Animal welfare
Our goal is to make sure our key raw materials come from the most sustainable sources available to us. We already have very high standards when it comes to animal welfare and sustainable fishing, but there is plenty of room for improvement. That's why we're moving all our fresh whole turkey, duck and fresh pork to free range. These stories will help to show you what we’re doing to raise the bar:
Sustainable harvesting of raw materials
Producing and harvesting raw materials can cause significant harm to the environment. Becoming more sustainable means making better use of the materials already available to us and at the same time making sure that key raw materials are sourced in ways that allow them to be naturally replenished.
View the latest stories on sustainable harvesting of raw materials >>
To find out more about our policy for sourcing wood based materials view our sourcing policies:
Sustainable water management
Over the past 40 years, the total amount of water withdrawn or extracted from freshwater systems has increased 20% per decade. The worldwide water supplies are being extracted faster than they can be recharged, depleting a precious and renewable source.
The natural environment and people are most effected, with over 2b people severely impacted by water shortages in over 40 countries, many of which are developing countries. Water quality will also be a growing challenge in the future. Currently, 1.1b people lack access to safe drinking water and 5,000 children die each day from water borne diseases.
Studies have shown that agriculture is the biggest user of water worldwide. For example it can take 15,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of beef, and 3,000 litres to produce 1kg of rice. 70% of global freshwater withdrawals are for irrigation, and more than 90% in some arid countries.
Experts predict that water availability will be one of the major challenges facing human society in the future, exacerbated by climate change and a growing population. Water-scarcity can come in two forms, either natural scarcity; where a region is naturally low on water resources, irrespective of how well water is managed; or economical scarcity; where a region’s water supply is managed badly irrespective of its natural levels of water. This is often the result of poor farming practice, or lack of infrastructure.
We produce products made from many raw materials, some of which are produced in countries where water quality and availability are of major concern. Conserving this natural resource is a key priority for us. That is why, in 2007, we commenced a partnership with the WWF to help us in better understanding our water footprint, and with this knowledge, work with our suppliers to reduce any impact that we may have, and introduce more sustainable practices wherever we can.
Already we have conducted an initial analysis of the water use in our textiles manufacturing and we have selected a number of key food product ranges to undertake a water footprint analysis.
We are also working hard to ensure that we use water more efficiently in our own operations. Already we have reduced our water consumption in our stores by 2%. All of our new stores are fitted with water efficiency devices to continue to reduce this figure over time.