New Zealand home improvement and garden retailer and trade merchant Mitre 10 has published the FY2024 sustainability report, highlighting the progress of its efforts to lower its impact on the environment.
For example, its total Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions dropped from 7,365.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) in FY23 to 7,156.37 tCO₂e in the current year. Also, 43% of operational waste was recycled.
Customers of Mitre 10 continued to recycle different products in the stores. A total of 22.9 tonnes of garden pots were recycled, down from 25.1 tonnes in the previous year. Customers also recycled 15,982m³ of polystyrene, down from 17,754m³ in FY 2023.
However, the amount of recycled lightbulbs and batteries increased. A total of 8,4 tonnes of lightbulbs were recycled, up from 6.2 tonnes in FY 2023. Mitre 10 New Zealand significantly increased the number of recycled batteries, up from 4.1 tonnes in FY 2023 to 11.7 tonnes in FY 2024.
Other initiatives Mitre 10 New Zealand launched included installing an EV charging network. Currently, the company has installed EV charging stations at nine stores but has scrapped a plan to install electric vehicle charging stations at every store within a four-year period due to the different levels of demand in all locations and unanticipated complexities.
Looking ahead, Mitre 10 New Zealand has medium- and long-term plans for its Building for Better strategy.
In the medium term, Mitre 10 Zealand New will look for adjacencies in product categories, services and the community space, where there are natural opportunities to grow its offer and our partnerships to advance sustainability goals and community wellbeing.
Lastly, addressing Scope 3 supply chain and product-related emissions will be the company’s long-term plan.
“We recognise that environment, society and business are interdependent, and that reducing our collective environmental impact will enable our communities and our economy to remain strong and healthy into the future. Supporting our customers, suppliers and stakeholders to reduce their carbon footprints as we work to reduce our own is an ongoing priority,” said Mitre 10 New Zealand’s CEO Andrea Scown Chief Legal and Sustainability Officer Grant Fraser.
