The parent company of John Lewis and Waitrose has signed up to the Prince of Wales’ ‘Terra Carta’ green business charter.
Launched in January 2021, the Terra Carta lists ten broad corporate actions for the decade, aiming to offer participating organisations guidance in creating more sustainable business models. It calls on companies to put green and ethical matters at the heart of their operations to form a new way of doing business with plant protection in mind.
John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has pledged to support the Terra Carta, its principles and action articles, as they complement the organisation’s existing green business commitments. JPL as already announced it wants to reach zero carbon across its entire operations by 2035, supported by removing fossils fuels from its entire transport fleet by 2030.
All JLP’s heavy goods vehicles are on course to be converted to biomethane gas, which is made of food waste, by 2028. And all own-brand product packaging across Waitrose and John Lewis will be widely recyclable, reusable, or home compostable by 2023, according to the partnership.
The Terra Carta, which is already supported by global corporates such as Unilever and HSBC, is part of Prince Charles’ Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI). The SMI was established in 2020 to put nature, people and planet at the heart of global business.
Sharon White, JLP chair, said: “HRH The Prince of Wales has made an outstanding contribution to global environmental preservation and protection for over 40 years and we are proud to support his latest initiative and become a Terra Carta supporter.
“The Terra Carta reinforces the partnership’s commitment to sustainability and we’re pleased to be the first retailer to support. It will help galvanise our work to put the environment at the heart of what we do. We know we still have a long way to go but each day we are making progress.”
JLP recently announced new agricultural commitments for its Waitrose business, including embracing regenerative farming techniques and using technology to improve and monitor animal welfare.
Waitrose has also pledged to halve food waste in its own operations and supply chain, and help halve customers’ own household food waste by 2030. Meanwhile, John Lewis said all its product categories will have a ‘buy back’ or ‘take back’ solution by 2025.
Dobbies Garden Centres’ CEO, Graham Jenkins, is also listed as a supporter of the Terra Carta, adding further retail industry support to the scheme.
Read more about the Terra Carta on Green Retail World
[Image credit: John Lewis Partnership]
