Ahead of a packed panel, Decarbonising the Supply Chain: The Road to Net-Zero Retail, at SustainabilityX on 14 May 2025, Kathryn Thomas, head of responsible business at Kingfisher (owner of B&Q and Screwfix) discussed successful sustainability strategies.
What are the most impactful ways in which retailers can reduce their carbon footprint and why?
I think this depends on the business and where it is in its journey. A key first step is to measure the business’s existing carbon footprint and then to identify which areas to reduce.
For Kingfisher, owner of B&Q and Screwfix in the UK, the vast majority of our emissions (c.99%) sit in our scope 3 emissions. These are emissions from across our value chain, including suppliers and customers, and so are outside of our direct control and operations.
Most of these emissions are based on how customers use products in their homes. This means that if we can help them to use less energy, such as through providing products like energy efficient appliances, or selling products that are made from more recycled content, we can really start to turn the dial.
We also work closely and collaboratively with our suppliers, to help them decarbonise their own supply chains, while delivering a strong programme of work around improving the energy efficiency of our stores and decarbonising our logistics fleets.
As retailers strive to balance sustainability goals with profitability and cost efficiency, what are the retail strategies you envisage having the greatest impact?
Being a responsible business is one of the core pillars of our commercial strategy, which we call ‘Powered by Kingfisher’. This strategy enables us to support our brands to deliver their own carbon reduction plans.
To give an example, through our Sustainable Home Products (SHPs) programme, we work with the commercial teams and build further on our Own Exclusive Brand (OEB) ranges to work towards our decarbonisation targets. Our SHPs are a key way for us to drive forward our ambitions to address climate change, as they have reduced carbon emissions embodied and emitted when customers use and dispose of them. In 2024/25, 53% of Kingfisher’s Group sales were from SHPs (up 8% year-on-year), and we have a target for 70% of our OEB sales to come from SHPs in the next year (in 2024/25 this figure was c. 63%). This shows our commitment to continuing to offer these sorts of products.
Keeping products in use for longer is also important, so we are focused on embedding circular business models. For example, our brands offer customers access to spare parts to aid in repairs, provide refurbished products at a desirable price, and also offer rental services of products. In 2023/24, SHPs with ‘Extending product lifecycles’ attribute generated £1.7bn of sales for the Group.
Finally, our energy efficiency and water efficiency products continue to be important, for our customers who are looking to improve their homes and save water and energy. This also supports with cost-of-living pressures. 10% of Group sales in 2024/25 came from energy-saving, energy-efficient or water-saving products. There is also interest from customers in the services provided alongside, to support the delivery of energy efficiency projects in their homes, with offerings across our markets to help navigate these upgrades.
In your experience, what retail strategies have the greatest success in engaging customers to make greener choices?
Successful strategies usually combine clarity, convenience and emotional connection. Shoppers can’t choose greener options if they don’t know what they are.
There are some great examples out there from retailers across the sector, such as at large grocers like Aldi, and smaller independent stores, that are trialling refill stations, which combine education with reducing plastic. Other companies are looking to remove packaging all together or rethink how it is used. I loved seeing Fussy refillable natural deodorant introduced in my local Sainsbury’s, for example. Transparency is also key. Holland & Barrett, for example, is starting to provide verified sustainability claims online using simple icons, helping customers quickly see if a product is vegan, organic, or packaged sustainably.
One initiative we recently launched at Kingfisher and in our brands, in order to provide our customers with better information and choice, was the creation of our ‘Green Star’ product mark. This is designed to make it easier to shop for products which have a lower impact on the environment. Green Star products – both OEBs and otherwise – are assessed against a specific set of criteria, and internally reviewed and externally certified. These are updated every year as needed, by a third-party expert.
Currently, our Green Star mark is applied to over 10,000 SKUs. We’re growing the programme by expanding the number of Green Star products available to our customers, and by launching more of these products in our markets.
From collaborations with suppliers to policymakers and, perhaps, beyond, what systemic changes do you believe are needed and what do you consider to be the greatest opportunities for achieving them?
Greater collaboration across the industry is absolutely pivotal for us to make a real difference for our planet. We cannot do this alone.
At Kingfisher, we are collaborating with our suppliers and the wider industry to achieve our scope 3 goals. For example, we are founding members of the Global Retail Scope 3 Taskforce, initiated by the European DIY Retail Association / Global Home Improvement Network (EDRA/GHIN), of which our CEO, Thierry Garnier, is President. Through this work, we’re helping to move the home improvement industry forward and helping decarbonise the industry together, developing an industry standard on collecting and disclosing scope 3 emissions data, and making commitments as an industry.
Kingfisher joins the likes of Currys, Decathlon, Holland & Barrett and New Look at SustainabilityX to discuss embedding sustainable practices and demonstrating greater transparency.
As part of RetailX Event’s Spring Festival, SustainabilityX uncovers the latest innovations and best-practice on delivering sustainable retail, whilst leveraging consumer buy-in. Discover how leading brands are differentiating themselves, building trust with consumers and delivering a better shopper experience, whilst also satisfying regulatory requirements and nurturing their bottom line.
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