Argos Environmental Policy

We actively seek ways to minimise our impact on the environment in the way we do business.

Included within our Environment Policy is:

●CLIMATE CHANGE

We are committed to continuous improvement in our environmental performance and have set ourselves challenging targets, in particular by;

--reducing energy consumption year on year within our premises on a kWh / sq ft basis

--reducing our carbon emissions by 40% on a Co2 gm / sq ft basis by 2020

--offering products, information and services which help our customers make their homes more sustainable

Objectives

--Reduce overall carbon emissions from business operations

--Continue to reduce energy consumption within our premises on a kWh/sq basis

--Achieve and maintain energy efficiency accreditation for our brands from the Carbon Trust

--Maximise the efficiency of our commercial fleet

--Promote energy awareness throughout the Group

--Reduce the impact of business travel

--Increase the range of products, information and services which help make homes more sustainable

Strategies

--We aspire to reduce the carbon footprint of new premises with reference to ‘best practice’

--Review technical specifications to provide energy efficient installations with premises

--Collect accurate energy data for all sites and identify premises outside normal tolerances

--Monitor commercial fleet fuel efficiencies and identify opportunities for further improvements

CLIMATE CHANGE CONTINUED

--Engage colleagues with the climate change agenda through awareness campaigns

--Highlight products and services which will help make customers’ homes more sustainable

●WATER

We aim to reduce our water consumption. Most of the water we use is for cleaning our vehicles, watering our plants and for sanitation. Although we are not big users of water,

measuring consumption is important to us. We have made great progress and have achieved a 36% reduction in water consumption since 2009.

Objectives

--Reduce water consumption across the Group’s sites

--Promote the use of water efficient products for our customers’ homes and gardens.

Strategies

Our own operations:

--Validate current consumption and introduce robust data management

--Introduce water saving devices and utilise ‘grey water’ techniques, wherever practicable

--Engage colleagues on reducing water consumption through awareness campaigns.

Our products:

--We will offer a range of products to help our customers save water in their homes and gardens, such as aerators, restrictors, water butts

--Promote products that improve water efficiency in the home

--Engage colleagues on reducing water consumption through awareness campaigns.

We will continue to work in partnership with water industry specialists to raise awareness of the importance of water efficient products. We will continue to explore the most appropriate channels to communicate these benefits to the consumer.

●WASTE

We are committed to minimising the amount of waste we generate. We seek to dispose of our waste in a safe and responsible manner and we are committed to the principles of the waste hierarchy. We track the waste volumes for all parts of the business, stores, distribution centres, head office in order to target key initiatives to reduce and eliminate waste

Objectives

--Reduce the volume of waste that we produce

--Seek opportunities to reuse waste materials

--Maximise recycling of the waste we generate

--Minimise the amount of waste disposed to landfill.

Key waste streams

--Product waste

--Packaging associated with the products we sell

--Cardboard and plastic generated through the handling of products in our warehouses

--Cardboard and plastic generated through the handling of products in our warehouses

--General waste generated in our offices and stores, including from refurbishment

--Waste generated through the disposal of catalogues by the Group and its customers.

Key Targets:

--We will minimise waste in our own operations and put the waste we do produce to positive use wherever possible.

●CHEMICALS POLICY

We aim to reduce chemicals present in our products that may pose environmental or other risks following their release into the wider environment. The Group will focus attention on

own brand and direct source products where we have the largest influence on suppliers. 

Our approach to chemicals primarily reflects the requirements of the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of CHemicals) Regulations, particularly with reference to Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) and chemicals that may be regulated in the future. We also acknowledge that other chemicals outside the scope of the REACH Regulations give cause for concern, principally the SIN (Substitute It Now) list of chemicals identified by the International Chemical Secretariat, a not-for-profit monitoring organisation (www.chemsec.org).

We have grouped chemicals into three categories with required actions corresponding to the level of concern, as detailed below.

Category 1 – Prohibit

We will not accept banned chemicals in any products, by which we mean chemicals prohibited for use by legislation in the market where the product is sold or manufactured.

Suppliers have a responsibility to understand and comply with all relevant legislation and are responsible for checking legislation relating to their own operations and markets.

Category 2 – Substitute

We aim to remove all SVHCs from our products when present in levels above the thresholds specified by the REACH Regulations. Our suppliers are required to monitor chemicals designated as SVHCs, notify us of their presence in our products and endeavour to remove them as soon as practical. Suppliers should also be aware of chemicals detailed on the Registry of Intentions List and aim to substitute these.

Category 3 – Monitor

We require our suppliers to monitor the use of a wider group of chemicals that may require action in the future, specifically those substances detailed in the SIN (Substitute It Now) List that are related to consumer products.

We expect the co-operation of our suppliers to help us implement this policy. We encourage suppliers to be open in their reporting to us, and we aim to allow reasonabl periods for the removal and substitution of chemicals when required.

The Group will keep other stakeholders updated on progress and maintain a close watch on new information relating to the likely presence of chemicals of concern in its products.