We are a climate positive business, but we help you achieve this for your projects too.
Climate Positive
Climate change is the defining challenge of our time, and furniture is part of the story. At Dodds & Shute, we don't treat climate action as a reporting exercise. It is embedded into how we operate, what we source, and the services we offer our clients.
From our Net Zero commitment to our climate positive status to the carbon footprinting we carry out across our entire portfolio, every decision we make is guided by a determination to do more than the minimum.
What We Have Achieved
Our Net Zero commitment
We have committed to achieving Net Zero carbon emissions across our business by 2035.
Net Zero means more than offsetting what we emit. It requires systematically reducing emissions at source, across our operations, supply chain, and the products we specify. Key actions we are taking include: Green office operations:
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Policies in place to minimise the environmental impact of how we work, from energy use to business travel
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What we source: Move to 90% of sales with sustainable furniture manufacturers, including increasing the vintage/second hand and remanufactured products that we supply
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How we deliver: Move to a delivery and logistics partner that provides a 100% electrified fleet
Our commitment is backed by an active programme of work, not just a target date.
Read our full Net Zero commitment here.
Carbon footprinting
Furniture can account for between 4% and 20% of a building's total embodied carbon, yet it is rarely included in whole-building assessments. What gets measured gets managed. That's why carbon footprinting is central to everything we do.
How we calculate carbon footprints
We use industry benchmark data from FIRA (the Furniture Industry Research Association) to approximate the carbon footprint of every product in our portfolio, covering the full lifecycle from raw material extraction through to end-of-life. We always apply worst-case scenario figures for each product category and add a further 10% buffer — so the carbon we offset is always higher than our actual footprint.
Where our manufacturers have calculated the carbon emissions of specific products, we substitute this real data whenever available.
What this means in practice
When you work with Dodds & Shute, you have access to carbon data across our product range. We help you understand the embodied carbon of your specified furniture and you receive the carbon footprint of your project.
Read more about carbon footprinting of furniture here.
Climate positive
Going climate positive means going beyond net zero: removing more carbon from the atmosphere than you put in. Since 2018, we have calculated the carbon footprint of every product we sell and offset more than that amount through verified forest conservation. This means, every piece of furniture procured through us has a net positive impact on the climate.
Carbon neutral balances what you emit with what you offset. Climate positive goes further — we offset more than 100% of the emissions associated with our products. Our 10% uplift on all carbon calculations ensures this standard is consistently met.
When clients work with us, the climate positive status extends to their projects too. No matter what furniture is selected, we ensure the net climate impact is positive.
Learn more about this programme here.
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Carbon offsetting
Offsetting is not a substitute for reducing emissions, but it is an essential part of a credible climate strategy. We choose high-integrity, independently verified projects with genuine environmental and social co-benefits. We prioritise working with community-led forest conservation projects. This is because deforestation is one of the most significant drivers of climate change, and there’s a lot of wood and timber sourcing in furniture! We have supported a couple key projects over the years.
Cordillera Azul National Park, Peru
The Cordillera Azul National Park, part of the Amazon Rainforest, is one of the most biodiverse regions on earth, under direct threat from deforestation. Our support finances:
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Habitats for 28 High Conservation Value species, including the Spectacled Bear (the real life Paddington bear!), Jaguar, and Harpy Eagle
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Sustainable livelihoods for tens of thousands of local people
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Access to sanitation, healthcare, and education for communities in and around the park
To make our impact tangible, we express it as trees protected: a sofa procured through us protects 4.5 trees in the Cordillera Azul National Park.
Conservation Coast, Guatemala.
The Conservation Coast project works to tackle deforestation by offering impoverished communities a more sustainable way of making a living such as eco-coffee and cacao (for chocolate) farming. Benefits include:
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Protecting unique, biodiverse forest that is a critical habitat for hundreds of bird species, in particular birds that migrate between North and South America
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Supporting access to education and healthcare for girls and women, helping to provide opportunities for marginalised people
Read more about this project here.
All offsets are independently verified, giving clients confidence in the environmental claims associated with their projects.
What this means when you work with us
Your furniture choices carry a carbon consequence. We help you understand, reduce, and offset that impact, whether you're an architect, interior designer, developer, or estates team.
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Carbon-informed specification: Carbon data at the product level, helping design teams make lower-carbon choices without compromising on quality or aesthetics.
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Climate positive procurement: Every project benefits from our climate positive model. The carbon footprint of every product is calculated and more than offset, giving your project a net positive climate impact
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Low impact delivery: Delivery strategies designed to minimise transport-related emissions
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Circular economy design: Products specified with end-of-life in mind, designed to be reupholstered, repaired, or recycled rather than landfilled
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Sustainability reporting support: Carbon data and documentation to support your targets and communicate with stakeholders
Our wider climate commitments
Our climate action is part of a broader sustainability strategy spanning governance, social responsibility, and supply chain accountability.
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B Corp certified: As the first B Corp in our sector, we are held to rigorous, independently verified standards. Our climate commitments sit within this broader framework
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ISO 14001 & ISO 9001 certified: Recognised standards for environmental management and quality, ensuring continuous improvement
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Supplier Sustainability Audit & scoring: Over 225 suppliers assessed against our criteria, with environmental performance a core part of the evaluation
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The Better Business Act: We are proud supporters, advocating for businesses to consider people and planet alongside profit