SUSTAINABILITY – HARMONY PLAN

CLIMATE ACTION LEADERS

Climate change is already affecting New Zealand. At Comvita, we are playing our part to reduce global climate warming to 1.5ᵒC or less, following the Paris Agreement.

OUR COMMITMENTS

  • We will be Carbon Neutral by 2025 and Carbon Positive by 2030.
  • With 2022 as our base year – we will reduce our absolute NZ Scope 1 and 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 50% by 2030.
  • All our packaging will be 100% recyclable, reusable, and compostable by 2025.
  • We have an Environmental Policy that is consistent with our purpose and Harmony Plan, and underpins our Environmental Management System.
  1ST  Global Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report produced 2022This is our base yearto track our carbon targets against
Mānuka Forests removed over5,971 TONNE of CO2 equivalents (tCO2e) during the 2021 planting season

HOW ARE WE TRACKING?

Measuring our Carbon Footprint (Scope 1, 2, 3)

  • In 2022 we publicly produced our first Global Greenhouse Gas Inventory for our all global business operations (S1, S2, S3). This will be our base year to base our carbon targets on. The full inventory report is available here.

Carbon removals from our mānuka forests

  • During the 2021 planting season, we removed more than 5,971 tonnes of carbon.
  • Since the start of our regeneration programme, our mānuka forests have removed more than 37,094 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere.

Responsible Packaging

  • 89% of our packaging is already curbside recyclable ready aka ready for pickup by waste collection services for recycling.
  • In 2021 we removed 2 tonnes of shrink wrap plastic from our honey production procedures. 

TREADING LIGHTLY - OUR CAMPUS

Treading lightly means being able to perform our duties with minimum impact on the environment. We’ve inserted our philosophy of treading lightly directly into the design and layout of our market support campus Paengaroa, New Zealand. It’s here that our honey and other key products are packed and stored before distributing around the world.

Some of the actions we have taken on-site in order to promote sustainability include: 

  • 944 solar panels that provide over 27% of the site’s power (that’s the equivalent to powering 53 average-sized households for a year).
  • 40,000 native trees were planted, including our own mānuka grove.
  • Bee hives that support the pollination of 60 fruit trees on site.
  • A 1 km walking track that embraces nature and tells Comvita’s story.
  • Wetlands that float on 100% recycled soft drink bottles.

OUR FUTURE FOCUS

As we work towards becoming carbon positive by 2030, and with a clear Global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory baseline in place, we now bring our attention to focusing our energy on reducing emissions from material carbon-impacting areas.

We have committed to reducing our New Zealand Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50% by 2030, from our 2021 base year. This target is in alignment with the Science Based Target Initiative, (SBTi) 1.5ᵒC methodology.

We are also working closely with our business partners and suppliers, to collectively reduce carbon emissions within our wider value chain.

This year, we have broadened our GHG measurement to capture all our business activities across our global teams. We have published our first ever audited Global GHG Inventory Report (linked here).

Doing this will enable us to extend our reduction targets and strategy even further.

We’re working on planting more trees and turning marginal farmland areas into mānuka forests. We will be planting millions of trees over vast areas, largely within the central North Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Once planted, we leave the trees untouched, instead allowing them to grow and mature naturally. This helps to create an ideal environment for nature to step back in and thrive.

The benefits of these actions are two-fold, alongside spreading greenery, we also help remove more carbon from the atmosphere, as mānuka forests sequester carbon as they grow. With millions of trees already planted since the beginning of our regeneration programme, our mānuka forests have already removed over 37,094 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere.

Responsible Packaging and Circularity

We are well on our way toward our commitment to having 100% recyclable, reusable and compostable packaging by 2025. Currently, 89% of our packaging materials are curbside recyclable ready. Every time we review, design or redesign our packaging, we make a conscious effort to make it more sustainable. Our commitment is to:

  • Tread lightly on the environment, i.e., consciously reduce our environmental impact.
  • Make more strides toward attaining circularity and reusability.
  • Eliminate packaging not critical to product quality or consumer value.
  • Choose the best materials for improved recyclability.
  • Adopt recycled and recyclable materials where available.
  • Listen to the voice of our consumers.
  • Continue to explore new scientific breakthroughs, technologies and sustainability ideas, alongside our suppliers.
packaging circularity - sustainable Packaging innovation and solutions

We remain focused on innovation to design and find greener packaging solutions that continue to ensure our products meet our consumers in the safest and most sustainable way.


We have multiple sustainability packaging projects on the go, as we work with our partners to test the stability of new packaging options.

packaging circularity - closing the loop

We take full responsibility for the environmental impact of all our products and the lifecycle of our materials and packaging and are always looking for ways to close the loop.

This year we have designed a bespoke tool to help us measure the circularity of our packaging. This will guide us in finding and creating more sustainable packaging solutions whenever we review, design or redesign our packaging. 

packaging and waste reduction

We realise that we have more to do – as we continue to tackle challenges with soft plastics and ensure sustainable and recyclable jars and packaging.

We are making conscious decisions to remove unnecessary layers and parts from our packaging such as shrink wrap plastic. We have already removed 2 tonnes of shrink wrap plastic from our honey production.

Our jars and packaging are made here in New Zealand from BPA-free recyclable plastic. All our paper and cardboard are PEFC/FSC sustainable sourced certified

Also, our Comvita® starch-based packaging can be disposed of with a clear conscience.

recyclable and BPA free
2 Tons of shring wrap removed
100% compostable
confirmed

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