NEWS | Bill Miller and Steve Nesbitt


or bathroom to the tip without a second thought.


Q: Where are the opportunities for retailers in all of this? SN: Net Zero 2050 is a beast to tackle, and it is one of those things where if you do nothing, you are guaranteed to fail. But everything that we do will help and will contribute. If we want to turn from a vicious circle, we need to consider the objectives that have been set, like removing natural gas as a fuel source and a cooking source by 2030.


Then, there is a positive


NET ZERO 2050 is our collective responsibility


Steve Nesbitt (pictured left),chief technologist at The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), outlines what Net Zero 2050 means for everyone in the UK, while Bill Miller, MD of KBBG UK,


tells retailers what they need to pay attention to Q & A


Q: Can you start with an overview of what exactly Net Zero 2050 is? Steve Nesbitt: The UK Government has passed an act through parliament: Net Zero 2050. It is an obligation enshrined into UK law, and it means that we all share an individual, personal, and commercial objective to contribute to achieving Net Zero in terms of emissions. It is crucial for member organisa- tions and KBB businesses to recognise the part they need to play to help deliver the objective. You cannot opt in or out of it, as we all have a collective


responsibility contribute to Net Zero.


Q: MTC works across a vast cross-section of industries and looks at their sustainability credentials. How do homes and the KBB industry compare with other fields? SN: Unfortunately, the built environment is the worst offender in totality. If we consider emissions directly arising from cooling and heating domestic residences, it contributes to around 20% of the UK’s total emissions. When we add in non-domestic buildings and


10 to


infrastructure and the operations of those, then it is closer to 45%. A lot of effort has gone into


reducing emissions from other industries, such as power and energy generation, and they have seen a dramatic reduction in their emissions. But the built environment hasn’t yet. So, the emissions are still the same as they were 21 years ago.


Q: Bill, you know and understand KBB retailers from your position at the KBBG. Do you think they are concerned


about


or prepared for Net Zero? Bill Miller: The move to Net Zero and sus tainability is some thing we all have a stake in. There is a degree of interest.


But for a


high percentage of SME


businesses,


particularly in the KBB field, they


purveyors of luxury kitchens and bathrooms


to consumers, and


thought that they would be broadly untouched by any legal changes. This subject can be viewed as


difficult and negative, but there is a lot


of opportunity for renovations


and upgrading the current housing stock. One of the biggest miscon- ceptions that many retailers have is that the move to Net Zero affects other businesses, would only affect new-build properties, and wouldn’t affect the other 24 million homes in the UK.


This subject can be viewed as negative, but there is a lot of opportunity for renovations and upgrading the current housing stock


Bill Miller, MD, KBBG UK


didn’t see a link between their business activities and Net Zero before hearing Steve’s presentation at our 2022 Annual Members’ Meeting. They saw themselves as


But, of course, for us to achieve the legal requirement of Net Zero, there will have to be radical changes in our daily lives. There is a growing


awareness that Net Zero will have an impact on people and businesses in the KBB industry, is there exact clarity on what those changes will be? No. There is also a


growing understanding that there could be some impact what the standard


retailers will operational


such as taking an old kitchen


regarding take as


procedures,


Listen to the full interview on The kbbreview Podcast


· January 2023


opportunity for retailers as the gas cookers need to be replaced. There is an absolute imperative to come up with more energy-efficient pieces of equipment. The likelihood is the increase in the level of technology of the products that the retailers will provide in the marketplace. The potential value stream for the retailers will increase because the per unit value of a project, the kitchen or bathroom renovation, would go up, and the increased value would rise. There


is every scope for the


retailers to see this as a good opportunity, but they have to be cognisant of where these products are sourced.


Q: How are suppliers working with retailers to achieve Net Zero? BM: I suspect that it is very little at the moment, there is a bit of chatter about it, and I think there is a lot of conjecture over what will and won’t happen and whose responsibility it is. But, until there is some legislation behind it, like the car industry with the disposal of car batteries, and there is something similar in how to dispose of old KBB products, then it is going to remain a lot of discussions and not a great deal of activity. From a retail perspective, the KBBG represents the retailers. T heir perception is that it is the manu- facturers’ responsibility to do this and not theirs.


On the other hand, from the manufacturers’ perspective, having discussed it with some of them, they are either unaware of any of these changes that are taking place, or their view is that it might be the retailers’ responsibility. So,


there are a lot of mixed


messages, and we are sadly at the very early stage of any activity and action happening in the industry. But the clock is ticking, and we are very well into the timetable of trying to achieve a legal requirement.


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