Environment

ENVIRONMENT 

We produce all of our Warhammer miniatures at our Lenton facility in Nottingham in the UK and so this is where we consume the majority of our energy, water, and raw materials. Ensuring that we conduct our operations in a sustainable manner is of the utmost importance to us. We are committed to minimising the impact of all our activities and to operating as sustainably as possible.

Emissions 

Whilst our carbon footprint is small, we recognise that we still have a responsibility to support the global challenge of reducing carbon emissions. Mindful of the fact that as we expand internationally our emissions will grow as we grow. We will reduce our emissions by making our own operations more sustainable and by engaging and working closely with our suppliers to help them do the same.

Our metrics

Measuring the emissions that contribute to our carbon footprint is the first step to managing them. Below is a table of our scope 1 emissions (caused directly by our operations - such as burning gas in heating systems) and scope 2 emissions (caused by the production of any electricity, heat, or steam that we purchase for our operations) for our last reported financial year (2023/2024).

The emissions are measured in CO_2e (carbon dioxide equivalents), which allows us to include the impact of any greenhouse gases in terms of an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide (the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change).

Scope 3 emissions are those emissions outside of our direct control that arise from our value chain. These form a significant part of our overall carbon footprint. We have measured and reported on aspects of our scope 3 emissions for several years, however, like a lot of companies, we still have a lot of progress to make in this area so that we can more actively measure and reduce them. The below table shows our scope 3 emissions for the financial year 2023/2024:

Whilst measuring and reporting on the emissions that contribute to our carbon footprint is useful, it often helps to see these figures in terms of our level of activity. Below are two measures for the amount of carbon emissions (measured in CO_2e) we emit, one per £000 of revenue generated, and a second per Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employee that works for Games Workshop.

Our targets

We have set a scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction target to reduce our absolute carbon emissions in line with the level of decarbonisation required to limit temperature rises to 1.5^oC. Our scope 1 and 2 target will be to reduce our absolute scope 1 and 2 CO_2e emissions by 55% by 2032, using FY 2021/22 emissions as a baseline.

These reductions will primarily be driven by switching a portion of our electricity supply to certified renewables and by expanding our on site solar capacity.

Since the 2023/24 financial year, we have been able to certify the use of grid renewables to supply the majority of UK retail, manufacturing, and distribution operations, and also all of our US distribution operations, with appropriate EACs (Energy Attribute Certificates).

TCFD

For several years we have maintained a climate related risk register as part of our overarching SRS strategy and to ensure compliance with the requirements for climate-related financial disclosures. This risk register uses climate scenario analysis (CSA) to look at a series of plausible future climate scenarios (caused by the impacts of, and responses to, climate change) and use these to assess the potential impacts on our business. We updated this analysis for 2024 to ensure it remains consistent with the latest available data.

The ultimate outcome of this CSA was the identification of the most relevant climate-related risks for our business (summarised below) and a stronger understanding of their potential impacts across the different selected scenarios. Following the updated analysis carried out this year, two additional risks, regarding customer perception and competition respectively, have been added. One existing risk was broadened out from solely relating to carbon pricing to now cover all fossil fuel related taxes. We also updated the structure for the risk register to analyse and score the likelihood, impact and severity of each risk across three timescales (0-1 year, 1-3 years and 3+ years). This new structure provides us with a much stronger understanding of the changing nature of these risks over different timescales and helps us to more appropriately incorporate them into our strategic and financial planning process. Below is a summary table that shows the main risks that we identified through our climate scenario analysis and how we manage them: 

Energy

We are committed to  the efficient use of energy within our operations and activities. Energy use is monitored and projects implemented to make sure we use energy as efficiently as possible. Energy efficiency is considered within our procurement policies and is a key consideration during project planning.

Current metrics

Onsite solar power generation

We remain committed to renewable energy on our main manufacturing site in the UK. In 2017 we installed a 400 kWp system on our Factory 1, Warhammer World, and head office buildings in Nottingham.

More recently, in April 2023, we have continued this commitment to renewable energy by installing an additional system on our Factory 2 site also in Nottingham, UK. This new system is 263 kWp in size and generates approximately 11% of Factory 2’s energy needs.

When we look at our entire headquarters site, (two factories, Warhammer World, Bugman’s Bar, our staff canteen, one warehouse and multiple office buildings), the two systems combined will generate 7% of the site’s electricity needs.

Waste

Efficient use of resources is at the heart of our sustainability goals. As a responsible organisation we consider the waste hierarchy in our operations, striving to reduce waste produced and seeking to reuse and recycle waste wherever possible.  Waste is monitored as part of our day to day management to ensure that we reduce waste generated and that waste is managed appropriately.

Products

The sustainability of our products is extremely important to us and is fundamental to our strategy to “make the best fantasy miniatures in the world…forever”. Our miniatures are long term products, intended to be treasured possessions for hobbyists to enjoy for many years and so we believe they represent a good investment in the energy and resources needed to design and manufacture them.  We always strive for continuous improvement and we are constantly reviewing our raw material formulas and advances in technology to make our products more sustainable.

In store recycling programme

Offcuts from our miniature sprue frames are a necessary result of the manufacturing process and ensuring that we deliver the highest levels of detail and product quality. Whilst the material we use (High Impact Polystyrene) is recyclable, most territories won’t take it through their kerbside recycling schemes and so many hobbyists are left with a pile of plastic bits with no real route to dispose of them sustainably. Through a partnership with TerraCycle we are now providing in store recycling for all our plastic sprues and empty paint pots across our British retail stores. We are working with our external partners to expand this to other countries.

Plastic bag removal

In early 2024 we began phasing out our in store plastic carrier bags.  A limited number of bags will be available as we consume residual stocks.  We encourage all customers to bring their own bag with them when visiting their local Warhammer store.

Plastic packaging reduction

We have changed a lot of our product packaging - removing excess elements where possible, and replacing any single use plastic with paper and card alternatives. We will continue to reduce waste to a minimum. 

Recycled plastic

Whilst we are putting a lot of effort into reducing our own plastic waste, we have also started to explore ways in which we can reuse the plastic waste generated by other industries. In 2024, we started a programme to use recycled material within the manufacture of a limited number of our miniature bases. It’s still early days, and whilst using recycled material presents us with a number of challenges to overcome in order to maintain the high standards of quality we demand of our products, we’ve learnt a lot and feel confident that this is something we could employ in a wider range of products in the not too distant future.