Sustainability
Our approach to sustainability
Sustainability review
To align our reporting more closely to how we approach sustainability across the business, we have restructured our review as follows: people, product and environment.
People
- Customers and communities.
- Colleagues (including diversity and inclusion).
- Health and safety.
- Bribery, fraud and tax evasion (including culture).
Product
- Sustainable supply chains and products (including human rights).
Environment
- Energy, CO2 emissions and waste reduction (including our new approach to climate change).
- Energy usage.
- Greenhouse gas emissions.
- Waste management.
How we manage sustainability across the Group
We believe that sustainability, like our governance and our shared values, is most effective when it is part of how we operate day-to-day, and not a separate function. Our overall sustainability strategy and targets are set by the Board and the Executive Board, and reflect the areas that our customers, colleagues, communities, suppliers, shareholders and the UK Government consider are most important, and where we can make the most impact. The actions that we need to take to deliver against our targets form part of our everyday activities – for example our product development and sourcing process takes into account the sustainability of raw materials, packaging, and the social welfare and environmental practices of the factories in which the goods are produced.
How we embed sustainability in our business
Board
- Approves the sustainability strategy.
- Overall responsibility for our sustainability performance.
- Role models and has oversight of the shared values.
- Monitors progress through KPIs and Board reports.
- Annual presentations on sustainability topics.
Executive Board
- Approves the sustainability strategy prior to submission to the Board.
- Role models the shared values.
- Members have line responsibility for managing specific sustainability topics.
- Regular Executive Board meeting agenda items.
- Monitors progress through KPIs, Board reports and customer and colleague feedback and engagement.
Sustainability Focus Group
- Keeps up to date with legislative and best practice sustainability developments.
- Develops strategic objectives, policy, targets and initiatives for recommendation to the Executive Board and Board.
- Monitors progress against sustainability targets.
- Chaired by the Company Secretary, who reports to the Executive Board and the Board on progress.
Colleagues
- Appraised by reference to our shared values.
- Individual accountabilities for specific sustainability topics.
- Engaged to drive forward Company-wide objectives, such as energy and waste reduction.
HOW WE ENGAGE ON SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS
Customers and communities: through our dunelm.com website, Customer Care Centre and social media, including store-based local Facebook groups, signage in store, informative packaging.
Colleagues: monthly ‘huddles’, National Colleague Voice, Home Comforts in-house communication tool, engagement survey, ‘pulse’ surveys, local Facebook groups.
Suppliers: quality policies, third-party ethical audits, annual conference, and meetings throughout the year.
Investors/potential shareholders: Annual Report, corporate website, biannual corporate governance presentation, ad hoc contact via the Company Secretary.
Others: social media, local Facebook groups, corporate website.