Environmental Leadership and Innovation in Business

Waste management company Kiwi Skips has grown from challenging beginnings into one of the most prominent businesses in its sector in the southern region.

Kiwi Skips collects waste from a number of sectors, but mainly in the construction industry.

At its base in Invercargill, Kiwi Skips sorts and repurposes, and sells the waste. In the process, it diverts a large percent of it from going to landfill.
The company aspires to get to a point where 100% of the waste it collects is diverted from landfill.

Fonterra’s Evaporator Condensate Recovery Project was initiated to improve the sustainability of its Edendale site by increasing water recovery from its evaporator condensate.

The Edendale aquifer which supplies significant water amounts to the large Edendale Fonterra site, as well as the local community is vulnerable to climate change.

So the co-operative sought to make large improvements to its water efficiency by reducing the amount of evaporator condensate being discharged by turning its evaporator condensate from a waste product into reusable water and by reducing the amount of water the factory takes from the aquifer.

From humble beginnings in his garage, Benji Biswas has grown Crunchy Ltd into a significant producer which supplies fresh microgreens to the hospitality industry and supermarkets across the South Island.

The pesticide-free produce is farmed in Invercargill's CBD using an indoor, semi-climate-controlled vertical rack system, maximising resource efficiency and minimising land and water usage.

LED lighting with optimised wavelengths reduces electricity costs, while collaboration with local nurseries allows for the recycling of bio-waste into compost, cutting costs and minimising environmental impact.