John Lewis Partnership: Sustainable Sourcing & Food Waste

John Lewis Partnership, which operates John Lewis & Partners department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, has approximately 74,000 employees across the UK.

There are more than 300 stores owned and operated by the company, which focus on providing quality food, clothing and homewares to customers around the country.

John Lewis Partnership has published its Ethics and Sustainability Report 2025/26, demonstrating its stewardship of environmental resources and ethics in its supply chain.

The company’s ethics and sustainability strategy covers supply chains and sourcing, the environment and communities and health.

In 2025, it has made progress towards its key milestones, with its sustainability achievements celebrated in the report.

Jason Tarry, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, says: “This year, the operational context outside of our shops, stores, offices and depots has been particularly challenging for the sustainability agenda. Inside our doors the story is different, as we remain fully committed to long-term, responsible change. We’re as motivated to care for our communities, protect nature and mitigate climate change as ever.

“That’s because we understand acting responsibly is not in opposition with commercial success. Indeed, ethical business drives stronger performance: it’s clear that customers are increasingly choosing brands that they trust to act ethically and sustainably.”

He continues: “Our customers expect us to lead, not only on ethics and sustainability, but also on value for money. Achieving this balance can sometimes be a juggling act, particularly during times of uncertainty, but we believe that through consistent actions and clear communication, we can both align with our customers’ needs and make the case for our responsible business model.”

How John Lewis Partnership sources sustainably

John Lewis Partnership aims to farm all of its own-brand milk, meat, eggs and farmed fish to defined higher-welfare standards.

Through its fish and shellfish supply chain, it plans to source all of its own-brand products from third-party verified responsible sources.

It also aims to achieve zero deforestation and conversion-free in the sourcing of key commodities across its own-brand product supply chains.

John Lewis Partnership has made an impact on workers in its supply chains, improving 206,337 livelihoods of workers and farmers across the world.

It also reached the milestone of £1m (US$1.35m) funding allocated to climate resilience projects by the Waitrose Foundation between 2022 and 2025.

Environmental stewardship

The company is committed to achieving net zero across its operations by 2035 and its wider value chain by 2050.

In 2025, it achieved a 40% reduction in its Scope 1 and 2 emissions against its 2020/21 baseline.

It has also achieved a 54% emissions reduction in its transport operations since 2018.

In its estate, John Lewis Partnership has updated refrigeration units and installed heat pumps to help drive down emissions.

It is working on designing, making and selling its products with circularity in mind, tackling packaging and food waste in its supply chain.

John Lewis Partnership is redistributing surplus food from its supply chain to FareShare through the King’s Coronation Food Project, donating approximately 300 tonnes of surplus fresh fruit in 2025.

Marija Rompani, Director of Ethics and Sustainability at the John Lewis Partnership, says: “This year, in the face of significant headwinds across the retail industry, the strength and dedication of our Partners have truly shone through.

"I am extremely proud that, despite a challenging global environment, our commitment to the sustainability agenda has remained steadfast, giving us great confidence that we can continue to be a driving force for positive change.

“Much of that confidence stems from the resilience of our Partners, who continue to demonstrate their commitment to our Purpose. We have all experienced global challenges, the impact of climate change on people and nature, geopolitics; but we are determined to continue the momentum towards protecting nature, transitioning to net zero and protecting livelihoods.”

Impacting customers’ health

In order to tackle food poverty, surplus food from Waitrose was shared with more than 4,000 charities in FareShare’s network, providing 6.5 million meals to people in need.

Its customers donated 1.7 million meals to local food banks through collection points in Waitrose shops.

In response to public health needs, John Lewis Partnership aims to help its customers lead healthier lives, supporting positive changes to improve balanced diets.

It hit its healthy food and drink sales target one year early, with 70.1% of Waitrose own-brand food and drink sales volumes meeting the Good Health criteria.

The company features these foods in meal deals, promotions and recipe ideas in its advertisements and online.

In 2025, it removed 79 additives from Waitrose own-label food and drink products without compromising its quality, taste or safety.