Honda is driving change through influencing customers and the wider community to act in an environmentally responsible way. Research shows that ‘concern for the environment’ ranks 20th out of 20 for most new car customers. However at Honda successful environmental campaign has shifted ‘concern for the environment’ up to fourth place.
All of Honda’s new cars sold in New Zealand fall within the low emission vehicle (LEV) requirements. The petrol/electric Civic Hybrid falls within the ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV) requirements, which substantially reduces the impact of emissions. Honda’s customers have their financial needs for ‘value for money’ and ‘holds its value well’ met through the Honda ‘price promise’, an open and transparent programme to remove artificial depreciation on new cars.
Being kind to the environment doesn’t mean being cruel to your wallet at Honda.
Honda’s national TreeFund programme donates funding for 13 native trees for every new Honda sold, providing natural solution to the air pollution caused by motor vehicle emissions. Honda is working in association with regional councils around New Zealand to distribute funding, equivalent to 76,089 native trees, for use in local environmental projects. At Honda, the environment, communities, customers and the company are all winners.
FINALIST : FIDELITY LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY – Innovative sponsorship:
Fidelity Life’s sponsorship of the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation’s ‘Shave for cure’ campaign is natural fit that focuses in an innovative way on one of the greatest concerns of its clients. With cancer being the leading cause of death amongst policyholders, Fidelity Life, with guidance from the Robin Hood Foundation, saw way of fulfilling its commitment to ‘looking after those in times of need’ by partnering with the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation to raise awareness of the cause.
Management at Fidelity Life issued challenge: if staff could collectively raise $20,000, four of the senior management team would shave their own hair. So committed were the staff to the challenge it wasn’t long before the managers had shaved their heads. Key stakeholders also pledged money towards the cause. Collectively staff, management, suppliers and three financial advisers have raised approximately $50,000 for the Foundation and the company has donated another $50,000.
FINALIST : IAG NZ – Strategic community partnerships:
IAG NZ’s innovation and strength of engagement associated with its social programmes makes cents for everyone. Instead of simply settling for writing out cheques once disaster has struck, the company is taking sensible preventative approach to the risk management business. By bringing its considerable knowledge of ‘things going wrong’ – such as car accidents, house break-ins and floods – the company is helping to make communities safer and reduce insurance incidences.
The reduction in the number of claims means the company is able to get closer to its goal of providing affordable insurance for all New Zealanders. IAG NZ’s approach is creating virtuous circle for shareholders, customers and society. IAG NZ has partnered with organisations involved in response and prevention, such as the New Zealand Fire Service, Neighbourhood Support, Community Patrols New Zealand, Victim Support, Driver Reviver and Flood Mitigation project in Thames.
Employees feel better about the company’s activities too, which means IAG has improved its ability to attract and retain quality staff, and reduced the costs of recruitment, training and the loss of institutional knowledge. IAG NZ is making major contribution to safer, more secure New Zealand.
FINALIST : MIGHTY RIVER POWER – Managing Waste:
Back in 2003 Mercury Energy lit up the stage as the Top 200 business ethics award winner. Now back as Mighty River Power the company continues to demonstrate efforts to reduce waste. Mighty River is the first New Zealand energy retailer to achieve both ISO 9001-2000 certification and ‘diamond level’ Enviro-Mark status. An international standard of environmental management performance, Enviro-Mark measures the way the company operates on daily basis and identifies room for further improvements.
Waste reduction has received significant attention at Mighty River. There has been 95 percent increase in customers using online billing between June 2004 and June 2005. The total amount of waste to landfill has been maintained at 50 percent reduction since 2003, and the company hopes that an innovative worm farm project with Ellerslie Primary School will reduce its waste to landfill by further 50 litres per week. Paper usage in the office has been reduced by over 50 percent in the past year – the equivalent of 152 mature trees.
As retailer of energy providing electricity to almost 300,000 homes and small businesses, Mighty River Power shows that reducing waste is good for business and the environment.
