Officeworks - Environment
As a sustainability leader, Officeworks recognises its important role in demonstrating action, advocating for change, and driving collaboration across the retail industry as part of the transition to a net zero and circular economy. Officeworks stakeholders, including team members, customers and communities, expect businesses to take action that addresses complex issues, such as climate change and resource usage. Officeworks’ approach to reducing emissions and adopting more circular business practices is outlined in its People and Planet Positive commitments, which includes taking meaningful climate action, contributing to a more circular economy, and supporting customers to shop more sustainably.
During the year, Officeworks reduced Scope 1 and 2 market-based emissions by 10.5 per cent, and continued to transition to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025 through the installation of on-site solar panels and by signing a long-term agreement to procure renewable electricity in Queensland, in collaboration with Bunnings, Kmart and Target. As part of Officeworks' Restoring Australia two-for-one tree planting initiative, a total of 1.24 million trees have been planted across Australia since launching in 2017, with over 1,800 hectares of land restored.
Officeworks is committed to becoming a zero-waste business and continued to identify opportunities to design out waste and maximise recycling, with 88 per cent of all operational waste recycled during the period. Through the Bring it Back instore recycling program, more than 7,000 tonnes has been collected from customers since 2015, diverting valuable materials from landfill. To contribute further to a circular economy, in February 2022 Officeworks announced its investment in the World’s Biggest Garage Sale, a Brisbane-based social enterprise, to help scale circular economy solutions across Australia for the retail sector. Officeworks continued to support customers to shop more sustainably, by removing the annual equivalent of 37 million pieces of plastic from product packaging or through the removal of single use plastic products, and through its Greener Choice product range that consists of 2,400 products.
In March 2022, Officeworks’ commitment to people and the planet was recognised at the Banksia Foundation’s 33rd National Banksia Sustainability Awards, with Officeworks winning the Large Business Transformation Award category. The award recognises Officeworks’ actions to create positive change by reducing carbon emissions and waste generation across its entire supply chain, promoting and supporting equal opportunities, and accelerating its own business and the broader retail industry toward net zero and a more circular economy.
