Over 25 years of
sustainability
leaderships
For over 25 years, we’ve been working to become a more responsible retailer and have been named Greenest Garden Centre and Sustainable Business of the Year. We've been among the first to stop selling non-native invasive plants, 100% peat products or pesticides containing neonicotinoids or metaldehyde. We've achieved 98% responsible sourcing of timber in our products, and removed expanded polystyrene packaging from our bedding plants. And we’ll keep looking for ways to do more.
Our
sustainability
projects
Bee pit stop
In May 2019, we unveiled a huge ‘bee pit stop’ at London King’s Cross Station to raise awareness of the decline in the UK's bee-friendly habitats. The campaign called on the nation to plant one million more bee-friendly spaces. It was a hive of activity!
Responsible timber policy
We require all the wood, paper and card in the products we buy to be either FSC® certified with full chain of custody, PEFC certified with full chain of custody or from a proven recycled source. We only buy responsibly sourced wood. And behind every one of our products that use wood is our Forest Friendly Promise that ensures forest habitats and livelihoods are always protected.
Big Butterfly Count 2020
We’re proud to work alongside the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation and sponsor the annual Big Butterfly Count. Since 2016, we have encouraged customers and colleagues to become a vital part of one of the UK’s biggest citizen science projects - by spending 15 minutes sitting in their favourite spot and counting butterflies. They report their sightings back to the fantastic folk at Butterfly Conservation so that they can find ways to protect butterflies from extinction.
Chemical commitments
We want to help our customers build safe and happy homes, free of harmful chemicals. So, we're working with our suppliers to identify any nasty stuff and phase it out of our products. Not because the regulations tell us to, but because it's the right thing to do for people and the planet.
Water works
We’re passionate about working towards sustainable water usage at B&Q. We use rainwater to flush toilets and to water plants in our newest stores. Our Easy Grow bedding plants have a tray that’s been designed to prevent damage from overwatering. We offer our customers tips, advice and products to help them reduce water consumption in the home.
Waste to landfill reduction
We’ve been donating unsellable materials and products to local community groups for many years. It's a great way to reduce waste whilst helping out the community. Community RePaint is an organisation that puts our unwanted paint to good use – covering graffiti, painting a community centre or making it available to families in need. Several of our stores are also linked to Community Wood Recycling schemes where wood is reworked into products.
Supply chain ethics
We do everything we can to ensure that all the products we sell have been responsibly sourced. This means finding out where and how our products are made – and where the raw materials come from. It’s our duty to ensure that everyone involved in B&Q's supply chain benefits from trading with us. Ensuring we reduce our environmental impact is only part of the picture. Who makes our products and how they’re made are equally important.
Positive packaging
Effective packaging protects products and reduces damage but it also contributes to waste. We’re busy working with suppliers to redesign our packaging for key product lines to make sustainable improvements and reduce the overall volume of materials used so that they can be transported and recycled more efficiently.
Transport innovation
All of our B&Q stores were powered by
renewable electricity and we now
have 50 trucks in our store delivery
fleet running on Liquified Natural Gas
(LNG) from our Swindon distribution
centre, currently the biggest LNG
fleet in the UK.
Greener gardens
As the UK’s largest garden centre chain, we're in a strong position to help create greener gardens. We stopped selling patio heaters back in 2008 and don't sell non-native plants or neonicotinoid pesticides. We’ve developed peat free composts that perform as well as conventional composts. We sell water butts, compost bins, nest boxes and a huge range of pollinating plants, and we help customers to grow their own produce and support wildlife in their gardens.
Healthier homes
B&Q aims to help customers to enjoy better homes by reducing the risks posed by some chemicals and finding more ways to make millions of homes safer. This has seen us successfully pioneer compounds that reduce the fumes from paint, remove harmful chemical DEHP from shower curtains and hosepipes, and stop selling certain toxic pesticides.
Working towards zero carbon
We’ve changed our store lighting to efficient LEDs and are working to ensure our stores are heated efficiently. We’re fitting solar photovoltaic panels to many of our stores and distribution centres to generate renewable energy. And we're committed to thinking about more ways we can make a positive environmental difference.