When Nuralite began this journey, they not only wanted to offset and reduce the carbon that was attributed to their own business’s operation, but they also wanted to work at encouraging others to look at their own emissions as well.

Nuralite started with changes that could be actioned straightaway and made the move from petrol to electric cars. Their fleet now consists of 100% electric Nissan Leafs and while they have seen a substantial amount of fuel savings, the real highlight is the team being proud to drive such environmentally friendly cars as work vehicles.

The Auckland and Christchurch warehouses also use electric forklifts now and with both these combined changes, Nuralite have managed to slash emissions from company vehicles by 80% and have saved over 50 tonnes of carbon.

Another major change they undertook was setting up their new warehouse in Christchurch. This meant their products could be shipped directly from the South Island and removed the need for road freight. With a reduction in road transport emissions, they were able to save over five tonnes of carbon and it means they have a two fully stocked warehouses for their nationwide approved applicators.

Nuralite's mission was to influence others to make changes and take their emissions into account. One of Nuralite's suppliers that manufactures adhesives and coatings was inspired by Nuralite's progress and ended up fitting out their warehouse in East Tamaki with rooftop solar panels to improve their energy efficiency and decrease their footprint. A number of Nuralite's own staff also got e-bikes and e-scooters after the company provided a $500 subsidy to help them invest in a mode of electric transport.

One of the important parts of this journey has been starting an online educational learning series in the form of webinars. With these Nuralite aimed to encourage ways to build better with quality systems and had opportunity to host open discussions with some of the top experts from the industry. They have had a total of 17 webinars so far, covering a variety of technical topics and featuring a diverse range of architects, analysts and engineers.

Promoting long lasting systems and best practise solutions has been a great way to show industry ways we can build better. Still on their own carbon zero journey, Nuralite are looking for ideas to reduce their emissions even more. They hope to see a move towards creating more sustainable buildings and in the future towards a goal of zero energy projects becoming standard design throughout New Zealand.