More Australians are considering the environmental impacts of their retail habits and are choosing to shop more sustainably, according to Officeworks which released its People and Planet Positive Report with an update on its progress against its 2025 ESG targets.
Finder’s Green Consumer Report has shown one in two Australians are actively looking for greener products or services and 44% consider a brand’s environmental efforts to be ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ important when making a purchasing decision.
Officeworks Greener Choices product range, which provides products made from natural or recycled materials, less plastic or are compostable, refillable or fully recyclable at the end of their life, achieved the strongest year on year sales growth of any product range at 58% and the range expanded from 2,000 to 2,400 products in the past financial year.
During the Back to School period, there was a noticeable change in sustainable shopping habits from parents of school aged children. Parents chose to shop more sustainably than ever before, with 78% of the Greener Choices products outperforming 2021 sales for the same period.
Also reflected in the People and Planet Positive report is that consumers are increasing their recycling habits. Since launching its Bring it Back program in 2015 and offering in-store recycling bins for printer cartridges, e-waste, pens, markers and more, Officeworks has collected more than 7,000 tonnes of products to be recycled or repaired.
In 2022, there was a 12% increase in the volume of products collected, diverting 1,650 tonnes of unwanted products from landfill. 37 million pieces of plastic were also saved from the environment as a result of plastic being removed from product packaging or through the removal of single use plastic products.
Officeworks managing director, Sarah Hunter said, “We know our customers want to make more sustainable choices, and our role in delivering value while operating a sustainable and responsible business is more important than ever.
“Our People & Planet Positive 2025 plan is our long-term approach to supporting our team, enhancing our connection to our local communities, reducing our environmental impact and sourcing products in sustainable and responsible ways.
“Some of our long-term goals are ambitious, such as being fully powered by renewable energy by 2025, planting two million trees and transitioning to a net zero and circular economy but with the help of our team, customers and partners we’re committed to making a lasting, positive difference by putting people and the planet at the heart of what we do.”