Waitrose
How many projects are you involved with?
Why did you decide to buy from Woodland Carbon Code projects?
How has it benefitted your company?
What is Waitrose?
Waitrose is a quality food retailer that believes in championing British produce, treading lightly on the environment, supporting responsible sourcing and treating people fairly. This is the Waitrose Way. The company believes in making the right choices for the environment; by reducing packaging, waste, CO2 emissions and responsibly sourcing its food. It has a strongly growing on-line business, Waitrose.com. One of the ways to help mitigate the company’s carbon emissions is to plant trees.
When did you become involved?
Waitrose have been working in partnership with the Woodland Trust since March 2011. Waitrose was one of the first companies to sign up to Woodland Carbon, the Woodland Trust’s carbon removal scheme. The partnership enables Waitrose to compensate, over time, for tailpipe carbon emissions generated through Waitrose.com home deliveries.
Planting at the Warcop Project, Cumbria. Photo: Woodland Trust
How many projects are you involved with?
Waitrose works with the Woodland Trust to mitigate carbon through planting trees at Warcop; a Ministry of Defence site used as a military training ground for soldiers and set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Cumbria. The trees planted by Waitrose will remove over 22,300 tonnes of CO2e over the project lifetime and will create approximately 50 hectares of woodland providing homes for much loved British wildlife, from dormice to dragonflies, bats to beetles.
Why did you decide to buy from Woodland Carbon Code projects?
You can’t go wrong with trees! They create beautiful environments for wildlife, fostering biodiversity, as well as opportunities for recreation and environmental benefits through flood control and of course through absorbing CO2.
Tor Harris, Head of Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing says: 'We are delighted to have supported the Woodland Trust in a range of ways, whether through the contribution we make to help minimise the impact of our home delivery service, through raising awareness of the importance of trees and the Trust's work with our customers, and through other fundraising and staff volunteering initiatives. We recognise that trees are to vital to delivering biodiversity, carbon capture, flood control and beautiful natural environments to enjoy so are really pleased to be able to work with the Woodland Trust to help plant more of them!'
How has it benefitted your company?
The benefits of buying from a Woodland Carbon Code project include:
- Raising Waitrose’s environmental and corporate responsibility credentials.
- Developing a strong marketing message to convey to all stakeholders.
- Staff engagement through tree planting days.
- Raised £284,000 since 2011 to enable the Woodland Trust to plant at Warcop.
Waitrose staff enjoy a tree planting day. Photo: Woodland Trust
