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The company has signed a three-year partnership with BioRegional to move towards being a One Planet Living business in order to reduce its impact on the world's resources. One Planet Living is a global initiative of ten guiding principles of sustainability developed by BioRegional and WWF.

The principles include: zero carbon, zero waste, sustainable transport, local and sustainable materials, local and sustainable food, sustainable water, natural habitats and wildlife, culture and heritage, equity and fair trade and health and happiness.

B&Q will work with BioRegional to develop two sustainability action plans: one for B&Q's own operations to drive improvements against the principles of One Planet Living, and one to help its customers achieve One Planet Living in their homes and gardens through products which meet One Planet Living's rigorous criteria.

As part of the initiative, B&Q aims to extend its current range of products that help customers reduce the impact of their homes and develop new ones to have a substantial One Planet Living product range in store.

Free growing kits and seeds for 5,000 schools
One in five children has never picked and eaten their own fruit and one in five 8–13 year olds has never visited the countryside. In a bid to bring the countryside closer to them, B&Q has teamed up with Year of Food & Farming and will send free growing kits and seeds to 5,000 schools throughout the UK.

Forestry Stewardship Council gives B&Q full marks
A founder member of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), B&Q also revealed that its entire kitchen range is now 100% certified by the FSC. This means that all wood used to make B&Q's kitchens comes from well-managed sources. As the UK's largest seller of kitchens, this is great news for the environment and for consumers.

Phase out patio heaters
B&Q has also announced its decision to phase out patio heaters. The company - the largest seller of patio heaters in the UK – said that once its seasonal stock of patio heaters runs out in 2008 it will not restock them. It is the largest home improvement retailer to make this radical commitment.

B&Q believes the decision will be welcomed by its customers: in a recent B&Q survey two thirds of respondents said a company's green credentials are important deciding factors when they're considering buying a product. B&Q will continue to stock more sustainable outdoor heating solutions such as chimneas and fire pits.

Welcoming B&Q's announcement, Friends of the Earth campaigner Ed Matthew said:
"These carbon-belching monstrosities waste energy and cause needless damage to our environment. We are delighted that B&Q has decided to stop selling these products. But the Government must now act and ban patio heaters. It's time to get tough on tackling climate change."

The Energy Saving Trust has estimated that a propane patio heater with a heat output of 12.5kW produces around 34.9kg of CO2 before the fuel runs out (after approximately 13 hours). This is equivalent to the energy required to produce approximately 5,200 cups of tea (or 400 cups for every hour of operation)

Ian Cheshire, CEO of B&Q said:
"We have announced a number of groundbreaking moves today relating to our business processes and products. Each of these decisions was taken with our customers firmly in mind, in order to provide them with home improvement solutions for the 21st century whilst minimising our business impact on the environment.

"A quarter of the UK's total carbon emissions come from the home and as the largest home improvement retailer in the country we are uniquely placed to help customers make a real difference. We are all too aware of the impact our lives have on the environment and our initiatives will provide real and simple solutions to help people live more sustainable lives.

"We are very proud to have signed up to BioRegional's One Planet Living initiative and look forward to working with them over the coming years to become a One Planet Living business."

Bio-Regional
Bio-Regional is an environmental organisation dedicated to developing practical solutions for sustainable living and has considerable authority in this field, having initiated the award winning BedZED eco-village with the Peabody Trust.

Sue Riddlestone, Director of Bio-Regional, said:
"Achieving one planet living is the challenge of our times. Most people know that we have to take action but don't like the idea of having to cut back or go without.

"What we have found through our real-life sustainable communities and products is that it's more about being efficient and developing new ways of doing things. People are happier living a 'one planet' life. A sustainable future is nothing to be afraid of, but something we can all look forward to. We are delighted that B&Q has stepped up to the mark and said, 'we will do it and we will help our customers to do it too'."