An aligned future with Toitū

Transparent accountability

Saying you’re sustainable is easy. Proving it is hard.

When it comes to charting progress, we can’t mark our own homework. Independent assessments and accreditations are crucial and that’s why we’re working closely with Toitū Envirocare, one of the country’s leading carbon certification organisations.

Toitū uses science-based tools, actions and evidence to support businesses reducing their carbon footprint – and then it recognises them for the effort. More than 800 businesses have gone through its certification programmes since 2001 and compliance is independently verified annually to maintain certification.

Years in the making

We started the journey with Toitū in 2021 and analysed greenhouse gas emissions across the whole supply chain. This assessment provided a baseline, to understand where to focus our emission reduction efforts.

To get there, the focus is on energy - securing renewable electricity and improving efficiency - optimising transportation networks (58% of the truck fleet is ranked Euro 6, the highest international standard for exhaust emissions), and reducing the amount of waste being sent to landfill by 80%. Toxic materials are also being eliminated from the supply chain and there is also potential to develop products and coatings with solar power potential.

Cradle-to-gate

“We were required to provide data for all emissions during that lifecycle, including raw materials, components, production of the product and distribution. Data was collected from all our internal company suppliers, land use data across all sites, facts around packaging, and data from our over 75 window manufacturer sites.'' - Bex McQueen, PGL Sustainability Project Manager.

An ongoing journey

All Toitū programme members are expected to set ambitious carbon reduction targets and demonstrate reductions within a six-year time frame, if not before. Any emissions that are unable to be entirely removed can be offset to achieve a neutral balance through verified carbon credit schemes.

The certified Residential Series ThermalHEART^® and Metro Series ThermalHEART^® windows and doors are available nationwide and comply with NZBC clause H1 Energy Efficiency (all climate zones) when used in conjunction with high performing Low-E double glazing. They include thermal breaks for maximum performance — glass fibre-reinforced polyamide inserts.

The certified ranges include:

More stories

Soft plastic recycling

Continuing our journey to circularity through our partnership with PACT Recycling, the largest recycler of post-industrial plastic in the Southern Hemisphere.

Working towards a circular economy

They say you can’t manage what you don’t measure, and that’s why a partnership was established with environmental consultancy Circularity to explore the impacts of all their waste streams.

The waste process

While APL is working hard to build a more circular business, not every material is able to be repurposed. That’s why we’re working closely with Enviro NZ, a materials management and resource recovery company.

Diversion from landfill

By collecting food scraps, we're helping power local homes and protect the environment.

The importance of ThermalHEART®

While reducing the environmental impact of construction is a major focus of the building industry, another big focus is on reducing the amount of energy that’s required to run those buildings when they’re completed.

Environmental Product Declaration

Three of APL’s window and door ranges have been the subject of an independent environmental and life cycle assessment by external consultants.

Biodiversity Initiative a New Zealand First

Profile Group, parent company to APL Window Solutions, has become the first participant in a new biodiversity market, purchasing biodiversity units from Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, in the South Waikato.

Going Electricity-Neutral

The parent company to APL Window Solutions, Profile Group, has acquired renewable energy certificates from Kawatiri Energy.

The power of the ocean

At APL, we understand the power of the ocean, and what it means to our fellow New Zealanders. We play in it. We eat from it. We live by it. It connects us all.

Homes of the future

A major sustainability project by Kāinga Ora, the government’s public housing agency, will use a new, thermally efficient product range from APL Window Solutions.

Closing the loop on waste

We’ve introduced a series of day-to-day sustainability initiatives aimed at circulating high value materials, innovating new solutions and designing out waste and emissions across the business.

Hautapu ~ Our Green building

We planned carefully to make our large, new manufacturing facility at Hautapu an example of ‘best practice’ sustainable design and construction.

Upgrading for the environment

In 2016 APL upgraded it's powdercoating lines to achieve an environmentally-friendly standard.

'Declared'

Leading the way

At APL, we are well on the way to reinventing the way we do business.