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.