2007/08 targets

Highlights of progress against the targets we set and published last year are as follows:

Target:
In line with national and international commitments on climate change, we will establish a long-term corporate strategy to reduce the carbon intensity of our businesses, including our products, services and buildings

Our strategy prioritises reducing carbon intensity in transport, buildings and products and during the last 12 months, we have implemented numerous initiatives to cut our carbon.

Transport

In our Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division we continue to upgrade our wholesale delivery fleets to vehicles with more efficient carbon emissions. In our Health & Beauty Division we have reduced the overall carbon emissions caused by goods imported from Asia through reducing the volume of our own brand products air freighted to the UK from Asia and increasing the efficiency of our shipping operation using larger containers.

Buildings

We have taken steps to reduce energy consumption across many of our retail outlets, warehouses and offices, for example, by more accurate monitoring of energy consumption, improved insulation and the installation of energy-saving lighting. We also encourage our employees to promote energy savings. In Spain, for example we launched an internal campaign called “Actua Ahora” (Act Now).

Products

We have recently started to work on minimising the carbon footprint of the products we sell. For example, in conjunction with the “Carbon Trust”, we conducted a detailed study of two of our shampoos, analysing the complete life cycle of the product – from sourcing raw materials right through to disposing of waste – in search of ways to cut carbon output at every stage. As a result, we reduced the carbon footprint of both products.

Target:
We will continue to reduce waste at source and work towards zero waste to landfill, setting appropriate targets within each business and reporting annual progress

We now have a much greater understanding of waste recycling and how we can reduce the amount of waste created and sent to landfill across our Group. We are looking to recycle wherever possible and will be setting targets for waste reduction over the coming year.

Target:
We will continue to reduce like for like own brand packaging by 10% by 2010, in line with the UK Government “Courtauld Commitment” Initiative

To date we are on track to achieve this commitment. Our packaging is now made from recyclable materials where possible and in our manufacturing operations we have reduced packaging by removing transit packaging and increasing the use of recycling bins.