This post is part of a series on Demystifying Sustainable Product Certifications, where I share my research into the most common certifications found on grocery products in New Zealand. Previously I explained what the Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance logos mean, and looked into New Zealand's most common organic certifications. This time I'll clarify what the carboNZero and Environmental Choice certifications tell you.
carboNZero is an internationally accredited greenhouse gas certification programme run by Landcare Research (a research institute owned by the New Zealand government). Members of the certification scheme must reduce the carbon emissions associated with creating the product, and offset the remaining emissions by purchasing carbon credits. The carbon credits for the carboNZero scheme come from New Zealand wind farm, landfill gas capture and native forest regeneration projects. You can find this certification on several brands of New Zealand wine, and a selection of other non-grocery products.
Environmental Choice New Zealand is owned by the government, but operates independently. You may have seen the certification logo on cleaning products or toilet paper. Environmental Choice certification is product specific - there is a unique set of specifications for each type of product Environmental Choice certifies. According to the website, the Environmental Choice certification symbolises that a product is less harmful to the environment than comparable products because it meets "environmental leadership specifications". The product specifications are available on the website if you are interested in what the label means in relation to a particular type of product.
The next post in this series investigates some niche certifications.
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