Ethical sourcing

Wesfarmers businesses source products for sale from many regions other than Australasia, particularly in south and east Asia, Europe, Africa and North America.

Consistent with the company’s values, our purchasing policies deal with common themes such as child labour, wage rates and health and safety.

Several highlights during the year included:

  • Coles added eight Fairtrade tea and coffee lines to its product range, helping growers in countries such as India, Peru, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea and Ethiopia;
  • Target has a formal Ethical Sourcing Code and conducted or subscribed to 243 factory audits in Asia and the sub-continent during the year;
  • Bunnings made deeper progress on timber procurement in Australia with more than 99 per cent of timber products now sourced from low risk plantations or other verified legal or sustainable forest operations;
  • Industrial and Safety audits all Asian suppliers of its own brand products;
  • CSBP is working on technology to broaden phosphate rock supply options for superphosphate manufacture; and
  • Suppliers responsible for 38 per cent of our purchases are engaged in our ethical sourcing programs.

Coles added eight Fairtrade tea and coffee lines to its product range

Energy efficiency

The most immediate steps we can take to reduce our carbon emissions, and the relative costs of our energy purchases, is to pursue energy efficiency.

New technologies, as seen in this Bunnings warehouse, are vital to improving energy efficiency.

Several highlights included;

  • Bunnings commenced solar and wind energy micro-generation trials at three Australian stores, with the solar trial now generating 5.1 per cent of the Belconnen (ACT) store’s total electricity usage;
  • Coles has installed night blinds on open up-right refrigerators in 162 supermarkets to reduce the use of electricity for refrigerating product;
  • Premier Coal has implemented an initiative in improving haul truck productivity to create on going energy savings through reduced diesel fuel use;
  • across our retail businesses, as new distribution centres are constructed, they are being equipped with many energy saving initiatives including maximising natural light and efficient lighting technologies; and
  • Kleenheat has commenced a significant energy efficiency review at its LPG plant.

5.1% of Belconnen (ACT) store’s electricity is supplied by solar energy

Packaging reduction

Wesfarmers is a signatory to the National Packaging Covenant (NPC) in Australia (and has registered in its successor agreement, the Australian Packaging Covenant [APC] in 2010/11) and uses the NPC processes to guide our work in reducing the environmental impact of packaging.

Our businesses operate in many facets of the packaging lifecycle through design, manufacturing, selection, purchase, use and eventual re-use, recycling or disposal.

Several highlights during the year included:

  • Bunnings, Officeworks and Target removed single use bags and all of our retailers offer alternative bags;
  • our businesses recycled over 197,000 tonnes of used packaging during 2009/10;
  • Coles has now implemented recycling at all of its liquor stores; and
  • Coles is reviewing Coles branded products, in line with the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines, to reduce unnecessary product packaging.

197,000 tonnes of recycled packaging

Community partnerships

Wesfarmers has always had strong connections to the communities it operates in. Our many stakeholders rely on support from our businesses that goes beyond our economic contribution to society.

Target’s partnership with St John Ambulance enabled 1,161 people to receive first aid training free of charge

Several highlights during the year included:

  • Coles customers supported Cancer Council with $1.34 million donated through Coles stores for Daffodil Day in 2009;
  • Chemicals and Fertilisers has a partnership with Youth Focus, an organisation dedicated to assisting young people at risk of suicide or self-harm;
  • Curragh, together with other coal mining companies, provided funding for a second doctor at Blackwater Hospital;
  • Bunnings team members were involved in more than 33,000 local community activities, and contributed to help raise more than $20 million;
  • the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal collected over 430,000 gifts and $290,000 in cash for our charity partners to distribute to people in need; and
  • Blackwoods strongly supported The Fred Hollows Foundation in Australia.

1,161 People received first aid training through Target stores

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