John Lewis will now use leather sourced exclusively from farms that supply Waitrose with beef to make its own brand furniture.
In what is the latest move by the John Lewis Partnership to better integrate the supply chains of the two businesses, the department store will source its leather used in chairs and sofas from Dovecote Park, which processes Waitrose own-range beef.
Waitrose sources all its beef from UK higher-welfare farms. Using the same source would give John Lewis consumers more clarity over where the leather used within their sofa originates, the business said.
“Running a department store and a supermarket gives us a unique ability to connect our two businesses and innovate”, said Marija Rompani, director of ethics & sustainability at the John Lewis Partnership.
“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,” Rompani added.
“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.”
The change follows a circular design launch in in 2021, which saw John Lewis launch a range of mattresses made using wool sourced from sheep farms supplying Waitrose, which otherwise would have gone to waste.
The department store has publicly pledged to ensure that all its own-brand products meet the circularity criteria by 2028.
Creating a more integrated supply chain would help the retailer reduce its environmental impact by reducing waste, and ensure that John Lewis is not using leather from areas at risk of deforestation.
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