The Boots Group cut its carbon dioxide emissions relative to turnover by four per cent in the last financial year.
The retail group, which includes Halfords and Boots, produced 44 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions for each €1.64million (£1m) of turnover during 1999/2000, compared with 46 tonnes the previous year.
It also reduced its emissions of nitrogen oxides by half, from more than 200 tonnes in 1998 to around 100 tonnes last year.
The group’s second environmental report says these improvements were due to falls in energy use of more than five per cent over the past year, partly thanks to new heating and lighting systems.
The Boots Group standalone community report, published at the same time as the environment report, shows 400 employees contributed around 650 days last year to ‘team challenge initiatives’ in which they were given time off to work on community projects. The number of days allocated was more than double the amount in the previous year.