Trevor
Mallard4 August, 2008 - A New Zealand eco-labelling
scheme that tells consumers if furniture
or paper products come from recycled or
sustainable sources has been given a big
tick in an international study.
Environment Minister
Trevor Mallard congratulated Environmental
Choice New Zealand for being chosen as an
international model of best practice by
Britain’s Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Defra cited Environmental
Choice New Zealand, a government-initiated
and endorsed scheme that certifies environmentally
preferable paper and whether wood used in
furniture and furniture products comes from
sustainable sources, as the best international
guide for people buying furniture and furniture
products.
“This is a real feather
in the cap of Environmental Choice New Zealand
and helps reinforce New Zealand’s ‘clean
green’ brand internationally,” Trevor Mallard
said.
It puts Environmental
Choice New Zealand in the same category
as other eco-labels familiar to New Zealand
consumers – Fairtrade and Energy Star –
which were named as world leaders in the
areas of food and office IT equipment.
Defra studied 207 standards
and methods used to measure environmental
sustainability of products worldwide and
presented the best results to the British
government as a model of international best
practice.
Environmental Choice
New Zealand is independently run by the
NZ Ecolabelling Trust. The Ministry for
the Environment owns the label.
“The origin of the things
we buy and whether or not they are produced
in a sustainable way has become a global
issue for many consumers and it is good
to know New Zealand is at the leading edge
of global developments in this area,” Trevor
Mallard said.
+ More
Proposed tighter regime
regarding GM crops
31 July, 2008 - Proposed
amendments to current legislation will provide
a greater level of transparency and increased
accountability regarding the management
of genetically modified (GM) crops, Environment
Minister Trevor Mallard says.
The Minister today instructed
the Environmental Risk Management Authority
(ERMA) to consult on proposed new regulations
to deal with the segregation and traceability
of GM crops.
“The specific proposals
ERMA will consult on are intended to improve
the processes for applications to ERMA while
not limiting opportunities for innovation
and use of beneficial new organisms,” Trevor
Mallard said.
The proposed new rules
could require people wanting to conditionally
release GM crops to provide ERMA with information
on segregation and traceability schemes
they might use to manage those crops. This
would enable ERMA to take such information
into account when it considered applications
for conditional releases. ERMA could then
use the information to identify what controls
might be needed.
While ERMA can already
require this information, the proposed new
regulation would provide greater certainty
to applicants on information requirements
and greater transparency about the process.
“I would encourage all
people and organisations likely to be affected
by this initiative to contact ERMA so that
their views can be considered as we develop
these new regulations,” Trevor Mallard said.
“Consultation is only
for a few weeks because I want to get these
new regulations in place as quickly as possible
to provide certainty for all involved.
“While ERMA will be
working hard to inform everyone with an
interest in this proposal about the consultation,
I urge anyone with a view to make a submission
by accessing the consultation and submission
documents on ERMA’s website,” Trevor Mallard
said.
For more information
on the HSNO Act regulation-making process
contact the Ministry for the Environment
ERMA’s website is: www.ermanz.govt.nz
