Our sustainability purpose at Habit Health

​Here at Habit Health, we acknowledge our contribution to climate change and are committed to taking proactive steps to address it. And like other businesses, we have started our journey with the Toitū Envirocare carbonreduce certification. This programme helps measure our carbon use so we know where we are at and puts a spotlight on what we can focus on to improve.

The certification itself is not an easy win. There’s a rigorous audit and assessment process to go through, plus a check-up and report every year to make sure we keep our promise to put the planet, its people, and our communities at the centre of everything we do.

What have we done so far?
In order to improve, we first needed to assess where we were at. We gathered up our executive team, and industry experts, to help us identify our current state and what we could do to improve it. This led to the creation of our sustainability strategy and plan of action. We presented the results to our board, and other key stakeholders about what needed to be done and partnered with Toitū to measure our carbon footprint.

We also invited like-minded staff to form a team to help guide us and support our people wanting to get on board with their own practices. They meet regularly to discuss and resolve any issues and share updates with the rest of the company.

The results of our audit with Toitū Envirocare, have focused our energies on the areas where we can make the most impact.  We have selected several programmes to direct our efforts towards this year.

These programmes are:

Travel
We are aiming to reduce emissions from the Habit Health fleet by upgrading all vehicles to hybrid or EVs by 2030. We’re also considering how to reduce the number of vehicles we have, based on how they are used, and whether in some cases it might be better to use carshare vehicles from services like City Hop or Mevo, instead.

We’re also promoting online meetings where possible to reduce the number of flights taken across the country. And we’re making it easier for staff to get to work without their cars by ensuring we have decent end-of-trip facilities, such as secure bike racks, showers, and lockers at our sites.

Electricity
Ultimately, we want to reduce the amount of electricity we use. Some sites use more than others, and where usage is relatively high, we’re investigating causes and rectifying where possible.

We’re also planning to run a site-wide energy-saving campaign for everyone to take part in and champion at work.

Waste
Reducing waste going to landfill is a big priority for us this year. Our first step here is to gain a better understanding of all local arrangements and centralise our collection services to providers who can help us measure.

We want to develop and promote our recycling and composting opportunities. This will start by setting up waste champions at each site to encourage and help people become more mindful of waste management. We want to encourage our people to change their behaviour at home as well as work, by considering the use of a Keep Cup and similar reusable containers for coffees and lunches. And we’ll encourage people to bring lunch from home or choose sustainable places for when they buy their lunch.

Our sustainable journey is well underway, and these three programmes are just the starting point. We’ll update you on how we are doing, how things are tracking, and when we add new programmes to focus on.