Our Commitments

  • Climate change is already affecting New Zealand. At Comvita, we want to play our part to help reduce global climate warming to 1.5oC or less in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

  • We want to ensure Comvita, and the New Zealand Mānuka honey industry, successfully navigate and adapt to a future that is uncertain and driven by climate change and other nature-related risks and opportunities.

  • We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and are investigating setting science-based carbon reduction targets.

  • We are focused on improving the circularity of our finished goods packaging. We are continually working on the recyclability and recycled content of our packaging and are particularly focused on waste from end-of-life product packaging where honey pots are the largest contributor.

  • We are committed to protecting and enhancing the natural environment.

How are we tracking?

  • We published our first Climate Statement in accordance with the Aotearoa New Zealand Climate Standards in 2024, and we are working on further developing our transition plan to help us navigate a future that is uncertain and driven by climate change.

  • We have prepared a GHG inventory across all scopes (1, 2 and 3) and had it subject to limited assurance since FY22.

  • As of FY24, Gross GHG emissions have reduced by 20% to 26,079 tCO₂e since FY22. Net emissions have reduced by 8% to 24,591 tCO₂e.

  • In total, Comvita has generated 120,785 tCO₂ removals from its owned, managed and otherwise planted Mānuka forests (regenerating Mānuka and NZ ETS NZUs).

  • Our recoverable packaging for 2024 was 10.9 %, up from 9.9 % in FY23.

  • We have built a Material Circularity Index (MCI) as a comprehensive measurement tool of our circularity which we utilise to guide new packaging choices.

  • We have an Environmental Policy that is consistent with our purpose and Harmony Plan and underpins our Environmental Management System.

  • Carbon Emmissions Reduction

    As we work towards gross carbon emissions reduction with a clear Global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory baseline in place, we are increasingly focusing our energy on reducing emissions from material carbon-impacting areas.

    Our annual GHG measurement captures all our business activities across our global teams. We have published our most recent audited Global GHG Inventory as part of our Climate Statement. We are investigating setting carbon reduction targets in line with Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) 1.5ᵒC guidance.

    GHG measurement enables us to develop our decarbonisation plan and focus actions where they will have the greatest impact. Key priorities include the electrification of our production plant and vehicles, the use of renewable electricity, efficiencies in our supply chain, and improved packaging sustainability. The key to our success is collaborating with our suppliers to measure and reduce emissions, particularly honey suppliers, packaging and logistics suppliers, and other business services within our value chain.

  • Climate Transition Planning

    In 2024 Comvita published its first Climate Statement, which identifies our climate-related risks and opportunities and how we are managing these. We are currently working on further developing our transition plan, considering adaptation, decarbonization and our industry leadership role. These will be articulated as part of our 2025 Climate Statement.

    Measuring our Carbon Footprint

    In 2024 we publicly produced our third annual Global Greenhouse Gas Inventory for all global business operations (Scopes 1, 2 and 3). Our full Climate Statement including our GHG inventory is available here.

    • Gross emissions: Total gross Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions this year were 26,079 tCO₂e, a 25% reduction vs FY23 and a 20% reduction vs our FY22 baseline.

    • In FY24 we reduced our emission intensity by 14% compared to FY23

  • Regeneration and Carbon Removals

    We’re working on nurturing the 6.8 million native Mānuka trees we have planted largely within the central North Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

    Once planted, we leave the trees untouched, instead allowing them to grow and mature naturally. This helps to create an ideal environment for nature to step back in and thrive.

    The benefits of these actions are two-fold, alongside delivering positive nature and biodiversity impacts, we also help remove more carbon from the atmosphere. Mānuka forests sequester carbon as they grow. Since the beginning of our regeneration programme in 2017, the Mānuka trees we have planted and continued to manage have cumulatively removed over 120,753 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. During 2024 alone, Comvita-planted and managed trees removed more than 15,654 tonnes of carbon.

  • 120,785 tCO₂e cumulative carbon removals

    since 2017 from our Mānuka forests

  • Responsible Packaging and Circularity

    We are focused on improving the circularity of our finished goods packaging, particularly waste from end-of-life product packaging where honey pots are the largest contributor. Circularity considers both the recoverability of packaging at end of life and also the recycled content that goes into packaging. We measure and seek to improve both aspects.To support this, Comvita has developed a bespoke Material Circularity Index (MCI), which is in line with best practice Ellen MacArthur Foundation guidance and incorporates both packaging inputs and outputs. Our current MCI score is 0.38 (with 1 being perfectly circular). We are working on improving our score over time.

  • 95% of our packaging is recyclable and BPA free. Recycled material inputs make up more than 10%.

    Every time we review, design or redesign our packaging, we make a conscious effort to make it more sustainable. We take full responsibility for the environmental impact of all our products and the lifecycle of our materials and packaging and are always looking for ways to close the loop.

    Our commitment is to:

    • Choose the best materials to increase the recyclability of our packaging.

    • Adopt recycled materials whenever available.

    • Eliminate surplus packaging that is not critical

    • Work with our suppliers and continue to monitor new packaging developments and technologies that improve circularity, reduce our carbon footprint, while also helping preserve the quality of our products

  • Packaging Waste and Reduction

    We are working to continually reduce our soft plastic use and improve the recyclability of our jars and packaging.

    Here is how we are tracking:

    • We are making conscious decisions to remove unnecessary layers and parts from our packaging such as shrink wrap plastic. We have already removed over two tonnes of shrink wrap plastic from our honey production.

    • Our jars and packaging are made here in New Zealand from BPA-free recyclable plastic. All our paper and cardboard are PEFC/FSC sustainable sourced certified

    • We have increased recycled PET usage, phased implementation of recyclable lozenges packaging and ongoing collaboration with our honey pot packaging supplier to trial new material options (benefiting Comvita and the wider industry).

    • In FY24 recoverable packaging (recyclable, reusable and compostable) increased to 95% and recovered packaging (recycled input) increased to 11%.

Treading Lightly at Home Base

Treading lightly means being able to perform our duties with minimum impact on the environment. We’ve inserted our philosophy of treading lightly directly into the design and layout of our market support campus Paengaroa, New Zealand. It’s here that our honey and other key products are packed and stored before distributing around the world.

Some of the actions we have taken on-site to promote sustainability include:

  • 40,000 native trees were planted, including our own Mānuka grove.

  • A 1 km walking track that embraces nature and shares highlights of Comvita’s story since its founding in 1974.

  • Floating wet-land wastewater plant that treats all site effluent and disperses as clean water to groundwater.

  • Solar panels line our roof, generating 340 MWh per year, or 25% of the site’s electricity consumption.

  • We promote recycling on site and have dedicated systems for soft plastics, glass, plastics, metals, cardboard and batteries.


  • 25% of our Production Plant's energy is powered by the sun.

    From solar panels that line our roof.