Why This Matters to P&A Group
As a group with manufacturing, distribution, retail and café operations, our impact goes far beyond the products we sell.
Every day, our decisions affect our employees, our suppliers, our customers and the local communities around our sites.
We believe long-term business success depends on:
- Providing safe, supportive and rewarding workplaces
- Reducing our environmental footprint
- Designing and sourcing products responsibly
- Contributing positively to the communities in which we operate
That’s why we have aligned our sustainability strategy to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and are working towards B Corp certification — not as an endpoint, but as a framework for continuous improvement.
Our Sustainable Development Goals Focus Areas
Our sustainability priorities are aligned to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where we believe we can have the greatest impact:
SDG 3
Good Health & Wellbeing
SDG 4
Quality Education
SDG 7
Affordable & Clean Energy
SDG 8
Decent Work & Economic Growth
SDG 13
Climate Action
SDG 15
Life on Land
These goals guide our objectives, investment decisions and continuous improvement priorities.
Our SDG Objectives (What We’re Working Towards)
We have set clear objectives and success measures across our SDG focus areas. Some metrics are already established; others are being strengthened as our reporting matures.
Every day, our decisions affect our employees, our suppliers, our customers and the local communities around our sites.
SDG 3 – Good Health & Wellbeing
Objective: Enhance employee wellbeing and active lifestyles.
How we measure progress: Wellbeing satisfaction surveys, participation in wellbeing initiatives, and reduction in unplanned absence.
SDG 4 – Quality Education
Objective: Cultivate a skilled workforce and support learning in our communities.
How we measure progress: Participation in Lunch & Learn and training sessions, and feedback from learning and outreach activity.
SDG 7 – Affordable & Clean Energy
Objective: Reduce our carbon footprint through energy efficiency and cleaner energy adoption.
How we measure progress: Reductions in energy use following audits and increasing transition to lower-emission vehicles and equipment.
SDG 8 – Decent Work & Economic Growth
Objective: Foster fair employment, skills development and local economic impact.
How we measure progress: Volunteering participation, skills development activity, and increasing local/regional procurement where feasible.
SDG 13 – Climate Action
Objective: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience.
How we measure progress: Annual carbon reporting and delivery of our reduction trajectory towards Net Zero operations by 2035.
SDG 15 – Life on Land
Objective: Protect and restore biodiversity in and around our operations.
How we measure progress: Progress toward peat-free commitments, habitat and pollinator initiatives, and biodiversity-supporting activity through our garden centre and community engagement.
OUR IMPACT PILLARS
Planet
People
Product & Supply Chain
Community
Impact Pillar: Planet
Reducing our environmental footprint and transitioning to cleaner, more efficient operations.
What we’re doing
- Continuing to generate renewable energy through existing on-site solar and biomass systems
- Measuring carbon emissions across Scope 1, 2 and relevant Scope 3 categories
- Improving energy efficiency through lighting upgrades and site audits
- Progressively transitioning vehicles and equipment towards lower-emission alternatives
- Developing a structured approach to supplier engagement on carbon reporting and reduction
Our progress
- Carbon footprint baseline established (FY23–24): 5,042 tonnes CO₂e
- All three businesses included:
P&A Pallets & Packaging, Zest Outdoor Living, and Woodworks Garden Centre & Café - Scope 3 emissions represent the majority of our footprint, driven mainly by product materials and transport
- Carbon intensity measured: 36.99 tCO₂e per £100k of turnover
- Biomass heating avoids approx. 173 tCO₂e per year
- Solar PV generation avoids approx. 41 tCO₂e per year
We have committed to achieving Net Zero carbon within our own operations by 2035, significantly ahead of the UK Government’s 2050 target.
What’s next
- Complete LED lighting upgrades across all sites
- Introduce lower-carbon fuels and efficiency measures for diesel equipment
- Continue electrification of company vehicles as leases end
- Expand renewable electricity generation and procurement where feasible
- Engage suppliers to improve carbon reporting and reduction plans
- Begin using carbon performance as a factor in future purchasing decisions
Our focus is on reducing emissions at source — particularly within our supply chain — before considering any form of offsetting.
Download our Policies & Documents
Impact Pillar: People
Creating safe, supportive workplaces where people can develop, contribute and thrive.
