As part of our Buy Into Retail campaign, we’re spotlighting the work retailers are doing when it comes to growth, people and sustainability. Today, we focus on sustainability, and the progress BRC member Dunelm have made when it comes to sustainable sourcing.
At Dunelm, responsible sourcing is an integral part of our sustainability agenda and we recognise the importance of transitioning to products made with lower-impact materials.
Over recent years, we’ve taken a number of steps to ingrain this in our core business operations. Our Conscious Choice initiative has been central to this, and a key part of our sustainability journey since 2022. For a product to meet our Conscious Choice criteria, it must contain at least 50% lower-impact materials by weight, verified by our in-house team against strict standards designed to limit harm to people, animals and the planet.
This initiative has driven meaningful change, supporting progress toward our carbon and water reduction targets and today, 52% of our own-brand products meet the Conscious Choice criteria. That’s up from 15% only two years prior.
Focusing where it matters most
Reducing the impact of raw material sourcing is critical to achieving our near-term and net zero targets. While all our materials are sourced responsibly, we focus on those with the greatest carbon and water footprint - primarily cotton and timber, but also polyester and metals. Examples of progress from these key areas include:
• Cotton - 53% of our own-brand ranges are now more responsibly sourced, including recycled and organic cotton.
• Timber - we work with suppliers towards their certification under schemes like FSC or PEFC. Currently, 39% of timber meets our responsible sourcing requirements, and we’re strengthening traceability.
• Polyester - 55% of our products are from recycled polyester, and we’ve made particularly strong progress in quilts, pillows and curtains.
• Steel – we’ve introduced recycled steel into our ranges, starting with curtain poles, and with more to transition in the future.
Circular design
It’s not just about materials, we also drive our commercial teams to adopt circular design principles. This focus results in products like our Full Circle sofas, featuring modular designs that are easy to assemble, transport, and recycle. Or our Edited Life bedding sets, which have an ‘envelope style’ opening, reducing plastic usage in manufacturing by avoiding buttons and zips, making the product 100% recyclable at its end-of-life when disposed of appropriately. It’s also 100% organic cotton.
Responsible sourcing will remain central to our future plans. By working closely with suppliers, we’re reducing our environmental footprint and building a more sustainable proposition for our customers.
Christina Downend, Head of Responsible Sourcing, Dunelm
