Consumers can now turn to B&Q for recycling plant pots after the DIY retailer launched a new “closed-loop” scheme to help reduce the amount of pots going into landfill or incineration.
B&Q said it has placed stations for recycling plant pots in more than 100 of its stores across the UK – with the material recycled and made into a new Blacksmith Planter pot range it sells in its stores and online.
The retailer said recycling plant pots was part of its “commitment to help customers make more sustainable choices”. The plastic materials from plant pots can be continually recycled and reused, reducing waste and environmental impact, B&Q noted.
Blacksmith Planter pots are retailing in its stores for £4. The pots are made using 100% recycled plastic, are all weather resistant and made in the UK.
Samantha Dyer, head of quality and sustainability at B&Q, commented: “As a business we want to make a positive difference through tangible actions and continue to put innovation at the forefront of our approach to helping our customers make more sustainable choices.
“These new recycling stations will allow us to repurpose something that would normally be discarded and help us in our goal to make more sustainable choices easier and more convenient for our customers.”
In other sustainability news, B&Q parent Kingfisher Group’s full-year results statement published in March reiterated the organisation’s aim to “lead the industry in responsible business and energy efficiency”.
It said it has reduced its carbon footprint for own operations (scope 1 and 2 emissions) by 62% against a 2016/17 financial year base, and reduced intensity of scope 3 emissions from the supply chain and customer use of products by 41.6% against a 2017/18 base year.
The group continues to leverage its own exclusive brand capabilities to build products that reduce impact on the environment. Kingfisher’s ‘Sustainable Home Products’ sales were £6.4 billion in the year to the end of January 2024, representing 49% of group sales – up 2% year on year.
Some 10% of group sales came from energy and water-saving products, which was in line with the previous year. B&Q and other Kingfisher stable mates continue to give more prominence to energy-saving products in their stores.
Read more about Kingfisher on Green Retail World
[Image credit: B&Q/Kingfisher]
