What’s in it for me?
Find out how the John Lewis Partnership has extended its ethical trading approaches to the supply chain by improving the opportunities for SMEs to access the chain, improving the sustainability of its diverse suppliers and generating significant social benefits by:
- Creating a Responsible Sourcing Code of Practice for suppliers and potential suppliers
- Establishing the Waitrose Foundation which generates revenues for socially responsible projects in supplier areas
| Guidance for Large Enterprises |
| Guidance for SMEs |
Case study summary
The John Lewis Partnership is one of the UK’s best known high street retailers which trades under the business names of Waitrose (supermarkets), John Lewis (department stores) and Greenbee (a direct services company). The case study provides an example of how larger organisations can open their supply chains to SMEs and local businesses, and how procurement spend offers organisations a way of influencing beyond the organisation’s boundaries in ways other than product price, quality and delivery times.
By applying ethical trading approaches to the supply chain the Partnership has improved the opportunities for SMEs and local companies to access the supply chain, improved the sustainability of its diverse suppliers and generated funds that have delivered significant social benefits. The Partnership have achieved this by:
- Creating a Responsible Sourcing Code of Practice which provides clear advice about the Partnership’s expectations of its suppliers in relation to a range of diversity and human rights issues
- Establishing the Waitrose Foundation which generates revenues for socially responsible projects that support the sustainability of supplier areas by requiring all the organisations in the supply chain - from farm owners through to importers and exporters - to contribute to the Foundation