Taking "Action" for sustainability

In 2020, and subsequently in 2023, PIN invested in Action, a leading European general merchandise discount retailer operating across 12 countries, which is backed by 3i Group plc, an international investment company focusing on private equity and infrastructure.

Action is committed to building on its already impressive progress on sustainability, to ensure that it is able to meet the expectations of its cost- and eco-conscious customers.

To achieve this, the company has set itself ambitious and measurable targets through the implementation of the Action Sustainability Programme. Initiatives delivered to date as part of this programme include:

• A commitment to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions compared to a 2021 baseline. As of 2025, the firm has increased the amount it is targeted to cut by the end of 2030 to 75% from 60%. From 2021 to 2025, the firm brought down emissions by more than 50%, despite continued growth in the number of its stores and distribution centres. This has been made possible by utilising 100% renewable electricity across all stores with no reliance on natural gas, by fuelling all trucks across its fleet in the Netherlands with hydrotreated vegetable oil, and by installing solar panels on seven distribution centres across Europe;
• Ambitions to reduce its emissions from the supply chain. By 2029, the firm has committed that 80% of its suppliers will have adopted science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gases. Its agreements with sea-freight carriers to use eco-fuels when shipping products from Asia have meant that in 2024 more than 42,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions were saved. Overall, Scope 3 green emissions from the use of the firm’s products are targeted to fall by 59% by 2034, compared to the 2021 baseline;
• A focus on product circularity, working in partnership with Circle Economy, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Delft University of Technology. The company is working end-to-end from initial product design to disposal to improve material inflow, product lifespan and ease of recyclability;
• In 2023, Action delivered circularity improvements of +4.85% across all product categories and launched its first ever circular product in the form of plastic storage baskets. These baskets are a closed-loop product, made entirely from damaged items that have been returned by customers, thereby avoiding 5,000kg of waste. The company will look to expand its range of recycled, closed-loop products in the future; and
• Action has made significant progress in its goals to source more certified sustainable products. As of 2024, 100% of the timber used in its products was sourced from sustainably managed forests, while all of the cotton and cocoa used in its products is sustainably sourced. Similarly, 100% of the packaging used for private label products is recyclable.