Beyond compliance – Voluntary climate mitigation by New Zealand firms

Abstract

AbstractThis article explores voluntary climate mitigation by New Zealand firms. To meet global emission reduction targets, rapid decarbonisation is required. Hence, it is important to understand how and why firms engage in climate change mitigation, what results these mitigation efforts yield and the related tensions. This article explores the practices and perspectives of climate‐proactive New Zealand firms. The firms in this study had engaged in a range of climate mitigation efforts associated with emission management and influencing. Emission management showed mixed results: most of the firms had succeeded in improving their emission intensity, but many had struggled to reduce their gross emissions. The key drivers behind climate engagement were found to be value‐based. Furthermore, multiple tensions and paradoxes, such as the nexus between business growth and gross emissions, were present. Understanding these challenges and firm perspectives is important when considering the feasibility of new measures to enhance organisational climate mitigation.