Environment
Transport: Local deliveries Transport: Direct from Distribution Centres Waste and recycling: Waste not, want not Biodiversity: Blossom and Bloom protects precious habitats
John Lewis owns a fleet that makes over a million deliveries a year.
Transport: Local deliveries
According to Defra, the volume of UK food transported by heavy goods vehicles increased by 23 per cent in the 25 years after 1978, and the distance for each trip increased by more than 50 per cent. Not surprisingly, managing the environmental impacts of distribution is one of the greatest challenges faced by large retailers. It is high on Waitroses agenda, and contributes to our championing of British produce when it is seasonally available and to our support for small, local producers.
Waitrose is experimenting with allowing local suppliers to deliver direct to shops rather than distribution centres, and so far has around 220 local product lines delivered in this way, for example from growers involved in our local food initiative in Kent.
We are currently evaluating the success of these initiatives, and measuring the beneficial effect on food miles. Through this initiative we're raising awareness of seasonality and food miles issues with customers by labeling local products clearly; this also gives customers the opportunity to support local businesses.
Transport: Direct from Distribution Centres
John Lewis owns and manages a van fleet that makes over a million deliveries a year; a further half a million or so products are delivered through a number of carriers including Parcelforce. Orders from johnlewis.com alone fill three Parcelforce trucks every day.
In June 2006, Partners at John Lewis Bluewater trialled 'DC Direct', a programme to deliver goods from the distribution centre direct to customers' homes, thus saving on transport to and from the department store. Ray Fernandez, Head of Customer Delivery, sees it as a significant step towards a 'one-touch' supply chain: 'Customers get a more efficient service, the environment benefits from lower mileage and unnecessary journeys, and Partners in stores won't have to spend time replenishing their stock because products will go directly from the distribution centre to customers.'
If successful, the system will be rolled out across John Lewis by March 2007. As part of an ongoing review, John Lewis' customer delivery team is also looking to rationalise delivery areas.
back to top Waste and recycling: Waste not, want not
Following a successful trial, a bed recycling scheme is being rolled out in 14 John Lewis branches – with a view to all branches offering the service by September 2008. In conjunction with bed manufacturer Hypnos, the scheme sees drivers taking away customers' old beds for a £24.95 fee when they deliver a new one – and then sending it to a shredding plant to be recycled.
'Because we are going to the customer's house anyway to deliver the new bed no additional carbon emissions are created,' says John Justice, Project Manager, Customer Delivery Development, John Lewis. 'It is a service that our customers want and it will reduce waste sent to landfill because 100 per cent of the bed is recycled. It is environmentally responsible and it will also generate revenue.'
The old beds are fed into a giant shredding machine that has been specially built in Nottingham and is capable of recycling 100 beds an hour. The beds are cut into strips, then giant magnets harvest the metal components before the wood, foam and fabrics are separated. All four of these components are fully recycled. The method will soon be even more environmentally sound, as the bags used to collect the beds will be made of 25% recycled plastic.
back to top Biodiversity: Blossom and Bloom protects precious habitats
Waitrose's new 'Blossom and Bloom Cape Flora' range of flowers, available nationwide, is helping nurture some of the most endangered plant species in the world. We have teamed up with second generation fynbos producer Marthie Talyaard based on the Eastern Cape of South Africa and the only true black empowerment flower farm in the Cape region - Longmore Flower estates, to help improve the value of the flora in their region.
A floral kingdom under threat
The unique flora of the South African cape, called 'fynbos', is regarded as one of the world's six floral kingdoms. In an area of just 90,000 km 2 there are around 9,000 species. Of these, around 70 per cent are found nowhere else on earth. In comparison, the British Isles, an area three and a half times larger, have only 1,500 plants, fewer than 20 of which are unique to the area .
The biodiversity at the species level is the highest in the world. However, forestation and building are threatening the land, and, due to its unique biodiversity, once lost this flora is lost forever. Today, nearly one third of the original fynbos has been lost to burgeoning urban settlements, relentless agricultural expansion and invasion by alien plants. More than 1,400 species are cited as being critically rare, endangered or vulnerable and at least 29 species have already become extinct.
Waitrose and Longmore fight back
Sue Steptoe, says: 'South Africa is famous for its dramatic mountains and seascapes and excellent wine. It is also regarded as having some of the most impressive horticulture in the world. Waitrose has forged a partnership with local workers to bring the beautiful fynbos flowers to the UK, whilst at the same time helping to preserve a truly unique environment. Longmore Flower Estates was started by four dynamic people who pooled their severance packages to buy a flower plantation from their previous employer. Today, it is a leading black economic empowerment flower exporter specialising in the flora of the Cape region.'
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