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Electrical appliances

John Lewis has a leading position on energy-efficient electrical appliances. All our own-brand and branded domestic large electrical appliances, excluding tumble dryers, are A-rated or above. We also stock the most water- and energy-efficient dishwashers and washing machines.

John Lewis, alongside seven other retailers, has recently joined a Voluntary Retailer Initiative to promote best-in-class televisions. Launched by the Energy Saving Trust and Defra, the initiative plans to remove the least energy-efficient TVs from sale a year ahead of EU requirements and educate customers about the reduced electricity consumption and CO2 emissions of more energy-efficient models.

Palm oil

Waitrose is committed to the transparent labelling of palm oil in its products and is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the British Retail Consortium Palm Oil committee. To strengthen our position, following a meeting with the WWF-UK in December 2009, Waitrose has agreed to use only Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) in its own-brand products by the end of 2012.

We are already working to minimise or eliminate palm oil from our products, with initial efforts focusing on two categories – soap and biscuits – which account for a quarter of the palm oil used in our products. As an interim measure, we will use the Greenpalm certificate trading programme, endorsed by the RSPO, while we work through our range.

Soy

Waitrose has also joined the Roundtable on Responsible Soy (RTRS) to engage with the industry, with the aim of preventing deforestation and soil degradation, promoting management practices, ensuring fair working conditions and minimising water and pesticide use. The RTRS encompasses genetically modified (GM), non-GM and organic producers. Waitrose is very aware of the global trend towards growing GM soya and we are currently researching the options for our animal feed in the longer term. Our commitment to not selling GM food remains unaffected.

Timber, paper and cotton

John Lewis first developed its policy on timber sourcing six years ago, and by 2009, 83% of our outdoor furniture range sold in John Lewis was Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. Our entire outdoor furniture range is now independently certified, so we are focusing on indoor furniture and other wood-based products going forward.

We have set ourselves the ambitions of:

• all our own-brand paper-based products sold by John Lewis to be made from recycled material, PEFC or FSC sources by 2012
• 50% of the indoor furniture we sell to use FSC sources by 2015 (previously 30% by 2012).

We also recognise our responsibilities in improving labour standards in the supply chain for our cotton products and, working with an external consultancy, we have mapped the provenance of the cotton used in a number of the furnishing textiles we sell. We have submitted an application to Defra to join its Sustainable Clothing Roadmap, which aims to improve the sustainability of clothing. As part of our commitment, we will be introducing a ‘Save Energy – Wash at 30ºC and Line Dry’ message to the care labels of our own-brand men’s and women’s clothing.


(Photo of David Nussbaum)

David Nusbaum

Chief Executive, WWF-UK

"It is good to see Waitrose putting its words into practice by ensuring it will start using Certified Sustainable Palm Oil. We hope that this will encourage many other household names to take responsibility for their actions."


All suppliers of Waitrose and John Lewis have access to its full range of quality, safety, ethical and environmental standards via an online portal.


MORE INFORMATION

In this report:

Our performance
Product footprints

On www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk:

Our Leckford farm
Accessible shops and services
Responsible drinking