Our Partnership With WWF

Our partnership with WWF funds ecosystem regeneration projects in areas where a number of our suppliers are based.
 

Our aim in Norfolk, a key source of Waitrose meat, cereal and vegetable products, is to restore nature and help mitigate climate change while supporting communities and improving people’s wellbeing through a new programme called Wholescape. 
 

Wholescape encompasses not just the land but also the rivers, lakes, coasts, seas and all the people who live and work there. Norfolk is not only a centre of food production but also contains unique freshwater and coastal ecosystems, while its low-lying landscapes are on the frontline of climate change. Alongside WWF, we’re working with farmers to make more space for nature, reduce pollution entering rivers and protect crops from drought, while protecting local communities from flooding. And with healthier rivers flowing out to the sea, we’re beginning to restore coastal habitats that can protect communities from rising sea levels, support seaside economies and help wildlife thrive.
 

In India, we are addressing water scarcity and water quality in the Noyyal and Bhavani river basins. As well as harbouring unique wildlife upstream, the rivers enable agricultural and industrial activity downstream. Through this project, WWF India and partners will develop pollution interventions by supporting local farmers to adopt different management practices and develop wetland conservation and invasive species management programmes. We are also engaging textile factories within the John Lewis supply chains to become water stewards, consuming water in a way that is environmentally sustainable, socially equitable and economically beneficial. Over our five-year partnership, WWF India will pilot interventions in key sites to lead to healthy river ecosystems and water security, while also influencing sectoral, local, regional and national policies that deliver on a shared vision and outcomes for sustainable river basin management.
 

In South Africa, the Waitrose Foundation is funding WWF South Africa to deliver a water security programme in the Western Cape. The programme is convening stakeholders to tackle the complex challenges threatening the sustainable supply of water through coordinated, collective action. This includes clearing alien invasive species, allowing native species to thrive, ensuring a stable supply of water through the catchment and, ultimately, given the criticality of water supply, helping support the long-term employment prospects for 42,000 Waitrose Foundation workers.   
  

We will share the results and findings of these projects as widely as possible to encourage collaboration and help create lasting, meaningful change in these environments and beyond.