46 John Lewis Partnership plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016 Sustainability performance (continued)


Sourcing responsibly


Population and economic activity is continuing to grow. Global power is shifting to new emerging markets and the competition for resources is becoming more intense. Our approach is to secure long-term sustainable supply chains based on fair and transparent trade conditions. This means we can continue to provide our customers with quality products they can trust.


Working with experts, we are gaining a more sophisticated understanding of our supply chains, the people who work in them and the raw materials and ingredients used in our products. At the same time, we continue to lead the industry in our approach to animal welfare and supplier relationships.


Sourcing the best products


As a minimum, all suppliers of our own-brand products containing timber and paper must provide assurance that these are from legally harvested and traded materials. At John Lewis, 23% (by volume) is from verified responsible and sustainable sources*


. We are working


towards increasing this to 100% by year-end 2020/21. Over the past year, we strengthened our due diligence systems and focussed our efforts on completing a full supply chain mapping exercise in order to understand how we might achieve this aim.


*


As defined by the John Lewis timber policy at www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk


We are also developing programmes to move cotton, leather, feather and down to verified sustainable alternatives. We have a target that by year-end 2020/21, 50% of cotton, by volume, will come from certified sustainable sources. To achieve this, we are implementing a number of key changes to our sourcing strategy. This includes improving our data collection systems, working with key suppliers to update product specifications, and aiming for a full phase-out of conventional cotton in key categories.


At Waitrose, our focus has been to work collaboratively with experts to develop innovative alternative protein sources for animal feed that have lower associated environmental impacts.


We are also aiming for independent certification of all own-brand seafood by year-end 2016/17. We are close to achieving this at 82% (by volume). We were awarded the Best Fish Counter for the second year running by the Marine Stewardship Council. We are involved in a number of initiatives, in partnership with the fishing and aquaculture industries, focusing on protection of the marine environment and overcoming common industry challenges such as discard practices, fish welfare and working practices on fishing vessels.


Investing in British farming


We want to create a stronger brand for British food and drink, so Waitrose has a policy to source British food when products are in season and at the peak of freshness and flavour. Approximately 70% (by weight) of fresh vegetables and all fresh chicken, beef, pork (including sausages) bacon, duck, goose, eggs and milk is sourced from within the UK.


Our investment in farmers ensures that our high standards are met, that we have a stable and continuing supply base, and that we have the opportunity to promote innovation, research and development to increase productivity. Our Waitrose Farm Assessment is a collaboration of a diverse range of suppliers, growers of fresh produce and a range of research providers. We are pleased in particular to have made considerable progress in the areas of soil preservation, biodiversity plans and water optimisation. In the future, we will place greater emphasis on waste and energy management to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Our Livestock Steering Group has developed a similar model for meat, dairy and eggs.


Our priorities


a Improve insight into labour standards issues and develop collaborative projects with strategic suppliers to tackle root causes


a Moving more raw materials to responsible and sustainable alternatives


Focus on human rights


In 2015, we carried out a detailed review of our approach to respecting human rights, drawing on stakeholder insight, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) and a detailed analysis of our potential business impacts. We have published a more detailed report to share our human rights strategy drawing on the UNGP reporting framework.


This can be downloaded


at www.johnlewis partnershipco.uk/csr


Animal welfare


With increasing public concern over welfare and provenance, we are setting a benchmark for the industry in our approach to being open and transparent about our livestock supply chain, and encouraging suppliers to meet our standards. We are proud that in recognition of this we have won the Compassion in World Farming Retailer of the Year Award for the fifth time and maintained our Tier 1 global status in the Business Benchmark for Farm Animal Welfare.


70%


of fresh vegetables


(by weight) sourced from within the UK


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