31 March 2025
Implementing sustainable practices
Northpower does business sustainably.
We are committed to ensuring that our work does not negatively impact the environment and are focused on reducing our contribution to landfills.
Giving waste materials a new life
Within the first six months of this initiative, we recycled 220 out-of-service hard hats at our Auckland, Whangārei, Tauranga, Hamilton, Matamata, and Wellington locations, which are used to manufacture products including bins, tubs, and crates.
Recyclable waste materials are sorted onsite or at our depots and taken by trusted external recycling companies to be processed. In the stats below, look at what we’ve recycled over the last year!
38157kg
of steel
24632kg
of aluminium
22632kg
of PVC plastic
7076kg
of copper
Diverting organic waste from landfill
We have expanded our approach to implement new waste streams to dispose of cups, plates, cutlery and organic waste that workplace catering produces. In February 2025 we launched our first event-based composting trial to include the separation of organic waste from landfill waste, specific to Northpower events.
All plates, cups, and utensils provided at the event were compostable. As a result of the trial, 120 litres of organic waste was diverted from landfill. Since February, we have rolled out food waste bins across our Auckland offices, which collectively have diverted 80 litres of organic waste.
In Whangārei, compostable food waste is delivered to a local community garden, where it is used to grow vegetables for those in need. Since November, over 272 litres of food waste have been sent to the community garden.
Keeping silt out of our streams and oceans
When we are required to access underground cables, the digging required inevitably uncovers silt, which if not managed has the potential to endanger marine life.
Our work practices include the use of extensive sediment control measures to prevent silt from entering waterways. This includes the use of silt fences, silt socks and physical barriers.
Silt fences, made of a synthetic filter fabric, are installed around the perimeter of worksites to trap silt that is present in runoff. Silt socks, made of the same material, are installed around wastewater drains. Runoff is also contained onsite by constructing physical barriers out of earth to prevent silt escaping into the environment.
Being more sustainable on site
To be more sustainable in our work, we have implemented stricter environmental procedures. We have refreshed several of our training courses in-line with these changes, which will rolled out to field staff in the coming year.
Updated training includes:
- Oil spill management.
- Safely handling asbestos and SF6 gas.
- Practices to prevent contamination of wastewater infrastructure.
- Protecting tree roots during excavation
- Protecting the biosecurity of native forests and preventing Kauri dieback.
- Working with contaminated land.
Aside from training our own staff, we also support our contractors to ensure that environmental practices are followed on all worksites.
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