What we’re doing
- Providing Medicash healthcare benefits and Mental Health First Aiders
- Offering flexible working arrangements where operationally possible
- Delivering regular Lunch & Learn learning sessions
- Running wellbeing activities linked to physical and mental health
- Supporting cross-training and skills sharing across departments
Our progress (FY25)
- 5 Lunch & Learn learning events delivered, including nutrition and wellbeing, creativity, growth mindset, resilience and personal development
- Participation and feedback captured to improve future sessions
- Ongoing wellbeing initiatives linked to charity challenges and team activities
What’s next
- Increase the number of learning and development sessions
- Expand leadership and communication skills development
- Introduce on-site health screening and wellbeing workshops
- Improve tracking of training hours and learning outcomes
We see learning, wellbeing and engagement as essential to building resilient, high-performing teams.
Impact Pillar: Product Design & Supply Chain
Designing responsibly and strengthening ethical, resilient supply chains.
What we’re doing
- Re-engineering selected product ranges to reduce material use and waste
- Promoting pallet repair, reuse and Tree Saver pallet solutions
- Working in long-term partnership with key manufacturing suppliers
- Exploring opportunities to increase sourcing from local and regional suppliers where feasible
- Applying responsible purchasing standards across all departments
Our procurement is guided by an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Policy, covering:
- Sustainable timber sourcing (FSC / PEFC)
- Recycled and reclaimed materials
- Energy-efficient equipment
- Responsible packaging and waste reduction
- Ethical supplier standards
Our progress
- Product redesign programmes underway to improve efficiency and sustainability
- Pallet repair and reuse actively promoted to customers
- Supplier engagement increasing on sustainability topics
- Local supplier spend under review to establish baselines
What’s next
- Formalise supplier sustainability expectations and reporting
- Increase proportion of local and regional procurement
- Track product lifecycle impacts more consistently
- Integrate sustainability into product development processes
Impact Pillar: Community
Supporting local and national communities through fundraising, volunteering and long-term partnerships.
What we’re doing
- Partnering with selected charities and community organisations
- Encouraging employee-led fundraising and volunteering initiatives
- Providing company financial support alongside staff fundraising
- Supporting local community projects and events
Our progress (FY25)
Our community support combines employee-led activity, company contributions, and hands-on volunteering.
Fundraising and company donations
- £19,143 raised for charities in FY25, including:
- £12,823 for MS Society
- £3,320 for North Clwyd Animal Rescue (NCAR)
- £1,000 sponsorship for Nightingale House Hospice 10k run
- £2,000 donation to Shelter, following an employee vote to donate in place of Christmas gifts
- Fundraising activities included Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge, Community Quiz Night, running events, bungee jumps and a community yard sale at our Saltney site (including a £3,000 company donation)
- Over £200,000 raised for charities since our community programme began in 2010.
Volunteering and local action
- 210 employee volunteering hours recorded, including:
- 194 hours supporting NCAR at the animal centre
- 16 hours supporting the Mold Spring Clean litter-picking initiative
- Teams also took part in community sporting events, including the Chester Business Beats Cancer 5-a-side football tournament, supporting both fundraising and employee wellbeing
What’s next
- Expand structured volunteering opportunities
- Increase employee participation in community projects
- Develop longer-term partnerships with selected charities and schools
- Track social impact more consistently year-on-year
We believe strong businesses should play an active role in strengthening the communities around them.
How We Manage and Improve Our Impact
Our sustainability approach is supported by formal group-wide policies and management systems.
This includes:
- An Environmental Management System (EMS) Policy, committing us to legal compliance, pollution prevention, climate action, biodiversity protection and continuous improvement
- An Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Policy, guiding responsible procurement across timber, transport, warehouse operations, garden centre and café sourcing, and operational supplies
These frameworks help ensure sustainability is embedded into everyday decision-making, rather than treated as a standalone initiative.
We regularly review performance, involve employees in improvement initiatives, and work with suppliers to strengthen environmental and social standards across our value chain.
Our Commitment: Our B CORP Journey
We are working towards B Corp certification as part of our commitment to balancing profit with purpose.
We are working towards B Corp certification as part of our commitment to balancing profit with purpose.
B Corp provides an independent framework to assess how we perform across:
- Governance
- Workers
- Community
- Environment
- Customers
For us, B Corp is not just a badge — it is a tool to help us identify where we can improve, hold ourselves accountable, and embed responsible business practices into everyday operations.
We recognise this is a continuous journey, and we are committed to learning, improving and sharing our progress openly.
Speak to our team
GET IN TOUCH