Grocer Gold Awards 2022: sustainability initiative of the year - retailer

Winner: Waitrose & Partners - Sheep to Sleep

In August 2021, JLP launched a mattress range with a difference: it used wool exclusively from sheep farmers supplying sister brand Waitrose.

Crucially, those farmers were paid a fair price. The initiative sought to tackle the issues that had arisen from rock-bottom wool prices, which had fallen as low as 20p-30p per kilo in some cases – not enough to cover the cost of shearing, let alone transportation. Many farmers were resorting to environmentally damaging practices of burning wool or sending it to landfill.

JLP’s initiative not only offered support to Waitrose’s farmers, but raised awareness of an important agricultural issue. So far, it has used 90,000kg of wool from Waitrose farms and it’s aiming to triple that figure in the next year.

“This could just be the beginning,” said one judge. “I’m sure they could extend this to many other products.”

Shortlisted:

• Tesco - Greener Transport
• Lidl GB - Eco-Score Labelling
• Morrisons – Net Zero Agri 2030