Our carbon footprint

 
Ākina Climate Positive Certificate, for the period 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024

The Ākina Foundation has measured and offset the business operations scope 1, 2 and 3 CO2 emissions for the year measurement period 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2024 with the following details: Total emissions = 36.65 tCO2e. Total offsets = *44 carbon credits

*120% - excluding pre-offset emissions

Our Commitment to a Thriving Future

The climate emergency is one of the most urgent challenges of our time. At Ākina, we believe businesses play a critical role in building a sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous future. That’s why we have taken decisive steps to measure, reduce, and offset our carbon emissions, ensuring our operations contribute to a healthier planet for future generations.

Our journey toward a low-carbon future aligns with our deep commitment to kaitiakitanga (guardianship), embracing a Te Ao Māori perspective on sustainability. Through these efforts, we aim to inspire action across all sectors—because meaningful change requires collective effort.

Data and Assurance
To accurately assess our impact, we conducted a comprehensive emissions inventory, covering all Scope 1 and 2 emissions, as well as key Scope 3 categories such as business travel, waste, and staff commuting. Our emissions data is classified as Quality Reviewed Inventory status.

Scope 1 and 2 emissions were based on historical data, while Scope 3 emissions were estimated where necessary. We update this information annually and transparently share our results through impact reports and social media.

Our Carbon Reduction Efforts

We are proud of the measurable progress we’ve made in reducing our carbon footprint:

  • Total emissions decreased by 53.14% since our base year (FY19).

  • A 38.87% reduction in the current fiscal year (FY24) compared to the previous year.

  • Significant reductions in purchased electricity (-86%), business travel (-62.01%), and business waste (-80.94%) compared to the base year.

We continue to set ambitious reduction targets:

  • Near-Term (2 years): Absolute reduction of 10%, Intensity reduction of 10%.

  • Medium-Term (5 years): Absolute reduction of 15%, Intensity reduction of 20%.

  • Long-Term (10 years): Absolute reduction of 20%, Intensity reduction of 30%.

We acknowledge areas for improvement, such as addressing the slight increase in staff commuting emissions (+3.18%). By refining our policies and encouraging remote work where possible, we aim to further drive down emissions.

Organisational and Reporting Boundaries

We adopt an operational control approach, ensuring we account for all direct emissions (Scope 1 and 2) and mandatory Scope 3 emissions. Our reporting includes emissions from:

  • Business travel

  • Waste generated in operations

  • Fuel and energy-related activities

  • Staff commuting and working from home

Our reporting excludes emissions from:

✘ Inward and outward freight
✘ Emissions from purchased goods and services related to contractors (immaterial impact)

Offsetting Beyond Net Zero Carbon

To further our impact, we have offset 120% of our operational emissions, supporting high-integrity carbon projects and achieving Ekos Climate Positive re-certification. Our offsets include:

  • 44 units of VER Khasi Hills Community REDD+ Project (India), certified to the Plan Vivo Standard.

These projects not only sequestrates emissions but also support biodiversity and local communities.

Ekos is a business that develops and supports carbon projects that grow and protect forests in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Ekos connects carbon offset buyers with these projects by measuring business and individual carbon footprints, supplying certified forest carbon offsets, and providing carbon certifications (Net Zero Carbon, Net Zero Carbon Lite, Climate Positive, Carbon Conscious certifications and Carbon Friendly recognition). Ekos' forest carbon projects deliver climate resilience, waterways protection, erosion control, biodiversity protection and community economic development. Learn more about Ekos here.

 
 
 
 
 

  • The purpose of the policy is to provide a framework for Ākina staff to help guide us to work in a more sustainable way. It outlines and demonstrates The Ākina Foundation’s commitment to operating as a responsible and sustainable business and ‘walking the talk’ (operating in alignment with our values).

    Ākina will consider a Te Ao Māori lens when approaching sustainability. We believe that through caring for people and the planet in the way we operate, we are able to keep moving forward in a sustainable way to create impact. Manaaki whenua, manaaki tangata, haere whakamua. Care for the land, care for the people, go forward

    The sustainability policy should be considered when making all procurement decisions, and in considering the environmental impact of other operational decisions.

    Ākina is committed to improving our approach to sustainability over time and will aim to evolve our approach in line with best practice.

