Sustainable business | Our responsibility

Purposeful change

Improving our impact on the environment and our communities is right at the heart of what drives us and our ambition for the future. Not only here at APL, but throughout our integrated supply chain. Together, we’re on a journey to reimagine how we can improve this in every way. Because we know the choices we make today, directly impact the future of our environments tomorrow.

"We want to lead the industry in a really positive way – to reduce our waste to landfill, to innovate in better ways to package our product, and to uphold our social responsibility. We’re inspired to initiate change and create progress that makes these choices more accessible for all."

- Mikayla Plaw, Executive Director, Sustainability for Profile Group

Proud to build better

By championing better choices and building practices, we believe we can shape a better world. As part of our ongoing commitment to this, we have a proud association with the New Zealand Green Building Council. We also continue to strive to create efficiencies in our own footprint and buildings, with our latest Hautapu site achieving a 5-Greenstar Industrial Design rating, and APL's parent company Profile Group becoming carbon-neutral for electricity consumption.

Delivering across the board

It’s true aluminium windows have high embodied energy – although that’s offset to some degree by their better recylability and durability compared with alternatives. Working from that start point, however, we’ve introduced a slew of sustainability initiatives to mitigate our impact. You can read the specifics elsewhere on this site. Suffice to say that it covers the gamut, from new technology in our powdercoating process, to the emissions performance of our logistics fleet, to the recycling of packaging and waste at our Hamilton HQ. Our Residential Series, Metro Series and APL Architectural Series Ranges are now ‘Declared’ by the International Living Future Institute, meaning we are totally transparent about our product ingredients. APL is also the only aluminium extruder in Australasia that recycles its scrap directly with a smelter, delivering a dramatic reduction in energy input.

Future focused innovation

Recognised as a truly pioneering company in New Zealand, we've always been driven by our hands-on vision, ambition and desire to innovate and improve. That’s why we’re making the shift toward a circular economy — for us and our manufacturers, for the industry and its future. As industry leaders and innovators, Profile Group and therefore APL, sees this as both our opportunity and responsibility to address the rising need for large-scale, sustainable change.

Closing the loop

One of our priority projects is to close the loop on impacts created in the making, packaging and transporting of our products to manufacturers. We aim to fully understand our current impact, and use circular economy principles to design out unnecessary waste and emissions, innovate new solutions and support the regeneration of Aotearoa’s natural biodiversity.

Over the last year, we have begun to innovate with these circular practices:

Designing out waste; by putting plans in place to radically reduce waste and offset emissions wherever possible. For example, we are on a journey with Toitū Envirocare to achieve carbon zero certification, and we’ve recently completed a total waste audit that included two of our manufacturer partners.
Circulating our materials; by implementing initiatives across our supply chain to reduce, reuse or completely reinvent our use of materials, starting specifically with packaging materials.
Regenerating living systems; by restoring the health of our natural environments for people and communities. For example, with our planting events, the regeneration of Takapoto Estate, and our internal Hauora program which continues to support the holistic wellbeing of our staff.

Next steps

Soon we will be sharing updates on our collective goals and progress in this journey. We’re excited to share the innovations we’ve been testing, our reductions in waste and emissions, resource recovery systems and reverse logistics — and of course — the amazing role our people have played in making this all possible.

Stories

Toitū carbonreduce product certification

New APL product ranges have been awarded the Toitū carbonreduce product certification.

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 Carbon-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.

Leading the way

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

Our responsibility