Sustainability

At Kiwi Self Storage we are dedicated to a creating sustainable future. We want to help lead New Zealand’s transition to a resilient, zero-carbon economy for the benefit of all Kiwis.

As such we are proud to be New Zealand's first and only Toitū carbonzero certified self storage organisation. This means our self storage facilities have effectively neutralised their carbon footprint to achieve net zero emissions.

We are delighted to confirm that in 2024, Kiwi Self Storage has successfully completed its fifth year of Toitū net carbonzero certification.

Why the Toitū carbonzero certification?

1. It is the first greenhouse gas certification program in the world to achieve international accreditation¹. This means our certification is recognised in over 60 countries.

2. Toitū carbonzero certification means our carbon footprint, emission reductions and offsets have been independently verified.

3. Toitū carbonzero programme requirements meet and exceed international standards and best practice, including ISO 14064-1 and the GHG Protocol.

4. It was developed from solid science at Landcare Research, a New Zealand Government owned Crown Research Institute.

5. So our customers can be sure we have been assessed comprehensively to the most rigorous international standards available for measuring and managing a carbon footprint.

The certification process:

1. We MEASURE the greenhouse gas emissions associated with running our self storage facilities, including electricity, business travel, fuel, paper, and waste.

2. We commit to MANAGING and REDUCING these emissions by setting targets and reporting on emissions reduction performance.

3. Toitū carbonzero AUDIT our emissions on an annual basis.

4. We MITIGATE the emissions we can’t reduce by purchasing verified carbon credits from the New Zealand Emissions Unit Register.

Kiwi Self Storage meets the requirements of Toitū carbonzero certification having measured our greenhouse gas emissions in compliance with the requirements of ISO 14064-1:2006, committed to managing and reducing its emissions and neutralised our remaining unavoidable emissions through the cancellation of an appropriate number of verified carbon credits in respect of the operational activities of our self storage facilities.

Emission Mitigation - How we are reducing our emissions

As part of step 4 in the certification process we are required to develop plans to reduce our measured emissions where possible before offsetting them. As the bulk of our emissions were from electricity use, our projects involve reducing this use. Two of our most recent projects are:

Transition to LED Lighting

We have covered our plan to reduce emissions through conversion of lighting to LEDs in this article.

Solar Panel Installation at Storage Facilities

Kiwi Self Storage Newlands in Wellington, New Zealand was recently expanded to increase the number of self storage units available. During this expansion solar panels providing 10KW of electricity were installed on the roof. This installation is expected to reduce electricity usage at this facility by up to 15%. Further solar installations are planned to begin soon at some of our facilities in Auckland. Planned system sizes could be around 30-70KW.

Carbon Credits - Turning our carbon emissions into low carbon, fair trade growth for developing communities

This year due to lower local credit availability, Toitu have offered us an accredited project from overseas to offset our emissions.

Current Carbon Offset Projects

For 2024 we have sourced carbon credits for two projects.

150 MW Solar Plant, Maharashtra, India, by Juniper Green Networks

The Indian state of Maharashtra, steadily advancing in renewable energy, has made significant strides in solar power. As of July 2024, the state has an installed solar power capacity of 7.25 GW, contributing to its total renewable energy capacity of 12.27 GW.

In June 2023, Juniper Green Energy secured 24 MW of offsets for its Maharashtra plant. This project is poised to bolster Maharashtra’s renewable energy capacity and support its solar energy initiatives. Currently under construction, the project is expected to be fully operational by Q1 2026, marking another milestone in Juniper’s commitment to advancing clean energy infrastructure in India.

Changdao Geothermal Central Heating System Project, China

Air quality in China (especially in industrial and poorer regions) has long been associated with dangerous levels of carcinogens, posing significant threat to both health and the environment. This project facilitates the investment of clean renewable energy to transition away from unsustainable fossil fuel practices.

The project is designed to introduce geothermal energy-based space heating system to supply heat to a series of new residential buildings and commercial buildings in Changdao county, China over the winter season. This displaces the heat supply from isolated coal-fired boilers as a business-as-usual scenario.

Changdao county is in Yantai City of Shandong Province. This project involves the construction and operation of geothermal production wells, reinjection wells, heat substations and heat supply pipelines. The alternative option prior to this project was to supply this power via isolated coal-fired boilers. As well as reducing carbon emissions this project also makes significant contributions to the UN sustainable development goals, including ‘Decent work and Economic Growth’ and ‘Affordable and Clean Energy’.

These projects offset a total of 56 tonnes C0²e.

Additional Reading

Previous Projects

In 2023, all emissions created by our business were offset by purchasing verified carbon credits issued by an NGO based in the Netherlands. Cordaid (formerly ICCO Cooperation) is an NGO that helps people in Africa, Asia and Latin America to gain economic independence. It has joined forces with Vogelbescherming (Society for the Protection of Birds) and its local partners work on nature restoration. They do this together with the Fair Climate Fund, which focuses on cleaner cooking and reforestation, thus reducing fuelwood demand so fewer trees are cut down.

In the Sahel region in Northern Africa in countries such as Burkina Faso, the forests are being cut down for agriculture, building materials or fuel. These forests are home for migratory birds overwintering in the area from Europe. This area is also home to the shea tree, source of shea nuts from which shea butter is produced. Due to its many qualities and richness in vitamins and fats, the global demand for shea butter for products such as cosmetics grows fast. The degradation of the forests is also effecting the production of Shea butter which is mainly produced by local women and brings in much needed income.

Birds, Bees and Business, along with its partners are connecting local producers of Shea with international markets via fair trade initiatives. This income means that land does not need to be cleared for other uses such as agriculture. At the same time the forest is being replanted so that it can be managed in a sustainable way and provide fuel for cooking and production of Shea butter which requires heat.

The new forest planting not allocated for fuel or timber production becomes a stable home for the migratory birds. It also provides available carbon offsetting as it meets the international criteria. This means that any credits in excess of the offset for the managed forests use as fuel, becomes available for offsetting elsewhere.

By teaming up with businesses, a unique solution emerges that offers the local population a sustainable source of income through fair trade and makes long-term nature restoration possible.

For more information please follow these links.