Initiative:
In 2018, Bio-Zyme NZ Ltd allowed Eco Choice Aotearoa (Eco Choice) to move past the inauspicious number 13 – the total number of licensees in the cleaning sector – when it became the 14th company to achieve certification by the ecolabel.
Bio-Zyme joins an impressive range of providers supplying cleaning products in New Zealand who have made the commitment to meeting Eco Choice’s exacting certification standards which denote their products as environmentally preferable.
Licensee:
Bio-Zyme New Zealand Ltd
Both commercial and domestic cleaning products can contain chemicals that may be harmful to personal health or the environment.
Typical components are surfactants and solvents which can produce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions that degrade indoor air quality and affect health, while surfactants can accumulate, harming the environment and placing a significant load on sewage systems. Many cleaners also contain biocides which pose environmental and health issues.
Packaging of cleaning products also has environmental impacts, depending upon the type of packaging used and disposal options.
While new to the Eco Choice fold, Bio-Zyme has been on the cleaning products scene for more than a decade. Looking for an environmentally friendly cleaner, the formula was developed and modified by Aakland Chemicals in Christchurch who created the Bio-Zyme brand and continue to manufacture the product.
To meet the Eco Choice requirements, components of commercial and institutional cleaning products should either be environmentally innocuous or should be, where possible, readily biodegradable – and the products of that degradation should not pose an increased risk to the environment. The specification also calls for licensees to reduce packaging waste through re-use or recycling, and includes criteria for waste and energy management in manufacturing.
Bio-Zyme Account Manager Shelley Haynes says Bio-Zyme had to make some small changes to its labelling and technical material to gain certification but already having BioGro accreditation meant most requirements had been met.
The basic ingredients in Bio-Zyme are naturally sourced plant-based products with a range of other ingredients added to give the product its unique cleaning qualities. Those ingredients are kept secret – a little like the recipe for KFC.
The product is fermented in the manufacturing process and turned into three formulations:
All products are septic safe and endorsed by leading NZ manufacturers.
Bio-Zyme is not your typical cleaner. National Sales Manager Bill Harris, who’s been with the company from its outset, says the product includes enzymes that break down oils and greases in holding ponds, septic tanks, grease traps, toilets and drains, eliminating odours by changing the molecular structure of the host environment, digesting contaminants and speeding up the biodegrading process.
“It’s a whole new concept in cleaning. Most chemicals kill the bacteria; we stimulate it – creating good bacteria that beat the bad ones. Bio-Zyme attacks the food source, eliminating it and thus getting rid of the source of any bad smells.”
Customers using Bio-Zyme include abattoirs, fish processors, animal kennels, schools, caravan parks, laundries, shipping companies, sports clubs, councils, restaurants, hotels and motels, commercial and industrial kitchens, food processors and hospitals, dairy farms and domestic.
Shelley says the product is a bit of a “one-stop shop” for cleaning requirements. “We are seeing so many different applications – it’s effective in so many ways.”
That versatility has seen sales grow impressively in the last few years – Bio-Zyme is sold through a range of distributors as well as online by distributors, and sales are managed by a team of three: Bill out of Wellington, Shelley out of Invercargill and Ashyn Winchester out of Christchurch.
Shelley says part of the secret to success has been “sticking to our knitting” and working closely with Bio-Zyme’s distributors in training and product literature, as well as the product constantly producing such high quality results for our customers.
The company also got a big boost when it was asked to provide 20,000 5-litre containers of Bio-Zyme for portaloos used by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, says Bill. “That was a very welcome sale and people were impressed with how effective Bio-Zyme was.”
New Zealand Ecolabelling Trust General Manager Francesca Lipscombe says Bio-Zyme was a welcome addition to the Eco Choice fold. “They have a great and unique product and they’ve worked very hard to meet the standards we’ve set.
“They’re also passionate about the environment and protecting the health of their customers and I think they have an exciting future in the cleaning industry.”
Shelley says the company sought Eco Choice certification for a number of reasons. One was a realisation that the Eco Choice Aotearoa certification was quickly becoming both necessary and desirable to support the product within the cleaning sector.
Auckland Council’s moves last year to require its cleaning contractors to meet much more stringent environmental standards was a key development in prompting the move, she says. “But we’d also been asked by a number of companies if we were going to get Eco Choice certification – and it definitely supported our NZ-made ‘clean green’ image.
“The ecolabel is an important addition to our brand because it gives our customers solid reassurance that we meet some fairly stringent environmental standards.”
Shelley says Bio-Zyme’s distributors and their customers have responded warmly to the news. “They’re hugely excited we’ve got it. It enhances our brand so much.”
Bio-Zyme is a NZ owned and operated company which started from humble beginnings and has steadily grown into a large sustainable business manufacturing 3 environmentally friendly cleaning and degreasing products for both the commercial and domestic markets.
Our Head office and manufacturing is in Christchurch where we have continued over the past 11 years doing extensive research and development of these truly unique products. Testing on all products is done both internally and externally to ensure the products are always keeping up with what is happening in our environment. Our Sales team throughout NZ is passionate and caring, we do onsite training and evaluations for customers to help understand and get the most out of the Bio-Zyme products.
Bio-Zyme not only meets Eco Choice standards but has gained accreditations with BioGro, MPI as a Sanitiser, C32, C38 and Dairy recognition. Bio-Zyme is also endorsed by the leading manufactures of Septic tanks and water treatment systems in NZ and NZ Councils throughout the country, which makes this organic product stand out from other products on the market.
We are proud to be making cost effective and productive cleaner/sanitisers that make a difference and look after our environment, while reducing the number of products needed to be used on sites or in the home ,which in turn reduces the carbon foot print.
Our core values of: Organic, honest, reliable, sustainable and environmentally friendly products is stronger than ever before as we see and are told by our customers what successful outcomes Bio-Zyme is giving to them.
Watch as Bio-Zyme continues to embark on exciting new initiatives.