Our ethos timeline

Here at Holland & Barrett, we’re dedicated to providing the best services and products in a way that is beneficial to our customers, our colleagues and the planet.

So to help give you an idea of all the achievements we’ve made throughout the year (that we’re really proud of), we’ve created an ethos timeline to run through them all.

What we’ve done over the years…

2007

Plan-It-Green:

Kicking things off, in 2007 we launched our innovative programme, Plan-It Green, which saw us lead the way as an environmentally responsible retailer – a path we still follow today.

2010

Plastic bag ban:

In 2010, a whole five years before the UK government introduced the 5p charge, we banned plastic bags in our stores, swapping them for recyclable paper bags instead.

2012

Microplastics ban:

In a bid to reduce the number of plastics reaching our rivers and oceans, we banned microplastics across our beauty range in 2012, six years before the UK-wide ban.

2017

Plastics ban:

Moving onto 2017, we removed all plastic from our online orders, although this doesn’t include bottle jackets as we’re still searching for a suitable alternative.

2018

Manuka honey pledge:

With the rise of its popularity, we exposed fake ‘Manuka’ honey in 2018, putting steps in place to ensure that only real Manuka honey is on sale in our stores to ensure you’re getting the best quality, reliable products from us.

2019

Wet wipes ban:

Concerned about the number of wet wipes reaching our rivers, oceans, and beaches, we stopped selling them online and in all our stores in 2019, replacing them with environmentally friendly versions instead.

Mental Health Programme:

We know that good mental health is as important as physical health, so in 2019 we launched a positive mental health programme to support our colleagues. To this day, our aim is to give everyone access to information and support should they need it.

2020

“Too Good to Waste” Initiative:

In 2020, we launched the “Too Good To Waste” Initiative in a bid to save over 370,000 food items from landfills each year.

Products with an expired "best before end" date are sold at a significantly discounted price, in a dedicated area for customers to shop, so that people can get a great deal while also reducing waste. 

2021

Single-use Sheet Masks ban:

Just last year we banned the sale of single-use sheet beauty masks in all our stores and online. Instead, we’re selling reusable face masks so you don’t have to skip out on self-care Sunday!

Paperless pledge:

Also in 2021, we proudly to supported #BeatTheReceipt’s Paperless Pledge, to reduce the amount of paper wasted in retail and have already seen a 30% reduction in use.

Right up until now…

2022

Mineral sunscreen:

Earlier this year, we removed all chemical sunscreens from our shelves (and our website) and brought out a brand new range of our own mineral sunscreen that is vegan friendly and ocean safe.

Pronoun badges:

In a bid to make our company as inclusive as possible here at Holland & Barrett, this year we introduced pronoun badges in our stores.

In addition to this, our new badges are made from recycled materials and will also include a hard-of-hearing sign and flags to show which languages our colleagues speak.

The final say

And our efforts won’t stop there. We’re always striving to be better, so expect to see more positive changes here at Holland & Barrett in the coming weeks, months and years!

Last updated: 8 July 2022