A more responsible future

As Australia’s leading online furniture and homewares store, we take our responsibility to look after the planet seriously, and we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint. 

We are taking action to gain a clearer understanding of our impact to the environment, while exploring solutions that are better for people and the planet.

From carbon and energy management to responsible sourcing, we’re doing our part to create a more beautiful world. 


 

How we're being more responsible

To us, being responsible means creating positive, impactful, and lasting change for today and the future. To guide us on this journey, we worked with sustainability experts, thinkstep-anz.

Through this collaboration we were able to identify where we:

• will deliver the greatest impact in our industry,
• create change for the long term, and
• align with global movements and standards. 

Being responsible is also a deeply personal and subjective matter, so in true Temple & Webster spirit, we asked our customers and team members what was most important to them.

The learnings from this process helped to guide, develop and prioritise our actions across areas where we have the greatest opportunity to influence change:
 

1. Carbon and energy management
2. Responsible sourcing
3. Responsible packaging

 

1. Carbon and energy management

We understand that climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and we are doing our part to address it through a variety of responsible initiatives. That is why, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, also known as SDGs, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint by 45% by 2030. 

To achieve this target we will:

• Transition to renewable energy for our head office,
• Investigate solutions to replace high emission activities with renewable or low emission alternatives, and
• Educate and promote responsible energy practices across our operations. 

We're excited to announce that this year, we're taking steps to power our head office with renewable energy! Our commitment to minimising our carbon footprint goes beyond this - we're always exploring new solutions to make our operations more responsible, and less impactful for the planet.


 

2. Responsible sourcing

Responsible sourcing is a complex matter which takes into account the entire end-to-end supply chain. In the simplest terms, it means sourcing products and materials from suppliers that meet environmental, social, and ethical standards. This helps to promote responsible practices, protect workers’ rights, and minimise impacts on the environment.

While we pride ourselves on having the most inspirational products, we are also actively working with our suppliers to make our range more responsible. This includes sourcing products that are made from responsibly sourced wood, or that have achieved globally recognised certification, such as the Global Recycled Standard (GRS).


 

3. Responsible packaging 

Through feedback and engagement, we know that reducing packaging waste is a top priority for our customers, and it’s a priority for us too. Last year, we became members of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) and are working to reduce our packaging footprint.

We're excited to be working closely with our suppliers to develop strategies and solutions that work towards the 2025 National Packaging Targets​. This includes:

• Making our packaging recyclable or reusable,
• Including more recycled content in our packaging, and
• Phasing out unnecessary single use plastic packaging. 

We’ve already made progress in this space - our branded delivery satchels are made from 80% post-consumer waste, which are materials that have been used, reprocessed and given a new life, rather than ending up in landfill.

Although we have made some progress on our journey, we know we have work to do, and diverting packaging from land will continue to remain a priority. 


 

We’ll continue to update you

We know that we have a big task ahead of us, but it’s one that we’re fully committed to. We believe that positive change is possible when we work together, and we’re excited to take our customers on this journey with us.

Thanks for being a part of our journey towards a more beautiful and more responsible world.