DIY giant Kingfisher has set new decarbonisation targets for itself and suppliers

The retailer said it and its vendors would work towards one of three levels of target, depending on the scale of their current emissions. 

The retailer’s 100 biggest vendors by emissions will create a roadmap and targets for 2028, its next 450 largest vendors by emissions will have a decarbonisation target of 2030 and all remaining vendors will set a climate reduction plan also for 2030.

Kingfisher said it will collaborate with its vendors to “support their progress towards the targets” through sharing training and expertise, while cloud-based emissions data platform Manufacture 2030 will also support vendors to achieve their targets through building roadmaps.

Over 90% of Kingfisher’s Scope 3 emissions are linked with its products including how they are produced and how they are used by customers, known as “upstream” and “downstream” emissions respectively.

Vendor manufacturing makes up a fifth of Scope 3 emissions in what Kingfisher called its “sphere of influence”, demonstrating how important of an area it is to address.

Kingfisher chief executive Thierry Garnier said: “Like most retailers, Scope 3 makes up the vast majority of our emissions and to drive these down effectively we need the collaboration of our entire supply chain.

“The response from our vendor partners has been very positive and we are grateful for their support as we work towards our shared goal to help tackle climate change. By coming together as an industry to take on this critical challenge, we can forge a path towards a future that is low-emissions, positive for our businesses and our planet.”

The retailer exceeded its target of a 40% reduction in Scope 3 emissions per £1m of turnover by 2025 as it achieved a 41.6% reduction in 2023/24.