Sourcing and Suppliers

We have high standards and policies in place to uphold our commitment to sourcing ‘more responsibly’ across our most material supply chains.  Ensuring we source raw materials in a way that benefits farmers, communities, nature and the planet is important to us.

Cotton is used to make bed linen, curtains and fabric, it is stable, flexile and a prolific raw material that is present in most of the textile-based products that Dunelm sells. Cotton is a great natural raw material, but cotton farming and cotton processing can have negative impacts on the environment and the quality of lives of the people involved.

We are committed to addressing these issues and using our influence to steadily reduce their impact on our supply chains. That is why Dunelm have committed to sourcing 100% ‘More Responsibly Sourced Cotton’ by 2025.

To meet our ‘More Responsibly Sourced’ standard, cotton must not be sourced from plantations located in high-risk countries and regions, as identified in our responsible cotton policy. ‘More Responsibly Sourced Cotton’ must also be certified as either recycled Cotton, organic Cotton or sourced through a third-party certification that promotes environmentally and socially positive farming practices.

Timber is a wonderful raw material that is used in so many ways because of its abundant, easy to work and it looks great. Timber is found in many Dunelm products such as sofa’s, dining tables and photo frames.

Dunelm have committed to source at least 50% of all timber in our own-brand products to be ‘More Responsibly Sourced Timber’ by 2025. To meet our ‘More Responsibly Sourced Timber’ standard, all timber suppliers are required to provide full, transparent documentation to prove legal sourcing compliant with UKTR/EUTR regulations.

Dunelm branded product suppliers must work towards the higher standard as set out in our Responsible Timber Policy. To meet the higher standard, suppliers must demonstrate that timber or paper sources come from a credible third-party certification scheme such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

To demonstrate compliance, suppliers are required to provide information and supporting second and third-party documentation for each material regarding: timber species, countries of harvest and manufacture, forest level and transport documents.

Our Responsible Timber Policy is available here.

Across our entire carbon footprint, our supply chain is the largest source of emissions. Raw material sourcing, manufacturing and processing of our products all contribute to our supply chain (Scope 3) emissions.

Dunelm aims to source from responsible facilities and are workings with our largest suppliers initially to reduce carbon, water and waste. Introduced in 2022, our Better Manufacturing programme is designed to support and engage our suppliers on their own transitions to net zero.

A key focus of the programme is on carbon reduction – where we support our suppliers to understand the process for targeting, measuring and monitoring their environmental impacts. The Better Manufacturing programme also allows us to mitigate wider environmental impacts associated with product manufacturing such as waste, water and chemical use.