Built Environment

To reduce the impact of our buildings, maintenance and furnishing process, we’ve created a Circular Built Environment Strategy. The strategy is based on Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s three principles of a circular economy – eliminating waste and pollution, circulating products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerating nature.

Designing out waste and pollution

Circularity starts with design. We are determined to use circular principals that build in the potential to repair, reuse and recycle at the design stage. We aim to only use recycled or sustainability sourced materials and we’re exploring how to scale use of materials with a lower environmental impact. By rethinking the way we build our stores, distribution centres and offices, and how we design and use interior products, we can keep materials in use, maximise their value and stop them from becoming waste

Re-using what we have

Wherever possible, we’re reusing and repairing interior and building materials in new stores and refurbishments. And we’re continuing to collaborate with partners to help scale circular business models. Alongside this we are exploring the possibility to re-sell or donate materials that we can’t reuse and, as a final step, we’re looking at recycling through certified waste management companies.

• When constructing store formats, distribution centres and offices, we encourage the reuse and repair of existing interiors and building materials.
• We make choices about materials and product design for stores based on estimated life span, ease of repair, maintenance and redesign, we well as end-of-life recyclability. For traceability, we have identified origin countries and regions for store interior materials. In addition, we are increasing the share of recycled material and when virgin materials are needed, we aim to only use sustainably sourced materials, such as FSCcertified paper and wood.