Sustainability at Douglas
At Douglas, our ethos for the business is that it should give more to the community and the environment than it takes.
We recognise there is a lot of work to be done, and we’re rolling up our sleeves and taking action.
We’ve been doing stuff for a while behind the scenes and have decided to publicly share our story to be open with our customers and community, and hopefully inspire others as well.
Even as a small business, we believe we can make a change, and hope our actions will inspire others too.
If there is anything you’re concerned about, would like to see us improve, or have an idea for a collaborative solution, please contact us and we’ll be happy to a chat.
Sustainability at Douglas
Our Sustainability Action Plan
What we’re doing
- In December 2021, we took stock of our impact, undertaking a Sustainability Review
- We’ve bench-marked our biggest opportunities for change, from the products we bring in, to how we care for our employees, to the practices within our premises and offsite
- We’ve discovered some surprisingly good things about our supply chain, and some definite areas that need to change
- We’ve aligned our plans to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals that we feel we can best directly influence, even in a small way
- We’ve brought our whole team along for the ride, and endeavour to build on our culture for continuous improvement
Our biggest concerns with business-as-usual:
- Climate impacts from our supply chain (aluminium production, virgin plastics, transportation & energy use in particular)
- Valuable resources from fabrication and end-of-life product that often end up in landfill
- Providing a viable and sustainable business to support our employees and community long term
Our core Sustainability Focus for 2025-26 is:
- Workshop waste reduction (watch this space for a decline in landfill use, after our next 12 months’ data)
- Team wellness project (Living Wage Employer, and employee wellness and personal development initiatives)
- Influencing our industry & supply chain (an ongoing project to be positive influencers for change, and upskilling our business in responsible procurement)
- Carbon impact reduction (getting a firm handle on our number in 2022, setting a net zero target, reducing energy and fuel use, shifting to an EV / PHEV fleet as we upgrade vehicles, and exploring renewables)
- Exploring circular-economy pathways for the products our wider company (Sunshade Group Ltd) imports and distributes
How we can help
- Explore renewable energy for our building
- Transition to an EV / PHEV fleet
- Reduce energy use within our premises
- Supply chain influence & source energy from responsible sources
- Invest & bank responsibly
How we can help
- Become a Living Wage Employer (our application is at the ready)
- Equal pay opportunities for women, men and migrants
- Ensure staff with language barriers have access to an interpreter for important communications
- Operate an open door policy and fear-free feedback mechanisms
- Uphold independently audited Health & Safety and HR practices
- Identify human rights risks within our supply chain, and push suppliers for transparency (responsible procurement)
- Invest & bank responsibly
How we can help
- Tracked, ongoing waste reduction and systems evolution within our business
- Support the circular economy and circular products
- Support those advocating for positive change in plastics, including through our membership with the Outdoor Fabric Products Assn of NZ, Industrial Fabrics Assn International and Plastics NZ
- Share resources and engage with local re-purposing and resource rescue organisations, such as Nourished for Nil, Re-Source HB, Habitat for Humanity ReStore Hastings, Red Cross Curtain Bank, the Hawke’s Bay Environment Centre, and others
- Encourage responsible consumption through our marketing, and supplying only quality, long-lasting durable products fit-for-purpose in NZ conditions
- Advocating for protect & repair vs buying new, and continuing to bring new apprentices up through the auto & marine upholstery trade to keep repair culture alive
- Invest & bank responsibly
How we can help
- Support the responsible treatment and reduction of trade waste
- What we tip down our drains matters – foster a culture of awareness and improvement
- Evolve our processes to avoid plastic / marine pollution from our products’ incorrect disposal or perishing into waterways
- Invest & bank responsibly
Sustainability
Next steps
We’ll be reviewing our progress annually (each January), setting our sights higher and keeping our community informed through this page and our everyday communications.
There is LOADS more we need to improve.
If you would like more information, please contact us.
Thank you for joining us!
