Have yourself a sustainable Christmas with WHSmith

Following on from COP26, a lot of young minds have been talking about empty promises, the ‘blah, blah, blah’ that risks the sustainable future of our planet. With youth-led movements taking centre stage across the world, the least we can offer the new generation is an eco-friendlier Christmas.

Thankfully, as the festive countdown begins, one of the UK’s oldest retailers is leading by example.

Since 1792 WHSmith has been there for every journey, every innovation and every moment, and now the retailer we all grew up with is adapting to use more sustainable practices, moving towards a greener future, championing literacy and promoting a culture of inclusion, diversity and wellbeing.

WHSmith’s action plan – ‘our journey to a better business’ – brings an environmentally driven business model to the fore, one that has ambitious targets, is in tune with the wellbeing of the world and supports local communities. Most notably, the organisation’s carbon emissions from stores, offices and distribution centres have decreased by over 60 per cent since 2007.

In the UK, WHSmith is powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity and is working with key suppliers to ensure they too have plans in place to decarbonise.

The company has worked hard to reduce the packaging associated with its stationery and Christmas ranges, removing unnecessary packaging wherever possible. Where packaging is required, WHSmith is switching from hard-to-recycle plastics to alternatives which are better for the environment. WHSmith is also reducing the environmental impact of its distribution chain.

Emissions from deliveries have reduced by more than 15 per cent per pallet since 2007. And the organisation continually reviews its goods, services and delivery system to improve what is already an environmentally conscious business model.

All WHSmith-branded paper-based products are created from recycled or sustainable sources and the company has removed cellophane from greetings cards and plastic glitter from all own-brand products.

Group Chief Executive Carl Cowling said: “Our society is facing some huge challenges. Climate change remains one of the most critical of these and the window of opportunity to change course is closing rapidly. Society continues to use the earth’s resources at an unsustainable rate and we need to ensure that global patterns of consumption and production do not leave lasting harm.“

“WHSmith is working hard on our journey to net zero emissions, reducing our carbon footprint and minimising waste wherever we can. We want our customers to trust that the products they purchase from us have been sustainably sourced, with any environmental impact being minimised as far as possible.”

You can get Christmas wrapped up early and make your festivities friendlier by choosing products made from recycled materials which can be put to good use again once they’ve served their initial purpose. And, at WHSmith you can do it at a great price too, with offers running both online at whsmith.co.uk and in store.

If we all adopt these small steps into our thinking and lead by example, we can enjoy a sustainable, eco-friendlier Christmas, not only for our kids but for their kids in years to come.

llustration by Ben the Illustrator