Kingfisher plc, the international home improvement retailer which includes B&Q and Screwfix, has announced a set of key new responsible business commitments and milestones. These are designed to help customers create greener, healthier homes, to fight to fix bad housing and to work to address climate change and inequality. The details are reported in Kingfisher’s latest Responsible Business Report, ‘Our Home, Our World’, which was published on the 15 June and shows that the business has made significant progress with its responsible business priorities during the 2020/21 year.
Key highlights
- Established new 1.5 degree-aligned carbon reduction target, now approved by the Science Based Targets initiative.
- Over £5 billion in annual sales are now from products that help customers create more sustainable homes.
- Kingfisher to double its community target, committing to help 2 million people who live in unfit housing.
New carbon reduction targets
In the past four years Kingfisher has cut operational carbon emissions by 27%. The Group has now strengthened its carbon reduction target, to align with the 1.5°C scenario set out in the Paris Climate Agreement. These plans have now been approved by the ‘Science Based Target initiative’ and put the business among a small number of retailers worldwide to have such a commitment.
Planet – Forest Positive
A new partnership with the Rainforest Alliance has been established to protect, restore and enable the responsible management of tropical forests. The partnership will help Kingfisher deliver its commitment to become forest positive – creating more forests than it uses – by 2025.
Creating more sustainable homes for customers
Sustainable home products – such as LED lighting and chemical-free gardening products, water-efficient taps and energy-efficient power tools – now account for 42%* (£5 billion) of Kingfisher’s sales, a 100% increase over the last decade.
Community commitment doubles
The report reveals that Kingfisher will double its previous ambition and will now commit to help two million people who live in unfit housing by 2025. This target builds on four years’ progress, which has seen Kingfisher and its retail banners support housing and community projects for 791,000 people.
Kingfisher’s 2020/21 Responsible Business Report is available to view at www.kingfisher.com/responsible-business-report.
