B&Q’s 2024 responsible business report, its first Build A Life Project Annual Report, reveals the company has reduced its Scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions by 63.5% in under a decade (since 2016/17) and, in the same period, seen a 56% reduction in the intensity of its Scope 3 carbon emissions (per million £ turnover) from its supply chain and in products used by customers.
Details:
- B&Q has published its first Build a Life Project Annual Report, highlighting the initiatives it is taking and the progress being made to improve its impact and achievements for the Planet and People.
- During 2023/24, B&Q reduced absolute greenhouse gas emissions from their operations – Scope 1 and 2 emissions – by 63.5%, exceeding their 2025/26 reduction target of 37.8%
- Scope 3 emissions account for around 98% of B&Qs total carbon emissions. In 2023/24, by offering products with improved energy efficiency to help decarbonise homes, collaborating with suppliers to help tackle manufacturing emissions, and by using fewer and different production and packaging materials, B&Q reducing the intensity of its Scope 3 emissions.
- In 2023/24, B&Qs community programmes helped more than 718,000 people and they donated more than £3 million to the B&Q Foundation and national partner, Shelter. Since its launch in 2020 the B&Q Foundation has given grants totalling £5.5m to over 1075 projects, and in 2023/24 B&Q colleagues volunteered over 33,000 hours to support 302 projects.
- In February 2024, B&Q launched ‘Our stance on discrimination’, making it clear that B&Q does not tolerate abuse or discrimination of any kind by anyone – colleagues, customers, contractors or business partners. Everyone is welcome at B&Q.
- The business also enhanced a number of HR policies, such as for IVF/fertility paid leave, two-weeks paid leave for Reservist and Cadet forces volunteers, and led the way as the first major high street retailer to become a Gold standard Kinship Friendly Employer.
- B&Q has a long-standing heritage of helping make sustainable choices easier for customers, reducing its operational impact on the environment, and helping communities.
- Since the Build A Life Project’s inception in June 2023, the Responsible Business team has grown in strength with the appointment of Joanna Gluzman-Laukkenen as Director.
Joanna Gluzman-Laukkenen, B&Q’s director of responsible business, commented: “I am excited to have joined B&Q for the opportunity to help progress delivery of B&Q’s net zero targets and to help millions of people make more sustainable choices for their homes and to enhance B&Q’s positive contribution to people and planet. There’s always a lot that we must do for legislative and other reasons. However, we also have choices to make about what we want to do above and beyond that. We’re currently identifying environmental and social opportunities and risks so that we can prioritise our focus for the coming years, and we’re creating an integrated roadmap to give us a more holistic view of our Planet and People initiatives. There’s lots to do and it’s good to see the progress made this year.”
B&Qs Key Responsible Business Targets and Measures, 2023/24
