Taura (NZ) Achieves Enviro-Mark Gold

“It is part of our business values to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner with consideration toward the community” says Chief Operations Officer, Darron Curphey.

18 Nov 2009 --- The Tauranga, New Zealand, manufacturing site for Taura Natural Ingredients has recently achieved gold level Enviro-Mark certification - a success for both the environment and the staff at the Bay of Plenty operation.

Established and managed by Crown Research Institute, Landcare Research, the Enviro-Mark programme provides the discipline for reducing resource use and ensures more effective waste management.

“It is part of our business values to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner with consideration toward the community” says Chief Operations Officer, Darron Curphey.

“We look for ways to continuously improve all aspects of our operations, including reducing environmental impacts. Our experience with the Enviro-Mark programme shows that we can combine improved financial performance with improved environmental sustainability.”

The Enviro-Mark programme helps members to establish and implement a clear Environmental Management System (EMS). Broken into five steps, on-site audits are carried out to measure and certify each step of the EMS. Members can then use the certification to demonstrate their environmental credentials.

Results demonstrate real rewards with 25% reduction in waste to landfills, a reduction of 1.2 million litres of water usage and a 12% saving on electricity usage.

“We have more opportunities to explore and improve further using what we have learnt from this programme,” explains Darron Curphey. “Our customers, our employees and our community all benefit from the process.”

And it’s not just the environment that wins, “Staff have also benefited from the process”, says Plant Manager, Andrew Rout.

“The Enviro-Mark journey has had a positive impact on staff through heightened environmental awareness, which is driving continual improvement through staff initiatives.