Kingfisher plc, the international home improvement company, has launched its four new Responsible Business priorities.
Following the announcement of Kingfisher’s new group strategy in June – Powered by Kingfisher – the new Responsible Business plan refocuses Kingfisher’s efforts on the four priority areas where it believes it can use its experience, scale and influence to achieve the most positive impact. These are:
- becoming a more inclusive company;
- becoming ‘forest positive’ and helping to tackle climate change;
- helping to make greener, healthier homes affordable; and
- fighting to fix bad housing
Thierry Garnier, Chief Executive Officer at Kingfisher, said: “While the current pandemic has presented an unprecedented challenge, it is just one of many serious issues facing our society. As a large retailer with nearly 80,000 colleagues, we are working to become a more inclusive business. As a home improvement business, we know that too many families across Europe are living in homes that are unfit – too small, too dark, too cold and too damp – issues that Covid has made even worse. At the same time, climate change and biodiversity loss remain urgent, global threats.
There are ways that Kingfisher can help bring about change, and we have set up four priorities of actions to do that. By working towards becoming a more inclusive company; by becoming forest positive and tackling climate change; by making greener, healthier homes more affordable; and, by fighting to fix bad housing, Kingfisher is committing to making a positive difference.
Seeing the commitment our colleagues have already shown to making a positive difference is humbling to witness, and a privilege to be a part of. Our new priorities focus our efforts on the four areas where we believe we can have the biggest impact. We have a lot to do but I look forward to what we can achieve together in the year ahead across our markets.”
To redouble its efforts, Kingfisher has set new commitments for its four priorities to deliver by 2025. This includes the net positive aspiration to create more forests than it uses by delivering 100% responsibly sourced wood and paper in all the products it sells and by becoming ‘forest positive’ by 2025 through supporting reforestation projects from 2021.
To support delivery of its clear targets, Kingfisher has created a Responsible Business Committee, reporting to the Board. Since 2020 it also formally recognises the contribution of its colleagues by including Responsible Business metrics in annual bonus targets for colleagues.
The business has also already made good progress in many areas, including:
- Achieved 37% of total company sales from products that help make customers’ homes greener and healthier, including LED lighting, low-flow taps and low VOC paint;
- Opened 12 zero energy stores across the UK, having opened its first in 2018;
- Enabled over 355,000 people to benefit from grants, volunteer support and product donations (since 2016/17) with 19,600 colleague hours spent volunteering in local communities in 2019; and
- Achieved an 18% reduction in absolute greenhouse gas emissions within its own operations,[1] ensuring it is on track to deliver against its 2025 carbon reduction targets which have been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative. Kingfisher is one of a handful of retailers to achieve this verification.
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About Kingfisher
Kingfisher plc is an international home improvement company with over 1,360 stores in nine countries across Europe. We operate under retail brands including B&Q, Castorama, Brico Dépôt, Screwfix and Koçtaş, supported by a team of over 77,000 colleagues. We offer home improvement products and services to consumers and trade professionals who shop in our stores and via our e-commerce channels. At Kingfisher, our purpose is to make home improvement accessible for everyone.
Kingfisher’s four key Responsible Business priorities and targets are:
- Colleagues: We will be an inclusive company, breaking down barriers to employment and progression, and by providing five million hours of learning by 2025 through our ‘skills for life’ programme. We will also have inclusivity action plans in place for all our businesses by the end of FY 20/21, and have targeted improved gender balance in management.
- Planet: We will help tackle climate change and create more forests than we use, delivering 100% responsibly sourced wood and paper in all the products we sell by the end of FY 20/21, becoming ‘forest-positive’ by 2025 through supporting reforestation projects from 2021 and achieving our approved science-based carbon reduction targets as previously committed.
- Customer: We help make greener, healthier homes affordable. We are aiming for 50% of our total group sales in FY 20/21 to come from products that help our customers create greener, healthier homes.
- Communities: Fight to fix bad housing, by helping more than one million people whose housing needs are greatest by 2025.
[1] 18% reduction in scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions compared to 2016/17 baseline
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