    The policy takes a principle based approach and is intended to be understood and used as a guide, rather than a detailed set of processes to be followed.

    Read the Sustainability Policy here

  • Ākina has committed to reducing our:

    • Absolute scope 2 emissions by 42% by 2029 from a 2019 base year.

    • Absolute scope 3 emissions from travel, accommodation and waste by 42% within the same year

    This means reducing our emissions from 69.79 tCO2e to 40.4 tCO2e.

    The reason for this is to demonstrate climate leadership that is consistent with our domestic climate change legislation (Climate Change Response Act 2002) and with the overall goal of keeping within the 1.5 degrees target above pre-industrial temperatures.

  • Ākina Carbon Measurement process(PDF report, produced by Ākina)

    • 2018-2019: 69.79 tCO2e (base year)
    Ākina Carbon Footprint Report FY18/19 (PDF report, produced by Ekos)

    • 2019-2020: 27.99 tCO2e
    Ākina Carbon Footprint Report FY19/20     (PDF report, produced by Ekos)

    • 2020-2021: 42.32 tCO2e
    Ākina Carbon Footprint Report FY20/21     (PDF report, produced by Ekos)

    • 2021-2022: 23.36 tCO2e
    Ākina Carbon Footprint Report FY21/22 (PDF report, produced by Ekos)

    • 2022-2023: 59.67 tCO2e
    Ākina Carbon Footprint Report FY22/23 (PDF report, produced by Ekos)

    • 2023-2024: 36.65 tCO2e
    Ākina Carbon Footprint Report FY23/24 (PDF report, produced by Ekos)

  • Our team is committed to operating in accordance with our values and creating the change that we want to see in the world. We have specific actions planned to reduce our carbon footprint: 

    Priority Reduction areas and initiatives:

    Business Travel:

    1. Domestic Air Travel: Continue applying a travel-only-when-necessary principle and favor online alternatives whenever possible. Staff will be required to assess the environmental impact before booking trips. Economy-class travel remains the standard policy.

    2. International Travel: Same policy for Domestic flights and prioritise online participation for international engagements and explore the implementation a carbon budget for flights.

      1. Also, reduce the frequency of long-haul flights by consolidating trips and attending fewer in-person conferences.

    3. Taxis & Rental Cars: Encourage public transport use (Snapper & AT HOP cards provided) and expand the use of low-emission alternatives like Zilch Electric car sharing.

    Staff Commuting:

    1. Promote flexible work policies to minimize commuting emissions while maintaining in-office collaboration (40% of time office attendance required).

    2. Encourage and educate staff on low-emission commute choices, such as public transport, carpooling, cycling, and walking.

    3. Centralized office locations to reduce the need for long commutes.

  • We are a service based organisation and our work is to drive positive outcomes and tackle issues such as climate change for stakeholders. This makes our assessment and disclosure of climate change risks unique when compared to a more traditional business.

    Physical risks
    For Ākina, our greatest physical risk associated with climate change is the loss of our offices which can directly influence our ability to provide our services. As a risk management tool, we have introduced a flexible working policy and also trained our staff to deliver workshops and services online.

    Reputation risks
    We accept as a leading organisation in social impact, the consequences of not limiting our target emissions and being climate change conscious imposes great reputation risks for our organisation. Accordingly, we have implemented a sustainability policy which includes a “travel only when necessary” and always selecting low carbon transition options. These policies also ensure we mitigate the risk of rising cost of carbon and accessibility to offsets.

    Financial risks with offsetting
    Although we offset all our emissions, with climate change action increasing including mandatory compliance laws coming into effect soon, this brings forwards the risk of rising cost of carbon and accessibility.

    Main process to identify and assess climate change risks:
    Therefore to mitigate the risks of climate change and hold ourselves accountable we use carbon footprint measurements to identify the areas and processes within our organisation that require work. We also use Ekos to offset our carbon, not only to remain climate positive but also to hold us accountable. We monitor throughout the year, analyze our emissions on an annual basis and adjust in accordance with this.

 
 

More about our climate journey

 
 
Ākina team members on the ‘School strike for climate’ march in September 2019

Former Ākina team members on the ‘School strike for climate’ march in September 2019