At Busy Bees, we believe giving every child the best start in life also means helping to protect the planet they will grow up in. Hear more from our Environmental Manager, Jess Duffell, on how Busy Bees is building a more sustainable future:
Sustainability is woven into everything we do - from reducing our carbon footprint and waste to fostering a more responsible supply chain and educating our fabulous Busy Bees children about the importance of caring for the environment.
I’m really proud of the strides we’ve made so far. I’m inspired every day by the effort our teams are making to drive real change across every part of the business, and it’s great to see how our collective efforts are contributing to a more sustainable future.
This commitment is reflected in the progress we’re making towards our key sustainability goals:
Reducing carbon emissions
We are committed to becoming carbon neutral for scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, and Net Zero by 2040. So far, we’ve made good progress including:
- A 24.2 per cent reduction in market-based carbon emissions
- We’ve installed 49 solar systems across the UK, Australia and Singapore, generating clean, renewable energy
- And rolled out energy-saving measures including LED lighting, smart meters and voltage optimisers which has helped us achieve a 2 per cent reduction in overall energy use, keeping us on track to cut energy consumption by 10 per cent by 2026
Reducing waste and single-use plastics
We continue to drive responsible consumption across the Group. This is something of a personal mission for me and I’m thrilled that in the two years since I joined the business we have:
- Diverted 98.2 per cent of waste from our UK centres from landfill, including 99.9 per cent of food waste and 95.1 per of nappy waste
- Removed 3.7 million plastic nappy bags and 1.7 million plastic aprons from our UK operations
- Introduced plant-based baby wipes in the UK to remove 22 million wipes, and are preparing to roll this out across multiple markets in 2025
Promoting responsible procurement
We have a great opportunity to improve our overall sustainability by the decisions we make about what we buy and from where. We are strengthening supply chain sustainability by:
- Rolling out a new Group Procurement Policy across all markets
- Increasing local sourcing, with a target for 50 per cent European sourcing in the UK
- Encourage responsible sourcing for timber and other key materials
Educating for impact
As well as making operational changes, we are passionate about helping our children understand how to be responsible citizens. We are embedding sustainability education into the experiences we offer our children - helping them understand the importance of recycling, responsible consumption and protecting the planet.
I am so proud of the progress we’ve made so far, but there is still much more to do. Through collaboration, innovation and a shared commitment to sustainability across our global community, we are determined to continue building a greener future for our Busy Bees children and many more generations to come.
To find out more, visit our website: www.busybeesglobal.com/responsible-business/esg