sustainability

We’re a kitchen supplier driving for positive changes to our environment and community.

Image: Solar panels on our kaboodle office and warehouse in Victoria

building a better tomorrow

As one of Australia’s and New Zealand’s largest national suppliers of kitchen cabinetry, we are conscious of our environmental impact and are taking steps toward building a better tomorrow.

We are currently investigating, reviewing and implementing initiatives with tangible and positive environmental impacts, and will be guided by environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices to deliver on our strategy.

We've recently undertaken a thorough emissions baseline assessment working with an external Australian sustainability consultancy, following the GHG Protocol’s carbon accounting principles. In the future, we’ll use this assessment to set further emissions reduction goals and strategies for kaboodle.

We are excited to create and share these additional sustainability goals with you, but over the past few years we have already made progress in managing kaboodle’s impact on the environment which you can explore below.

waste reduction and recycling

Reducing waste is important at kaboodle and we are currently focussed on minimising both production and product packaging waste. We aim to do this by adopting a circular economy approach starting with the two major projects outlined below.  

production waste

A circular economy approach aims to keep products in circulation as long as possible, keeping them out of landfill. Kaboodle are proud to be partnering with Holman in a cross-industry partnership to reduce our collective environmental impact.

The white thermoformed vinyl waste generated while creating our popular kaboodle door fronts in our Australian manufacturing facility is collected and reused to make Holman plumbing fittings. That saves approximately 21,690kg of white vinyl from landfill on average each year.

By using this operational waste, we’re helping to build a circular economy while reducing our environmental impact. It’s an important partnership as it means our businesses can continue to bring value to our respective customers through these products whilst still supporting the environmental and economic needs of future generations. We are investigating and open to partnerships in New Zealand to replicate this same circular process.

Image: Holman Industries re-purposing PVC from industrial waste

product packaging

Through our Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) membership, we are continually optimising and improving the sustainability of our packaging. Our 2024 APCO Annual Report and Action Plan can be downloaded here. In addition to our APCO membership, we’re proud to have made the following packaging improvements.

• In 2017, we removed polystyrene from all kaboodle cabinet packaging, making the switch to recyclable honeycomb cardboard, removing approximately 2,000m3 of polystyrene from landfill on average each year, that’s 16 million coffee cups worth*.

• We’ve implemented an automated packaging machine in our Australian manufacturing facility. This reduces cardboard waste by making packaging to the perfect size for our customised kitchen products which are all completely different shapes and sizes.

• Our Australian manufacturing facility uses 50% recycled cardboard to package kaboodle customised products.

• Whilst our 2024 APCO Annual Report shows a high overall score of 67% (Leading), we are still currently reviewing alternative packaging options to further improve our product packaging waste management.

Image: kaboodle cabinet packaging with cardboard inserts for protection

energy

We believe in making planet-positive choices, which is why we’ve made some changes moving toward renewable energy sources. In particular, we’ve installed solar panels across our Australian manufacturing facility and two of our Australian warehouses to supplement our traditional energy sources. In addition, our Australian and New Zealand offices and warehouses primarily use LED lighting, and we’ve implemented energy management systems where solar is used. Once our emissions baseline assessment is completed, we’ll uncover further opportunities to save on energy usage.

Image: Solar panels on our kaboodle office and warehouse in Victoria

operations and manufacturing

Throughout our Australian and New Zealand manufacturing and warehouse operations, we have implemented a number of processes and partnerships with third parties to recycle and/or reduce materials, including:

• Many damaged pallets are repaired and returned into circulation if possible, reducing the need for new pallets. If they can’t be repaired, then the majority are returned to be recycled.

• A large amount of shrink-wrap plastic is shredded and recycled with a third-party contractor, helping to close the loop on the national plastic problem.

• Where possible, we aim to re-purpose excess and waste cardboard on pallet deliveries to reduce the need for extra packing materials.

• Our Australian manufacturing and warehouse network uses strapping for product shipments made of 98% PET from recycled plastic bottles, which is 100% recyclable.

• By intentionally grouping product orders of the same colour on the manufacturing line, our Australian manufacturing team helps to reduce thermoformed vinyl waste, as well as machinery running time and costs.

• Our New Zealand manufacturing and warehouse sites have recently switched all their forklifts from gas to electric-powered forklifts.

Image: kaboodle manufacturing facility in Victoria

community

We recognise our business’ responsibility to our staff, our customers, our stakeholders and the communities in which we operate. Over the years, kaboodle has supported various charities and causes, including:

• The Alfred Hospital’s Father's Day Appeal, helping the Alfred Hospital take patient care to the next level.

• It’s Cool To Cry, an organisation aiming to normalise mental health.

• The Shelter Collective’s ARC-20 Project. Our Queensland team provided measure and design services, as well as products to renovate unoccupied units to provide affordable, safe housing to people in need.

Image: kaboodle, Bunnings Trade and Taubmans teams renovating homes in Queensland

And whilst our business is making changes to be more accountable for its environmental impact, we’d like to empower our community of kitchen renovators to drive positive changes too. So how can you help? We understand that it might be difficult to fully discard your old kitchen sustainably, however, there are many options available to help avoid it all going to landfill. Here you’ll find some tips on how to responsibly discard your old kitchen and appliances as part of your kitchen renovation.

corporate governance

Being an ESG-conscious brand, we recognise our responsibility to operate with ethical practices and processes in place. Amongst others not listed here, our business adheres to the following policies and certifications to help promote integrity and responsibility to all our stakeholders.

Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) Core Labour Requirements Policy

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. Our business sites are FSC certified. Core Labour Requirements are mandatory for all FSC Chain of Custody holders. This policy helps support the protection of workers’ rights.

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)

Our business sites are PEFC certified which provides rigorous forest management and chain of custody standards that consider risks of illegally logged timber.

Modern Slavery and Ethical Sourcing Policy

This policy outlines the minimum standards of practice of the business, including to identify, prevent, reduce and manage modern slavery and ethical sourcing risks in its operations and supply chains. The minimum standards include a prohibition against child labour, and forced or compulsory labour.

APCO Certification

The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is a not-for-profit organisation leading the development of a circular economy for packaging in Australia. We are contributing to the 2025 National Packaging Targets by reducing the environmental impacts of our packaging.

Anti-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

This policy outlines our commitment to providing an environment whereby employees and others are treated fairly and with respect and are free from discrimination.

Whistleblower Policy

This policy serves as a grievance mechanism and supports complaints reporting by internal and external whistleblowers, including suppliers and other related parties on a confidential basis and without the fear of victimisation or threat of detriment.