Contractor Reveals Sustainability Insights For 2026

Bagnalls, a national painting contractor with a Head Office in Cleckheaton, understands more than most that the world of sustainability is always evolving. Thanks to the company’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact, it has become a positive example of progress for other businesses within the painting and decorating sector.

This is just one of the many reasons why Bagnalls’ Sustainability Coordinator, Ben Featherstone, was asked to speak at the World Sustainability Congress 2025, alongside professional partner CBRE.

We caught up with Ben to get his insights into sustainability and how things are set to change for businesses operating in 2026 from an environmental perspective.

An ongoing commitment to the environment

“We recognise that Bagnalls has an ongoing commitment to the communities that we work within, as well as the natural world as a whole,” Ben says. “This commitment has brought about a number of changes within the business over the years, not least my own qualifications.

“Bagnalls has made it possible for me to study for a Sustainability Business Specialist Level 7 MSc. My specialist knowledge in this area allows me to keep abreast of the regulatory changes coming up, which will impact both our suppliers and us."

“For example, responsibilities around ensuring sustainable products and packaging are set to extend. Bagnalls is preparing to make sure we’re on hand to help our suppliers with this transition as much as we can."

“Ultimately, this change will help to bring our levels of waste down. We recycle a large proportion of our waste, but we will be seeking to limit our incineration waste even further in the future by developing systems that our suppliers – and potentially other companies within the sector – will be able to benefit from.”

The future is collaborative

Collaboration and partnerships are extremely important for Bagnalls when it comes to lowering carbon emissions and encouraging other companies in the industry to think about their own sustainability credentials. Ben explains:

“We have just completed an effective year of collaboration with CBRE, showcasing our success with decarbonisation in line with their carbon reduction plan."

“Bagnalls was shortlisted alongside CBRE at the World Sustainability Awards, thanks to the work we completed after engaging with CBRE’s Carbon Trace Programme and reducing Scope 3 emissions.”

Ben travelled to Amsterdam to speak alongside CBRE’s Vice President of Responsible Procurement, Alexandra Delval Faure, for a joint session describing the partnership and goal of reducing carbon emissions.

“It was really exciting to tell Bagnalls’ story in front of global leaders in the sustainability field,” he continues. “It was also great to hear about the challenges they themselves are facing in terms of supplier engagement. I was able to offer guidance so they can go back and further engage their supply chain, which felt really productive.”

Why should companies care?

Sustainability is becoming ever more important to the average consumer: buyers are now willing to pay 9.7% more for a sustainably sourced product, with 85% of people dealing with the first-hand effects of climate change day-to-day.

It’s clear that all businesses, whether B2C or B2B, need to place their sustainable credentials front and centre to remain a company of choice for the increasingly climate-conscious customer.

Ben recognises this demand:

“Providing sustainability credentials to customers is becoming increasingly important. That’s just one of the reasons why I’m extremely proud that Bagnalls has reduced our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 10% since 2022. Our initiatives are clearly working well!”

"Beyond customer demand, the government is also getting involved, cracking down on company emissions. “There is set to be more emphasis on sustainability reporting regulations in 2026 and beyond, as well as further planned focus on EV vehicles,” Ben explains.

“Bagnalls will be looking to upgrade our fleet of vans to increase our EV provision, helping to protect our planet. We’re also committed to Net Zero by 2048, a really important focus for both our team, but also our customers and the local communities we work within.

What should businesses aim for?

Collaboration is key. If your company is looking to enhance its environmental credentials, follow Bagnalls’ example and start partnerships with relevant schemes in your industry. Ben explains:

“We have a number of sustainability-focused partnerships that I’m very proud of. I’m particularly looking forward to continuing our collaboration with The PDA and its Paint Green pledge throughout 2026 and beyond, helping to drive environmental improvements within our industry as a whole."

“We are also part of Crown Trade’s CanBack scheme, allowing us to recycle our metal and plastic paint cans so that they don’t end up in landfill. With only 2% of all paint in our sector successfully recycled, it’s really important for us to help boost this statistic."

“Our industry has an ambitious target of recycling 75% of our paint cans by 2030, which means it’s essential that we get the word out there about schemes like CanBack!"

“Bagnalls also has an extremely beneficial relationship with Paint 360, a fantastic organisation that converts waste paint back into brand-new paint. Each litre of this new paint has a percentage of recycled content. I’m thrilled that Bagnalls gets to be a part of this exciting new development in terms of sustainable paint manufacturing!”

It’s clear that collaboration with change makers in the industry has helped propel Bagnalls’ sustainable policies forward and shape Ben’s goals for 2026 and beyond.

Whether you’re a big player in the painting and decorating sector, or a small company with fewer than 100 team members, there is always something you can do to become more sustainable. Make 2026 the year of green policies and sustainable methods for your business.

Credit: Bagnalls with this link.