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B&Q one of first to achieve World's first Carbon Reduction Award
Archived article dated Tuesday June 24th 2008
New accreditation launched to build consumer trust and reward businesses that make genuine reductions
B&Q is one of twelve organisations from across England and Scotland to achieve the “Carbon Trust Standard” - a new certificate launched today to help organisations prove they are tackling climate change and have made genuine reductions in their carbon emissions. The accreditation scheme, which is intended to put an end to so-called 'greenwashing', has been created by the Carbon Trust in response to both growing consumer mistrust of organisations' green claims and confusion among business about how they can reduce emissions and improve efficiency.B&Q has achieved the Carbon Trust Standard by reducing its carbon footprint year on year. It aims to maintain this reduction and the retailer is also in the process of rolling out stores with a targeted 50% reduction in carbon emissions. The Halifax store opened in April 2008 and the New Malden store is due to open soon. These stores are fitted with carbon saving devices such as wind turbines, geothermal heating and cooling, solar thermal water heating and rainwater harvesting. B&Q is also trialling waste reduction techniques in store and is piloting a skipless store at Farnborough. The retailer has set itself a target to improve the energy efficiency of its stores by 15% and recycle 90% of waste from stores by 2012.
Achieving the Carbon Trust Standard will enable B&Q to take advantage of the bottom line benefits that come from reducing carbon emissions, as well as demonstrating to consumers their real commitment to fighting climate change.
Rachel Bradley, Social Responsibility Manager at B&Q, said:
“We're delighted to be one of the first companies to achieve the new Carbon Trust Standard. As well as helping up to improve efficiency - thereby reducing our energy bills - the award is a great way of communicating our environmental credentials to customers, who we know are becoming increasingly carbon conscious.
“In the current climate, it's essential that we remain competitive, and the Carbon Trust Standard is another way we can stay ahead of the game. Cutting carbon is a priority for us as a business, so it's great that there is now a credible and robust certification which enables us to showcase our reduction efforts.
“We have reduced our carbon emissions over the last three years by 4.7% and are looking forward to build on this success in the future in our work with the Carbon Trust.”
The Carbon Trust Standard is the world's first carbon award that requires an organisation to measure, manage and reduce its carbon footprint and actually make real reductions year-on-year. Unlike other award schemes, organisations take action themselves by cutting carbon across their own operations and in their supply chain, rather than paying others to reduce via off-setting - a practice seen as credible by only one in ten consumer respondents in a recent Carbon Trust study.
Achieving the standard is also about engaging employees and B&Q has led several campaigns to help employees understand how to be more energy efficient. In January 2008 B&Q appointed an Environment Champion for every store - with the role of suggesting improvements to the energy efficiency and performance of stores. Additionally it launched the Tread Lightly competition, a home makeover competition promoted via intranet in 2007 and led a national campaign in response to the CIBSE's “100 Days of Carbon Clean Up” in 2006, focused on reducing carbon footprint in the workplace.
Tom Delay, CEO of the Carbon Trust added: “Our research shows that not only do consumers mistrust business' climate change claims, but that business thinks existing carbon award schemes are confusing and lack credibility. What business and consumers both share is a desire for one, credible way to prove an organisation has not only measured, but actually reduced their carbon emissions year-on-year without the use of offsetting. The Carbon Trust Standard is the only answer to this.
“We congratulate B&Q on being one of the pioneers in achieving the Carbon Trust Standard and challenge other businesses to follow their example and prove that they too are taking tangible steps to fight climate change.”
Tagged as: responsible retailing | b&q | environment | carbon trust
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