World Environment Day 2025: 5 sustainable practices for businesses to adopt

Around the world, consumers are increasingly mindful of their environmental footprint. This rising global awareness is particularly pronounced in New Zealand, a nation deeply connected to its natural environment.

Driven by cultural values that often emphasize stewardship and a significant reliance on natural resources for key industries, New Zealanders exhibit a strong inclination towards sustainable practices.

This commitment to sustainability is underscored by recent data. An Ipsos poll in 2022 revealed that a striking 80% of New Zealanders are concerned about the impacts of climate change already being felt across their country1, while an equally significant 82% express concern about the impacts observed globally¹.

Against this backdrop, global initiatives like World Environment Day play a crucial role. As the largest worldwide platform for environmental outreach, World Environment Day serves as a powerful catalyst for raising awareness, inspiring action, and fostering international cooperation on pressing environmental issues.

In the spirit of this crucial event, this blog will outline five actionable, sustainable practices that New Zealand businesses can readily adopt. By embracing these approaches, your enterprise can enhance its sustainability credentials, resonate with eco-conscious consumers, and contribute to a better future for generations to come.

What to expect this World Environment Day 2025

In 2025, the global focus of World Environment Day will be on Jeju Island in the Republic of Korea, with a powerful emphasis on the importance of ending plastic pollution. This theme resonates deeply with New Zealand, a nation renowned for its pristine natural landscapes and unique biodiversity, which are increasingly threatened by the pervasive impact of plastic waste.

For New Zealand businesses, embracing sustainability is not merely an ethical choice; it’s becoming an economic imperative. To align with this global movement, New Zealand businesses can adopt the following five key eco-friendly business practices.

1. Rethink your supply chain

Traditional supply chains often carry a significant environmental burden, from resource extraction and manufacturing processes to transportation and waste generation. Re-evaluating your supply chain offers substantial opportunities to minimize your environmental impact and foster sustainable business practices.

• Source sustainably: Prioritize choosing suppliers who demonstrate strong, sustainable practices, such as reducing emissions, minimizing waste, and adhering to ethical labor standards.
• Utilize recycled and renewable materials: When manufacturing your own products, actively seek out and use recycled or renewable materials whenever feasible. This reduces your reliance on virgin resources and supports a more circular economy.
• Reduce waste: Implement strategies to minimize waste throughout your operations. This includes efficient inventory management to avoid overstocking and potential disposal, as well as robust recycling programs for all types of waste generated.

2. Empower your employees to champion sustainability

Creating a truly sustainable business requires the active engagement and commitment of your entire team. Empowering your employees to become champions for sustainability fosters a culture where environmentally conscious practices become the norm.

• Provide training and education: Invest in providing sustainability training and education to your employees. This will raise awareness about environmental issues, explain your company's sustainability goals, and equip them with the knowledge and skills to adopt sustainable practices in their daily work.
• Implement green office practices: Encourage and implement practical green office practices to reduce your workplace's environmental footprint. This includes measures to reduce energy consumption through efficient lighting and equipment use, minimize waste through comprehensive recycling and composting programs, and promote the use of sustainable office supplies.

3. Engage with local and Indigenous communities

New Zealand boasts a rich cultural heritage and unique natural environment, often deeply intertwined with the values and practices of local and indigenous communities. Building meaningful partnerships with these communities can provide valuable insights and opportunities to enhance your sustainability efforts.

• Support local conservation initiatives: Actively seek opportunities to support local conservation initiatives. This could involve volunteering time and resources for environmental projects, providing financial support to conservation organizations, or partnering on initiatives that protect and restore local ecosystems.
• Incorporate māori values and practices: Respecting and incorporating Māori environmental values into your business practices can lead to more holistic and culturally appropriate sustainable solutions.

4. Embrace sustainable packaging

Traditional packaging methods often contribute significantly to environmental problems, particularly plastic pollution. Transitioning to sustainable packaging alternatives for international delivery is a crucial step towards reducing your business's environmental footprint.

• Use recycled and biodegradable materials: Prioritize the use of packaging materials made from recycled content and explore biodegradable or compostable alternatives.
• Minimize packaging: Rethink your packaging design to reduce the amount of material used while still ensuring product protection. This can involve reducing the size and weight of packaging, eliminating unnecessary layers, and opting for more efficient designs.
• Optimize design for easy recycling/reusing: Design your packaging with end-of-life in mind. Choose materials that are easily recyclable within New Zealand's infrastructure and explore designs that encourage reuse by consumers. Clear labeling with recycling instructions is also essential.

5. Leverage sustainable shipping solutions

Logistics and transportation contribute significantly to global carbon emissions. Adopting sustainable shipping solutions is vital in reducing your business's overall environmental impact.

• Streamline logistics for lower emissions: Implement strategies to optimize delivery routes, reducing mileage and fuel consumption. Invest in efficient fleet management practices, such as regular maintenance and driver training, to maximize fuel efficiency for courier services.
• Opt for electric vehicles and alternative fuels: Explore transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) for your delivery fleet where feasible. Investigate the potential of alternative fuels for air freight as these technologies become more readily available and cost-effective.

To make it easier and simpler for small businesses to actively make sustainable choices in their logistics, DHL Express is committed to supporting enterprises in New Zealand through our innovative GoGreen Plus solutions.

GoGreen Plus helps you significantly lower the carbon emissions from your air shipments by using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)—a cleaner alternative to conventional jet fuel made from renewable sources and compatible with today’s aircraft.

SAF is produced from various sustainable feedstocks, including used cooking oil and agricultural waste, which significantly reduces its lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. Importantly for small businesses, integrating SAF into their shipping doesn't require any changes to their existing logistics practices, making it a seamless and impactful way to contribute to a more sustainable future for air freight.

Chart a greener future with DHL Express

Adopting sustainable business practices is not just an ethical imperative for New Zealand businesses; it presents tangible benefits, including potential cost advantages through resource efficiency and a significant competitive edge by meeting the growing consumer demand for environmentally responsible products and services.

As a global logistics provider deeply committed to fostering better environmental practices, DHL Express shares the concerns of New Zealanders this World Environment Day. We believe that by working together and embracing sustainable solutions across all aspects of business, we can collectively contribute to a healthier planet.

Take a decisive step towards a more sustainable future for your business. Open a business account with DHL Express today and explore how our GoGreen Plus solutions can help you commit to environmentally responsible shipping practices and accelerate your contribution to a greener world.