SBC NZ and 123Carbon launch the Aotearoa-New Zealand registry to accelerate low carbon freight.

LEIDEN, Netherlands & WELLINGTON, New Zealand Wednesday - August 5, 2026

New Zealand’s Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and 123Carbon, a Netherlands based platform specialised in decarbonising hard-to-abate industries, are launching a blockchain-based registry to support the introduction of the Low Emission Freight Certificate (LEFC) program in New Zealand.

The LEFC program is a market-based mechanism designed to accelerate decarbonisation of the New Zealand road transportation sector by facilitating investments in lower-emissions freight vehicles and supporting infrastructure. It has been developed by SBC (a global network partner of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development - WBCSD) and is supported by EECA – the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, a Crown entity of the New Zealand Government.

The registry is designed to help create stronger commercial incentives for investment in lower-emissions freight by enabling verified emissions reductions to be recognised and traded.

The new registry allows carriers to verify their low carbon transport activities and generate LEFC Environmental Attributes Certificates, which can be sold to forwarders and cargo owners who can book and claim a reduction in transport emissions within their supply chain. This flexible system provides carriers with new pathways to recover their investments in low emissions and alternate fuels and trucks. The registry will be operated by 123Carbon, a global leader in market-based registries.

SBC’s Charlotte Kootstra, Sustainability Manager - Climate & Environment says, “The LEFC has been designed in partnership with industry to help accelerate the decarbonisation of New Zealand's freight sector. By creating a credible and transparent mechanism for recognising and rewarding lower-emissions freight, we can help unlock investment in the vehicles, fuels, and infrastructure needed to reduce freight emissions. We're delighted to be partnering with 123Carbon, who have a global track record in providing market-based registries, as we move into the next phase of testing the programme in a real-world environment.”

SBC’s CEO Mike Burrell says,"The freight sector is one of the most important and challenging areas of New Zealand's decarbonisation journey. The launch of this registry marks an important milestone, demonstrating the power of collective action in tackling some of our most difficult decarbonisation challenges. Moving from framework design to a live registry is a significant step towards creating the market conditions needed to accelerate investment in low-emissions freight. It's exactly the kind of practical, business-led solution needed to help New Zealand reduce emissions while supporting a productive and competitive economy."

James Veale: Managing Partner APAC at 123Carbon says, “It is our mission to introduce our platform to local markets in cooperations with organisations like SBC. With their local knowledge and network and our advanced platform, we can support the New Zealand road freight sector in accelerating and achieving their sustainability goals.”

The registry will be piloted in Q3 2026 with leading companies who are operating biofuels, BEV and hydrogen trucks within New Zealand, after which the registry will be made available to the entire New Zealand road market. Though the initial focus will be on the New Zealand road freight market, there is potential to expand into other modalities (Air/Sea/Rail) and other regional geographies such as Australia.

For further information especially if you would like to be involved, please contact:

Charlotte Kootstra, SBC NZ: ckootstra@businessnz.org.nz

James Veale, 123Carbon : james@123carbon.com

About 123Carbon

123Carbon was founded to accelerate the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors using Market Based instruments. Developed collaboratively with the industry, for the industry, 123Carbon’s platform is an independent, integrated platform, empowering organisations to issue externally verified Environmental Attribute Certificates (EAC’s), which can be allocated to downstream supply chain partners through chain-of-custody models like Book & Claim. These EAC’s can subsequently be used to mitigate a company’s scope 3 reductions. 123Carbon is globally recognized as a leading platform within multi-modal transportation and is also active in other hard-to-abate sectors like steel, cement and chemicals. For more information, please contact us at info@123carbon.com.

About SBC
The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) is a CEO-led membership organisation with around 120 businesses from all sectors, ambitious for a sustainable New Zealand. Members represent $170 billion of collective turnover, 38% of GDP, and nearly 255,000 full-time jobs. Our network gives members unparalleled influence and the ability to take large-scale collective action. SBC is part of the BusinessNZ network and is the New Zealand Global Network partner to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. www.sbc.org.nz