Waitrose has partnered with wildlife and conservation charity WWF as part of the John Lewis Partnership’s new £2m ‘plan for nature’ as it doubles down on its existing sustainability pledges to protect and restore the natural world.
Waitrose’s parent company The John Lewis Partnership made the new pledges as part of its work towards a more sustainable future.
The new commitments and initiatives have been launched in a bid to “significantly reduce the impact of Waitrose and John Lewis’s commercial activity on the natural world.” They include introducing a commitment to zero deforestation, a biodiversity programme as well as a £2m investment to fund ecosystem protection and regeneration projects in both Norfolk and western Tamil Nadu.
The retailer said that it believes “investing in nature restoration across its supply chain is the most impactful way it can make a difference” to current global warming and greenhouse gas levels, adding that a “fundamental change” is needed if climate goals are to be met.
The retailer said it is committed to zero deforestation in its own-label supply chains, as well as ensuring all key raw materials in such products come from recycled or more sustainable sources by 2025. It is also seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural processes within its farms, with an aim to reach net zero at its Leckford location by 2024.
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On the importance of nature loss and climate change, John Lewis’ director of ethics and sustainability, Marija Rompani, said the UK’s current situation was “unacceptable”, adding that “delaying action is simply not an option”.
“This is why we’re going back to our roots and focusing our efforts on protecting and restoring nature. Whether it’s eliminating fossil fuel use across our transport operations, investing millions in conservation projects in regions where we source our products, or helping our farmers make the transition to net zero, we are acting where we can make the biggest impact.
“And our principles will apply to everything we sell, including our entry level Essential Waitrose and John Lewis Anyday ranges – ensuring products made with sustainable values are accessible to all our customers.”
WWF director of food strategy David Edwards said the UK was in the bottom 10% of countries for its ‘abundance of nature’, largely down to the way food is produced.
“One of our ambitions with the John Lewis Partnership is to scale up regenerative, nature-friendly agricultural approaches in one of the UK’s most intensively farmed landscapes and use our learnings to inspire change across the food sector,” he said.
