Greenwashing is getting massively expensive.

And it isn’t always about an outright falsehood. The overall impression can matter too: the headline, imagery, what’s left out, and whether the evidence actually supports what people are likely to understand.

Take GLAD bags - A$8.25 million fine over “50% Ocean Plastic” wording from Clorox. The plastic had actually been collected from communities up to 50km from the coast and the court considered the blue packaging and wave imagery as part of the impression consumers were being given.

This isn’t an argument for organisations doing good sustainability work to say less. It’s an argument for making sure the work and the words line up.

Lawyers for Climate Action NZ has just released a really useful new greenwashing guide. We’ve been reading it and reflecting on what it means in practice before information goes onto a website, a tender or annual report.

Lever Room has launched a new $10,000 fund is available to support whānau, hapū and iwi participation at the 2026 Climate Change & Business Conference, including conference places and reasonable travel and accommodation support where cost may otherwise be a barrier.

Carbon, climate and sustainability data is the new rule of participation. Sustainability Business Live Melbourne 2026 showed that the businesses able to trust their data, defend their claims and turn reporting into decisions will be better placed to access capital, manage risk, build resilience and spot opportunity.

Your carbon footprint can change even when your business hasn’t. Updated emission factors across New Zealand and Australia may affect reported totals, targets and assurance work especially for organisations with material waste, travel, freight, electricity, fuel, agriculture or spend-based Scope 3 emissions.

Here’s what to check so your inventory stays accurate, useful and easy to explain.

Lever Room helped One NZ turn its refurbished phone pilot into a credible, evidence-backed customer proposition - quantifying the carbon benefit of choosing refurbished over new through product carbon footprint modelling, and giving the business a robust basis for communications, commercial decisions and circular economy strategy.

The Living House is here. Having recently announced our partnership with RTA Studio and Fisher & Paykel to deliver this solution -it’s clear that New Zealanders are keen on more affordable path to home ownership - and one that provides a warm, healthy, timber home, powered by solar energy.

The results are out! We were selected to provide Net Zero Certification for New Zealand’s 2024 Climate Change & Business Conference.

Carbon footprint analysis snapshots:
💡 Total per attendee emissions were 50.48kgCO2e
💡 Waste only contributed 0.04 tCO2e, with the conference team taking steps to reduce waste including washing almost 600 lanyards! for reuse at next year's conference.

An assessment of the first tranche of mandatory Climate-Related Disclosures: How are we stacking up?

New Zealand has a unique opportunity to lead the charge in sustainable construction practices, particularly in the realm of mass timber.

In the first of our ‘Building Change’ series, Rebecca Mills, founder of The Lever Room, summarises the present state of carbon accounting in New Zealand and finds it on the cusp of a transformation.

We were asked to create a true picture of New Zealand businesses’ climate progress.