The John Lewis Partnership has launched a £1m initiative to hunt for environmentally friendly solutions to some of the biggest challenges in retail.
The Circular Future Fund is set to provide grants worth between £150,000 and £300,000 to projects that can come up with “trailblazing, scalable innovations” to tackle the so-called ‘throwaway culture’.
Some of the solutions JLP is after include rethinking waste with new products, materials or alternative packaging, improving energy and water efficiency, changing consumer behaviour and eliminating food waste across supply chains.
“By creating this fund, we’re hoping to unearth some of the world’s leading innovators, who have built their business models, products and services around the concept of circularity,” said JLP director of ethics and sustainability Marija Rompani.
“We live in a world of finite materials and we need to start protecting them before it’s too late.
“This is why we’re particularly looking for projects that are regenerative and can eliminate waste or pollution from the design stage and ultimately protect nature.”
The company is also welcoming solutions on the household products, technology and services fronts.
It is interested in zero emissions delivery, innovation in home goods, and disruptive reuse and recycling platforms.
The fund money was raised from the sales of 10p plastic bags.
Read more: How John Lewis is navigating the tough road to greener transport
“Climate change, biodiversity loss, waste and pollution are unquestionably among the biggest challenges we will face in our lifetime and tackling them will require a different kind of thinking,” Rompani added.
The retailer is welcoming innovative ideas from a range of organisations such as academia, charities, startups and other businesses that are less than five years old.
It is partnering with environmental charity Hubbub to support the chosen projects. The two have previously joined forces for a similar fund in 2019 that aimed to reduce plastic waste.
Applications for the Circular Future Fund opened on 22 November and will run until 9 January 2022. Winners will be announced in April 2022.
JLP recently signed up to a new £420m five-year credit facility linked to its environmental targets.
Additionally, John Lewis and Waitrose both pledged to the UN’s Race to Zero campaign last month.
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