John Lewis, Waitrose and Asda fail to engage with suppliers when creating a sustainability strategy

John Lewis, Waitrose and Asda are fail to engage with suppliers when creating a sustainability strategy, according to new research by Supply Pilot.

The sustainability consultancy uncovered that more than three quarters of brands have a sustainability strategy, that was written without first engaging with suppliers.

The report found that within the set of brands that had made the effort to engage suppliers, nearly 90% of them had only done so with a small group of their suppliers, meaning that a true overview was impossible.


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Supply Pilot CEO James Butcher said when it comes sustainability across sectors such as retail, FMCG and manufacturing, “the most significant impact can come from changes within the supply chain – typically from over 80% of the carbon and more than 90% of the natural capital.”

“It is also where the most complexity lies, so it would seem a logical starting point to engage those suppliers first to inform sustainability strategy – to understand risk and to maximise the potential impact.

“However, our research points to the opposite in effect, with brands needing to make a much more concerted effort to inclusively engage with as much of their supply chain as possible, to enact true sustainable change,” he continued.

Recent research from Stand.Earth on the state of several major fashion brands’ net zero commitments showed that many of the companies lacked the tools necessary to achieve their goals throughout the supply chain. As recent as this February, CDP warned that less than 1% of companies have a credible climate transition plan.

“A sustainability strategy really needs to consider where the risks and opportunities are. Incorporating these can only be achieved with good supplier engagement – inclusive engagement that brings all suppliers on the journey, not just the chosen few,” said Butcher.

“A strategy informed by where they are on the journey, such as what their level of carbon literacy is, along with their maturity and readiness. Too many people fall into the trap of engaging with consultants to write them a strategy absent of proper supplier engagement.

“The solution must be free for suppliers to maximise engagement and participation, and the key is just getting started – don’t let perfection get in the way of better,” he added.

Food and farmingNewsReports and dataRetailSocial sustainabilitySupply Chain

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