Bunnings - Circular economy
Bunnings is committed to reducing the environmental impact of their operations. Integral to this is minimising operational waste, optimising product packaging, and implementing product stewardship programs for customers.
Throughout the year Bunnings focused on driving waste reduction across the business through improved reporting and management of waste streams. As of 30 June 2022, Bunnings diverted 55 per cent of waste from landfill, representing an improvement of more than 4.5 per cent when compared to the previous year.
Bunnings is committed to achieving 100 per cent sustainable packaging by 2025. Bunnings continued to work with suppliers during the year to collect product packaging data to aid the optimisation of primary, secondary and tertiary packaging across the product range, with a key focus on directly sourced products.
Bunnings also continued to collaborate with suppliers to evaluate opportunities to reduce overpackaging of products and redesign packaging for reuse and recovery. Key achievements include removing unnecessary strapping from timber and decking ranges, and replacing polystyrene with recyclable cardboard packaging within the kaboodle kitchen cabinet range.
During the year, Bunnings also joined REDcycle in Australia and The Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme in New Zealand. Both organisations partner with manufacturers to recycle soft plastic into new products.
To assist customers with their sustainability journey, Bunnings introduced a 100 per cent recycled and recyclable paper bag solution for Click & Deliver orders across all Australian stores in February 2022. Bunnings also continued to integrate the Australasian Recycling Label on new directly sourced products, to help customers better understand how to divert packaging from landfill.
Product stewardship opportunities were a continued focus for Bunnings this financial year.
Following a successful trial in selected stores in Victoria, in November 2021 Bunnings introduced a national battery recycling program across its Australian network, to provide customers with an instore recycling solution for household and power tool batteries. The program offers the largest network of power tool battery recycling locations in Australia.
In June 2022, a similar program was launched across Bunnings’ New Zealand sites and Tool Kit Depot stores in South Australia and Western Australia. Since these programs commenced, more than 65 tonnes of batteries have been collected for recycling in collaboration with Envirostream Australia.
Bunnings’ focus for the coming year will be to continue to increase resource recovery across the business. Bunnings will also accelerate the transition to reusable and recyclable packaging, while exploring additional circular economy solutions for customers and the community.
