Our responsibilities

The Timpson Group has always been dedicated to making a positive social impact and building a better, more sustainable future.

We have a responsibility to understand the impact our business has on the environment, and we’re continuously looking for new ways to reduce our waste and carbon emissions.    

From our photo shops to our dry cleaning services, it’s our mission to make everything we do as environmentally friendly as possible. Our group encompasses over 2000 shops and employs approximately 4500 colleagues, and we’re committed to using our influence to help protect our environment.

Our sustainability report

The growing climate emergency requires strong, urgent action from businesses, as well as individuals.

To help us find the best opportunities for positive change, Small World Consulting has produced a detailed report on the Timpson Group’s greenhouse gas footprint. The report was checked and approved by Mike Berners-Lee, and assesses the emissions produced by each and every part of our business.

The information in this report was gathered from 1st January to 31st December 2019: the last full year our business operated as usual before COVID-19. It shows the full carbon footprint across all of our brands, where the most emissions are coming from, and how we can proactively improve.

Our carbon footprint at a glance

The key findings from this report are included below;

The total greenhouse gas footprint across all of the Timpson Group was calculated at 60,470 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). To put that into context, that’s roughly what you’d expect from 500 people over the course of a year, while our business employs over 4500.

More than a quarter of our carbon emissions result from utilities, with an estimated 12,204 tCO2e coming from electricity alone. The purchase of stock is the second biggest cause of emissions, while colleagues commuting to work is third.

Expressing emissions in terms of turnover helps to put these figures into context, providing baselines and allowing us to measure targets. Based on a turnover of £287 million in 2019, our emissions are estimated to be 0.211 kgCO2 per £ turnover – significantly lower than the 0.386 kgCO2e per £ average in the manufacturing sector.

Our Going Green Actions

Protecting the health of our planet is a top priority, so we’re regularly taking new actions and implementing innovative strategies to reduce our carbon footprint throughout the business. Here are just some of the ways we’re tackling the biggest generators of our greenhouse gas emissions:

The Timpson Group business model is based on cleaning and repairs, so the very nature of our services can help reduce waste and carbon emissions. By prolonging the lifetime of clothing, watches, devices and so many other household items, we aim to save the exhaustive resources needed for replacements.

Electricity, Gas & Other Utilities

  • The wheels are in motion for our first major solar panelling project at our new Nest training centre, with a view to powering other areas of the business with solar panels in future.
  • Since 2019, 18 of our dry cleaning shops have stopped using gas, while those remaining are being audited for newer, more energy-efficient boilers.
  • We’re keen to reduce the day-to-day energy in our shops, so we’re encouraging colleagues to only switch machinery on when it’s in use, reducing lighting levels in warehouses and welcoming energy-saving ideas from our colleagues.

Stock

  • Lots of our products and services require us to purchase stock from suppliers, so we’re actively encouraging those suppliers to draw on our knowledge of carbon reduction to reduce their own footprint.
  • As well as using up to 40% recycled plastic in our hangers and polyrobe, we have also made the polyrobe 25% thinner to use less plastic overall in our dry cleaning shops.
  • We are now shipping much more stock in more efficient, full-container loads.

Commuting and Business Travel

  • Since 2021, the Timpson Group began transitioning its fleet of vehicles to electric. Over 70 cars in the fleet are now electric, with the rest due to follow over the next couple of years. This change comes alongside the rollout of charging locations in strategic sites across the Group.  
  • Colleagues based in the same area are encouraged to share rides to work.
  • The selection of Timpson Holiday Homes is incredibly popular with colleagues, with many choosing to stay in the UK for holidays rather than flying abroad (which would result in far more carbon emissions).

The Timpson Group has joined the British Retail Consortium’s commitment to be a Net Zero Carbon business by 2040. This is a really challenging target, but we continue to find new ways to improve and implement fresh energy-saving strategies, so we’re well on the way to achieving our goal.

By committing to reducing our carbon footprint, we’re confident we can make positive changes in our shops, offices, warehouses and all other areas of the business.