Since the very beginning we had a strong commitment to sustainability, building a people focused company with a working culture that takes pride in reducing our environmental footprint in every aspect of our daily operation. We are continuously working on making Lyttelton Lights a more sustainable place. 

Renewable Energy & Zero Electricity Emissions

Our whole operation is powered by carboNZero certified 100% renewable energy. We have partnered with Ecotricity to source New Zealand's cleanest and greenest electricity possible; wind, hydro and solar, nothing else. Having chosen Ecotricity as our supplier also means that we have zero electricity emissions, as all our emissions are being offset through accreditation. We also have an energy-usage plan to reduce the amount of energy we use as a whole.

Recycling

Recycling is an essential part of our daily operation. We have a clear waste management and recycling plan in place. We also partner with CreativeJunk, who turn some of our "unusable items" into "useable" crafts.

Zero plastic

We have reduced plastics in our company to almost zero. We have instructed our suppliers to not use plastics with any of our shipments. We won't accept any goods that are wrapped or protected with plastics, unless absolutely unavoidable. We also see it as our responsibility to raise the plastic issue with our business partners and encourage them to zero in on plastics themselves. One of our biggest suppliers changed the way they pack their goods after we had brought it to their attention. This meant 40 million plastic wrappers less in the environment annually. We recycle and reuse any unavoidable plastics and encourage our customers to do so too.

Ecofriendly Packaging Design

All our packaging and glassware is designed to be reused and is easily recyclable.

Glassware

Whilst being a lot more expensive to source it is a conscious decision we made as a business to address plastic waste and the direct impact it has on global warming and our environment. There are many benefits of glass and we have listed a few of the obvious ones below.

  • Glass is the world’s most natural and sustainable packaging.
  • Glass is infinitely 100% recyclable, meaning it can be recycled into a product of the same quality over and over again. Whereas plastics don’t get recycled as such, they get turned into a lesser quality product and eventually have to biodegrade.
  • Glass is nonporous and impermeable, meaning there are no interactions between glass packaging and the products keeping its contents in top condition.
  • Glass has an almost zero rate of chemical interaction which ensures that the products inside a glass container keep their strength and aroma far better than plastic packaging.
  • Plastic leeks toxic chemicals when decomposing and doesn’t actually fully break down. Instead it turns into microplastics which are scientifically proven to majorly affect our marine world, flora, fauna and ends up in the human food chain.
  • The glass recycling rate is much higher than plastics.
  • Oil and gas are the main raw materials in plastic production which have huge environmental impact and are significant contributors to global warming.
  • From the moment raw materials are turned into plastic to its disposal, plastic emits carbon dioxide. Factories are running on fossil fuels and are contributing to global warming more than factories recycling glassware.

Member of the We The Reef Program in support of Coral Gardeners

Lyttelton Lights is proud to be a dedicated member of the We The Reef program and trusted supporter of Coral Gardeners. As part of the We The Reef program, we are donating a % of sales yearly to support the mission of Coral Gardeners to save the reef. More importantly Lyttelton Lights has signed an ocean commitment pledging to minimise all foreseeable effects on our oceans and the environment. This means real action on a daily basis, within every aspect of our business.

Conservation Circle Partner of Rainforest Trust

Lyttelton Lights is proud to be a Conservation Circle Partner of Rainforest Trust, one of the world’s most effective conservation charities. We are donating to Rainforest Trust to support and protect endangered species, threatened rainforests and other tropical ecosystems around the world. Our donations will safeguard real acres of rainforest!

Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust

5% of online sales from our Limited Edition Tōtaranui candle will be donated to the Abel Tasman Birdsong trust, to help protect and enhance biodiversity in the area. 

Reducing our environmental footprint & Carbon Neutral Shipping

We pay to carbon-offset every international shipment by partnering with DHL GOGREEN.

We have partnered with  to reduce our environmental footprint and to make positive impact on climate change together with you. You can choose to offset carbon emissions at checkout and track exactly where your contributions will help the planet. 

Earth friendly cleaning products 

We only use cruelty-free and wastewater-friendly cleaning products throughout our operation.

Compostable Courier Bags

We have partnered with R3 packaging and use fully compostable courier bags. All of our orders are carefully wrapped in 100% recyclable cardboard outers and packing paper.

Bulk purchasing

We bulk purchase raw materials and other goods. This reduces shipments and carbon emissions significantly.