B&Q has taken several steps over the past decade to increase social responsibility and engage employees in sustainability efforts: 1) They launched their One Planet Home initiative in 2007 to reduce their environmental impact and help customers do the same. 2) To educate and involve employees, B&Q has offered sustainability training programs, run online and paper campaigns highlighting eco-ideas, and held events like touring an eco-renovated home. 3) This engagement of B&Q's 30,000 employees in sustainability is important for generating sales of eco-products, improving business performance, and strengthening employee recruitment and retention.

1. B&Q – What We Are
Established over 40 years ago & leads the home improvement market in the
UK & Ireland
350 DIY stores
Over 30,000 employees in the UK & Ireland
– Over 1,000 at B&Q House in Chandlers Ford
– Many part time colleagues, many over 60
Part of the Kingfisher Group along with:
– Castorama (France, Poland, Russia)
– Brico Depot (France, Spain)
– Screwfix (UK)
– Koctas (Turkey)
– B&Q China

2. A brief history of social
responsibility at B&Q part 1
1989: B&Q Macclesfield opens, staffed entirely by over 50s
1991: first timber policy published
1991: QUEST commences
1993: founding partner of Forest Stewardship Council
1998: B&Q pushes industry to adopt VOC labelling
1999: Centralalised recycling begins
2001: Organic garden chemicals launched
2007: One Planet Home begins with sustainability charity Bioregional
– 10 plans put in place, cutting across all areas of the business
– Step change to helping customers to engage with sustainability
– Regular independent tracking of how we are doing vs objectives

3. A brief history of social
responsibility at B&Q part 2
2008: Patio Heaters and 100% peat bales discontinued
2011: 67 homes in Sutton eco retrofitted for PAYS
2011: 100% compliance with timber policy
2011: Biogas truck trial – powered by methane from landfill
2011: Swindon Distribution Centre opens
2011: Eco retrofit com
By 2012, we had
– Reduced our carbon emmissions by 29% in absolute terms compared to 2006
– Reduced our carbon emmissions from transport by 28% in absolute terms compared to
2006
– Reduced waste to landfill by 86% with a 76% recycling rate
– Trained over 11,000 colleagues in One Planet Home with 192 completing City & Guilds eco
sales qualification

5. By 2050, 85% of the homes we will
be living in have already been built
We have the oldest housing stock in the developed
world: 1 in 5 were built before 1918 source: BRE
35% of homes with a loft still don’t have loft insulation source: DECC
32% of homes with cavity walls still don’t have cavity wall
insulation source: DECC
98% of homes with solid walls don’t have wall insulation source: DECC
UK Energy prices on the rise in real terms:
UK households' gas bills have gone up by 27% & electricity bills by
13% between 2007 & 2011
UK households' gas bills have gone up by 6.7% & electricity bills
by 6.3% between 2010 & 2011

6. Flooding & Water
Homes at risk from flooding as weather patterns change
One in six homes in England is at risk of flooding.
Over 2.4 million properties at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea in
England, of which nearly half a million are at significant risk.
One million of these are also vulnerable to surface water flooding with a
further 2.8 million properties susceptible to surface water flooding
alone.
Source: Environment Agency
40% of British homes are now on water meters, with some water companies
making them compulsory.

7. Lifestyle Trends
Homes are getting smaller
Where do we store waste ready for recycling?
Where do we keep increasing amounts of stuff?
Return of the extended family – as well as rise of single person households
Gadgets & technology on the rise
24% of us already grow some of our own food Which 2011
Nature:
– RSPB: over 1 million members and over ½ million people participate in annual Big Garden
Birdwatch survey
– Countryfile: average 5.5M viewers per week

8. What we're doing at the moment
Launched Energy Shops in 5 stores
– New products and services that deliver major energy saving to
customers' homes
Fitting LED lighting systems to all stores
Start
Prince of Wales’ charities’ initiative to encourage positive thinking about
sustainability
Presence at festivals & shows talking to customers – and prospective
customers – about sustainability
Circular Economy:
– Youth Board
– Revisiting our business proposition

9. Why engaging our colleagues
matters
Generating sales in an area our customers find important but confusing
– 30,000 sales generators, 30,000 customers, 30,000 advocates
– Feedback from customers via colleagues is essential – especially for innovative products
Performance
– New initiatives only succeed if colleagues get behind them
– New behaviours like turning off lights and avoiding waste need people to engage
Retention & Recruitment
– Pride in B&Q ensures we keep & develop good people
– Graduate recruitment – sustainability matters

10. 2010: Driving Advocacy
CERT enabled us to offer to all colleagues:
– Penny a roll loft insulation
– Free electricity saving packs
Online launch of www.oneplanethome.com :
– Submit your Eco Ideas & win prizes
– Nominate a colleague as an Eco Hero
Media plan tailored to colleagues:
– Website could be accessed from work, from home – or from
smartphone
– Backed up with comms in staff magazine & posters in canteen
6,000 active
participants
4.54 Gallup Score

11. 2011:Continuing to Develop
Website re-launched
– Register & get free access to Kew Gardens
– 250 won tickets to afternoon tea event at Clarence
House for Start
– 3 prizes of £1,000 to spend at Center Parcs
– Eco Ideas & Eco Heroes – repeated
– Photography Competition
Less successful:
– No offline promotion due to reduction in paper
communications
– Kew not as accessible a draw as penny a roll
insulation!
1,500 active participants
4.38 Gallup Score

12. 2011: B&Q House Opens

13. 2012: Back to Paper
One Planet Home Times
– 16 page newspaper
– Launched November 2011 at event at NEC
– Given out to store managers
– Sent to store HR contacts to place in the canteen
– Desk dropped at B&Q House
Showcases what our colleagues are doing – every story has the person
who’s driven the change featured
“I didn’t realise B&Q did all of this”
Will continue in 2013 – but with an online version too

14. Eco House – See What We Can Do
1890s end terrace eco retrofitted to
achieve:
– 68% reduction in carbon emmisssions
– 80% reduction in energy bills
Tours for store managers:
– As part of a 2 day visit to B&Q House that helps
them to understand the business – and to
contribute ideas and feedback
– Understanding why B&Q is helping customers to
save energy – and demonstrating the scale of
opportunity
– Great feedback – even from colleagues who
describe themselve as eco sceptic

15. The Ultimate Commute
Raise awareness of smarter
business travel & raise money
for Children in Need
16 Cyclists from B&Q &
Kingfisher
Cycled from B&Q House to
Paddington, to Dover, to Lille
Over 230 miles cycled
Over £6,000 raised for Children
in Need

16. Lessons we've learned
Work with colleague behaviour - make it easy to take part
Incentives for all work better than competitions!
Stories work – and hold up the business’ champions as heroes