2023 GHG Emissions Inventory Report – ICO Traders
By understanding the emissions profile of our business operations, we can start to strategically reduce them.
Opportune is committed to helping us reduce carbon emissions to avoid dangerous climate change.
Neil our craftsman of all things oak has a workshop located in New Brighton, a 20-minute drive from our office.
The Oak used by Ico Traders is sustainably grown by mills on the east coast of America. It is sourced through a New Zealand owned supplier & shipped here via sea freight. Mirotone supplies the nontoxic finishes and stains that Neil uses, their factory in Wellington produces 95% their products. All metal components are manufactured offshore & imported by a New Zealand owned company called Mainland Fasteners.
Our oak furniture is shipped to our customers nationwide via road freight. If the customer is local, Neil will personally deliver it in his company van, or we will pick it up ourselves.
Employees at Parsons Green are reducing emissions by biking and carpooling to work.
The oak we use is associated with many mills across America through the American Hardwood Organisation. The AHO are dedicated to sustainable forest management and conduct their business in accordance with strict environmental practices. They purchase their timber under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and CertiSource.
The AHO places a large importance on making sure harvest levels do not exceed what the forest grows so that future growth capability is not degraded. In fact, the U.S Forest Service’s most recent study indicated that the hardwood forests are growing more wood each year than is lost to fire, insects, disease and harvesting.
Herman Pacific is committed to finding new ways to lessen waste. So far they have been able to reduce to almost zero waste by using off-cuts to produce the heat used in kiln-drying timbers, as well as in the production of their proprietary Vertibat product. They also supply local capsicum growers and equestrian facilities in Northland with sawdust from non-treated timbers.
Read more: About Oak
All of our cushions & chair pads are made in New Zealand, here in Christchurch. Our fabric is sourced from James Dunlop Textiles.
New Zealand wool is sent to Italian mills to produce the fabrics. They are part of a larger distributed group of textile manufacturing that uses many certifications :
James Dunlop is focussing on their current environmental and social impact by making incremental improvements to their products and processes to lessen any negative impact, while simultaneously delivery high quality products. James Dunlop has analysed their business model to see where improvements in emissions can be made. Since making changes to their freighting methods and focusing on mill to warehouse freight, they have seen a tangible shift in their business model and the amount of emissions it takes to deliver their product to the market. James Dunlop is dedicated to looking for alternatives to plastics used in the shipping of fabrics.
James Dunlop deliver their fabric straight to our manufacturers in Christchurch who make the cushions. This is more efficient and cuts out unnecessary freight emissions.
The Velcro, zips and thread used for the cushions are supplied by New Zealand companies who import the products from offshore. We feel this is an area we can improve on, to see if we can find products that are locally made.
The foam inners for our chair pads are made onsite in a factory here in Christchurch. The environmental impact of making this foam is minimal & there are no combustible gases produced.
The foam offcuts are recycled and used in flooring underlay.
We buy our home office supplies from 2 New Zealand companies:
Better Packaging Company is a carbon neutral BCorp helping us to be better. They supply us with compositible courier labels & satchels & recycled ‘POLLAST!C ‘ courier bags. Their goal is to run a ‘zero waste’ enterprise through re-use/re-purposing, recycling and composting.
Read more about The Better Packaging Company & their environmental certifications
Total Packaging is a New Zealand company in Christchurch that supplies us with stationery for the home office. They import the bulk of their products however; some are manufactured locally. Total Packaging source both directly from factories where they are made, as well as importers. They carry out audits of their major suppliers to ensure only ethical and legal business practices occur.
* We feel this is an area we can improve on by looking for and using more eco product options.
The sheepskins used by Wilson & Dorset are a byproduct of pastoral farming in New Zealand. As the sheep are raised primarily for meat, utilising their wool is important for making full use of the resource. Wool is durable, long-lasting and 100% biodegradable. In terms of animal protection, New Zealand is placed first in the world thanks to the enforcement of comprehensive animal welfare regulations.
Wilson & Dorset’s supplier have a full time purchasing manager who travels from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island to source premium quality sheepskin. Once sourced, the sheepskin is sent to an offshore production facility in Northern China where a third party regularly monitors all stages of the production process. Their supplier is very conscious of their environmental impact and has made great improvements in terms of water, energy, emissions, recycling, and chemical reductions with the help of the Oeko-Tex standard. For instance, they have adopted solar energy to heat up to 2,000,000 litres of water per week. They have also decommissioned their coal boiler for natural gas and have since seen a significant reduction in carbon emissions.
Read more: About Wilson & Dorset
TIPTOE is an innovative French furniture company. They have created 5 principles for sustainable design that guide their design process
Their furniture and products are designed in Paris and made in factories throughout Europe in France, Belgium, Bulgaria, Poland, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Croatia, Romania and the United Kingdom. Their main partner is a family run factory based near the Alps Mountain in Chamonix.
TIPTOE has chosen to use robust materials for their furniture, that has either been recycled or can easily be recycled. This includes steel, aluminium, wood and recycled plastic. Currently, 80-90% of all steel used in Europe is estimated to have been recycled at least once. Recycling steel also produces significant energy savings of around 75%.
Their wood is exclusively sourced from European forests that are sustainably managed and operate under the FSC and PEFC labels.
TIPTOE is also constantly working on ways to further use up-cycled materials like recycled plastic in their products. (The Genova and Venezia Recycled Plastic Coffee Table, the Recycled Plastic Chair & the Lou Stool)
Pressed Tin Panels is an Australian, family owned and run business that is located in Bathurst, Central West NSW. They use high grade metals such as aluminium, galvanised, copper and zinc. Once the panels arrive into New Zealand, they are shipped nationwide, directly from our distribution centre in the North Island.
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