Building For Better: Mitre 10 Publishes First Sustainability Report

Mitre 10 New Zealand Ltd is proud to present its first Sustainability Report, providing insight into the co-operative’s strategy and work programmes making real and sustainable impact on our environment and our local communities.

Covering the financial year to 30 June 2023, the report brings transparency and accountability to Mitre 10’s progress on its journey to sustainability, with a level of detail that sets it apart in the home improvement and building supplies categories. In developing its sustainability strategy, Mitre 10 talked to a range of stakeholders to understand the issues that matter most to them.

“We’re certainly not alone on this journey and achieving net-zero will require sector-wide solutions that we’re committed to being part of. A key part of our process is working with our stakeholders to find projects we can collaborate on to make a greater difference for New Zealand,” says Mitre 10 New Zealand CEO Andrea Scown.

A key example of this is Mitre 10’s product stewardship schemes, which have proved popular with sustainably-minded customers, diverting many tonnes of waste from landfills around the country over the past year:

• Pot Recycle – 25.1 tonnes of plastic plant and seedling pots
• Lightbulb Recycle – 5.3 tonnes
• Battery Recycle – 3.9 tonnes
• Polystyrene Recycle – 13,114m3

Mitre 10 has also worked with others, including councils, waste management providers, not-for-profit organisations and trade partners, to support the wider building and construction sector to better manage building waste.

Measuring the network’s combined carbon footprint from 84 locally owned and operated stores, plus the national support centre, is another key milestone in Mitre 10’s sustainability journey. A complex exercise due to the large number of independent data sources, the report shows carbon emissions trending downwards over the past three years.

Andrea Scown acknowledges that there is still work to be done to set targets, accelerate emissions reductions, and deliver on the co-operative’s sustainability plan.

“In talking to our customers, and given the high-cost operating environment, we understand that affordability has an impact on the ability of both our customers and members to make sustainable choices. However, we believe it’s possible to balance affordability and sustainability and Mitre 10 is focused on finding ways to do so.

“We hope this report demonstrates to our customers, our suppliers, and our members that our actions are making a difference – and or course, that theirs can too,” she said.

The 2023 Sustainability Report is available on the Mitre 10 website: www.mitre10.co.nz/sustainability.

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