Sustainability

We recognise that our business plays an important role in reducing carbon emissions and addressing climate change. Bunnings is committed to sourcing 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2025 to help achieve our target of net zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. To achieve this, we’re focused on reducing our energy consumption and transitioning towards using more renewable energy.

To reduce the energy we consume, we aim to continually improve energy efficiency across our network. LED lighting is standard for all new Bunnings stores, reducing energy use by more than 30 per cent per store.

We’re also continuing to update our existing store network, with over half of our sites now retrofitted with LED lighting.

We continue to grow our local generation of renewable power by installing solar PV systems across our network. We have over 80 solar PV systems on our stores across Australia, covering more than 120,000 square metres of roof space and generating up to 30 per cent of a store’s energy needs.

In the coming years we will continue to reduce our reliance on traditional energy and transition to renewable sources. We’re committed to finding solutions that benefits our business, our customers and the environment.

Since our first store opened in 1994, we’ve been collecting and reusing rainwater, with rainwater collection tanks a standard across all new Bunnings sites where possible. We have over 270 water tanks across Australia, and 10 in New Zealand. The rainwater captured is used to water our store nurseries and toilets.

We also provide D.I.Y. advice and regularly participate in educational campaigns to help customers make informed choices when choosing water saving products for their home and garden.

Reducing waste from our business operations is a priority for Bunnings. Bunnings is committed to achieving 100 per cent sustainable packaging by 2025 and is a signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO). You can read our 2021 APCO Annual Report and Action Plan (PDF, 935KB).

We have also adopted the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) on many of our products to help customers better understand how to correctly recycle each component of packaging.

As a leading retailer of home improvement and outdoor living products, Bunnings global supply chains are complex. We recognise our role in upholding human rights and supporting sustainable practices through our responsible and ethical sourcing programs. Bunnings is committed to ensuring that our products and services are sourced ethically and responsibly by working with suppliers and service providers to continuously improve social and environmental practices within our supply chain and business.

Our expectation is that all suppliers who provide products or services to Bunnings adhere to the minimum standards established by the Code of Conduct (PDF, 233KB). The Code of Conduct is based on International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions and outlines our commitment to upholding the human rights of the workers in our supply chain and operations.

Our ethical sourcing program covers private label and imported products for both Australia and New Zealand. The program is designed to monitor working conditions through supply chain mapping, risk assessments, third-party audits and working with suppliers and service providers to remediate non-conformances.

We understand the challenges of modern slavery are complex and require all businesses to respond to this global issue collectively. We welcomed the introduction of the Australian Modern Slavery Act in 2018 and our annual Modern Slavery Statement and Supply Chain Overview details our efforts in combatting modern slavery.

In 2020, Bunnings proudly became members of the United Nations Global Compact Network Australia; the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative focused on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

In 2021, Bunnings co-signed an open letter to the New Zealand government supporting the introduction of a Modern Slavery Act in New Zealand to combat modern slavery and uphold human rights in our region.

Bunnings has a zero-tolerance approach to illegally logged timber. Our goal is to ensure all timber and wood products supplied to Bunnings originate from legal and well-managed forest operations.

We have made significant progress in this area, with more than 99 per cent of our whole timber product now sourced from low-risk plantation or other legally verified forest operations. Most of Bunnings’ timber products are sourced from independently certified forests or from forests with demonstrated progress towards achieving independent certification.

Our Responsible Timber Sourcing Policy was established in 2003 and revised in 2018 to include a commitment that all native forest products will originate from third party certified forests by December 2020. This requires all timber to be independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®), Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) or equivalent standard, with FSC® preferred in highly contentious regions.

COVID-19 has had a material impact on some of our suppliers and their ability to achieve the December 2020 goal set out under the Policy. COVID-19 has caused delays through business and government shutdowns, and closures of international and domestic borders. These impacts are adversely affecting the ability of third parties to access forests and workplaces to complete the independent certification process. Due to these unforeseen and exceptional circumstances, Bunnings has re-evaluated its timeline for a small number of suppliers to achieve the original December 2020 commitment.

In order to honour the intention of our Policy and support suppliers who have been adversely impacted by COVID-19, we have released an Addendum to our Policy which grants a 12 month extension to existing suppliers who source products from natural timber forests with demonstrated progress towards achieving certification. However, Bunnings is aware that the continued disruption caused by COVID-19 may require additional flexibility and will continue to review its policy position regularly as new information becomes available.

You can learn more about our responsible timber sourcing actions over the last two decades below.

Bunnings has an extensive range of products that are used in conjunction with safety instructions and protective equipment, including gardening equipment, hand and power tools, and electrical products. Bunnings acknowledges the importance of providing products to the market that are fit for purpose and maintain safety of customers and team members.

Bunnings proactively engages with suppliers to strongly encourage adherence to product safety standards. This includes regular product audits to monitor conformance with mandatory standards and independent safety tests on selected products to confirm compliance with safety standards and customer expectations. Bunnings is also working towards increasing the range of alternative low and non-toxic chemical products, supported by industry research, to identify new and safer ingredients.