The basis of good business...

What is Home Retail’s approach to corporate responsibility?

At Home Retail Group we really believe that taking a responsible approach to the environment and the communities we operate in is central to building a sustainable and profitable business.

We think it plays a key part in making our business a place where our colleagues enjoy working and our customers enjoy shopping.

So we’ve called this responsible approach the ‘basis of good business’, we believe it is a strong foundation on which a good business should be run.

We’ve broken this approach down into five key areas where everybody can get involved...

Keeping clean and green is all about reducing the impact our operations have on the environment.

Shopping for tomorrow is all about helping our customers to live more sustainable lives.

Sourcing with care is about sourcing the best products but minimising our environment and social impact.

Building a great place of work is obviously about making this a great place for our colleagues to work.

And finally being a good neighbour is about supporting our local and national communities.

We believe that a responsible approach to the environment and the communities in which we operate is central to building a profitable business which continues to grow and succeed. We have called this responsible approach ‘the basis of good business’ because we believe it is the foundation on which a good business should be run.

We believe that the basis of good business:

This means we segregate waste that can be recycled and working with our suppliers to reduce packaging on the products we sell. It means working to reduce our carbon footprint throughout the business, reducing our costs and our impact on the environment.

This means helping our customers to live more sustainable lives. Homebase sells the biggest range of energy-efficient bulbs in the UK and at Argos we have committed to selling only energy-efficient TVs. We don’t just sell products; we take back old appliances and recycle the packaging. We are even helping customers to grow their own fruit and vegetables.

This means giving our customers confidence in our products, from the wood for our garden furniture, to our own-brand cosmetics. We seek to ensure that nothing and no-one is harmed in the production of the products we sell. We continually audit our suppliers and look for ways to improve the environmental impact of all our products.

This means looking at what we do inside the business as well as creating links outside. We aim to keep colleagues well informed, give them the opportunity to build their career and show them that their efforts and opinions are valued. We encourage colleagues and stores to develop links within their communities. Above all, we give colleagues the opportunity to tell us their opinions and ideas to make this an even better business.

Having fun and raising money for charity is something that is very important to us. We encourage colleagues to support local charities as well as our chosen Group charity, through our community cashback scheme which boosts colleagues’ own fundraising with a Company donation, and our volunteering policy which allows colleagues to apply for up to two paid days a year to support their community.