John Lewis is to switch sourcing of the leather for its own label upholstery to higher welfare UK farms that supply Waitrose with meat.
The move follows the department store chain using wool that would have been discarded from farms supplying Waitrose in the own label mattresses in 2021.
‘Running a department store and a supermarket gives us a unique ability to connect our two businesses and innovate. We saw an opportunity to use the leather being produced by our Waitrose farmers and use it to create beautifully crafted, high quality pieces of furniture that will last. By applying the same principles into our leather as we do with the products we stock on the shelf at Waitrose, we can offer the public a range of sofas and chairs using British sourced, higher welfare leather that’s distinct from anything else on the market,’ says Marija Rompani, John Lewis Partnership director of ethics & sustainability.
‘Leather is a durable, practical and tactile material. It ages beautifully, creating a weathered look that is simply timeless, and a perfect long-term investment for the home. What makes our collection extra special is knowing that the material has come from British farms that practise the higher welfare standards that we know our customers will love,’ says Nicola Waller, John Lewis head of furniture.
A survey of 2,000 households for the chain found that while shoppers thought the welfare of animals produced for meat (73%) and 89% said it was important for them to buy British sourced items, their interest in welfare was much lower when it came to leather for upholstery.
Some 62% said they had not considered the welfare of the animal when purchasing and just 5% had thought about where the materials used to make their furniture have been sourced from.
‘Everyone has the right to a sustainable choice no matter what they’re buying, but what this research shows is there’s a lot more work to be done to help shoppers make informed choices when buying certain products. Whether it is everyday household staples or larger items, these all have a social and environmental impact – but knowing what to look for isn’t always as easy as it should be. This is why we try to source all key materials used for our products to more sustainable standards to make it easy for our customers to make more informed choices,’ says Rompani.
