Menu
Empowered Trade
"Our teams are passionate about working with our suppliers to support our customers and our communities in using natural resources in a more sustainable way." Andrew Williamson Product Innovation & Quality Leader
Supporting our trade
Reece has built its success over many decades by making our customers lives easier and helping them grow their businesses.
We’re proud to partner with the Vocational Education sector (VET) nationwide, and leading organisations like Empowered Women in Trade (EWIT), WorldSkills Australia and Women of Trade and Industry.
Together, we provide opportunities for students to discover a career in plumbing, through school workshops, employment pathways and by providing starter toolkits for new apprentices.
Beyond this, we continue to invest in our partnership with Mates in Construction to support the mental health and wellbeing of the trade industry more broadly.
Giving new life to old pipes
By increasing the use of recycled materials in our products, we can support our customers working on sustainable builds while reducing our collective environmental impact.
We have collaborated with a key brand to trial PVC recycling at a number of our branches in Australia.
Removing 0 & 1-star WELS rated products by FY24
Our most material water impacts occur downstream with end users. Supporting our customers and end-consumers to minimise excessive use of this precious resource through our product offering is the most important thing we can do.
We conducted a review of all Water Rating Labels (WELS) products to identify opportunities to encourage greater water efficiency. As a result, Reece will cease selling 0 and 1-star rated products by the end of FY24 by working with suppliers to improve or, where needed, discontinue products.
Reducing waste where we can
We recently completed a 12-month project with our BIGDOG brand to remove unnecessary plastic packaging. Across the range, we swapped clamshell packaging to either cardboard tags or plastic stickers, greatly reducing the volume of single-use plastic. During this process we introduced the Australian Recycling Logo (ARL) to all 52 products, providing customers with correct disposal information.
Giving new life to old pipes
Removing 0 & 1-star WELS rated products by FY24
Reducing waste where we can
Industry of the future
An important part of staying one step ahead of our customers, and empowering the trade, is helping grow and support the next generation of trades. We're proud to support TAFEs across Australia as well as other initiatives that increase the diversity and strength of our industry today and tomorrow.
We partner with various organisations to support apprentices in gaining the skills they’ll need to succeed on the job. Our dedicated relationship managers work with TAFE to identify opportunities to improve apprentice access to equipment and product information.
In time, we think there is more we can do to support the industry of the future, and we are listening to our customers and staying ahead of the next trends and challenges to make sure we can play a role.
Refurbished tools
Tools that are retired from Reece’s tool hire program are refurbished and gifted to the TAFE network.
Over the course of the program, over 400 tools have been donated for use in classrooms or for apprentices unable to access their own tools. This also supports our own circularity ambition by extending the useful life of our hire tools.
World Skills
We're committed to empowering apprentices with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed in their careers. Reece has been a sponsor of WorldSkills Australia for over a decade, empowering the next generation of plumbers to level up their skills at regional, national, and international competitions.
Supporting diversity in our industry
We recognise that the face of the trade is changing, with women and people from diverse backgrounds increasingly joining our industry. Empowering these groups and creating an inclusive environment helps our industry attract and retain the best talent and supports a sustainable workforce for the future. In FY24, through our partnership with Empowered Women in Trade, 232 young women engaged in plumbing skills days. We also supported 20 young women to complete a job-ready program and access apprenticeships in partnership with Women in Trades and Industry.
Refurbished tools
World Skills
Supporting diversity in our industry
