John Lewis To Use British Sourced Leather For Chairs And Sofas

• Built to last: The durability and timeless style of leather represents real value for consumers
• High ethical standards: High welfare and British sourced leather doubles the comfort
• Circular: Our sofa reuse scheme means they can be rehomed or recycled too

This week, John Lewis is announcing that 100% of the leather used in its own label sofas and chairs will be from higher welfare farms in the UK that supply Waitrose beef.

Following on from the hugely successful circular design launch of John Lewis mattresses in 2021 that use otherwise wasted wool sourced from Waitrose farms, this new initiative is yet another example of how the John Lewis Partnership is bringing its two distinct businesses together. The move is one of the many innovative ways the Partnership is actively reducing its environmental impact across supply chains, whilst creating beautifully designed, high quality products that are helping support British producers and built to last.

Marija Rompani, Director of Ethics & Sustainability at the John Lewis Partnership, said: “Running a department store and a supermarket gives us a unique ability to connect our two businesses and innovate. 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. 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 leather also comes from British farms that supply Waitrose, with Waitrose's farming supply chain consistently awarded Best Retailer for farm animal welfare by Compassion in World Farming (CiWF) four times in a row. And these are standards shoppers actively look for when making a purchase. 

In an associated poll*, 73 per cent of shoppers said the welfare of animals produced for meat was important to them, with nearly nine in 10 (89 per cent) saying it's important to them also to buy British sourced items. But leather, and home furnishings in general, seemingly are the cause of an ethical blind spot - with 85 per cent of adults admitting to own leather items but 80 per cent saying they've no idea if their leather came from a British farm. Likewise, 62 per cent don’t consider the welfare of the animal when purchasing leather and only 5 per cent think about where the materials used to make their furniture have been sourced from.

Marija Rompani, adds: “Everyone has the right to a sustainable choice no matter what they’re buying, but what this research shows is there’s a lot more work to be done to help shoppers make informed choices when buying certain products. 

Whether it is everyday household staples or larger items, these all have a social and environmental impact – but knowing what to look for isn’t always as easy as it should be. This is why we try to source all key materials used for our products to more sustainable standards to make it easy for our customers to make more informed choices.” 

Sofa, so good - but what makes our leather so amazing?

• High quality and ethical standards
  • Leather is a durable and high-quality material that is built to last, making it a great investment for the future and providing customers real value for their money.
  • The leather for our sofas and chairs is all sourced in the UK from farms we know and trust. They all farm to strict higher welfare standards synonymous with Waitrose.
  • Our sofa reuse scheme means they can be rehomed or recycled too. When a customer buys a new sofa from us, we’ll take their old sofa away from them for a small fee. Once collected, we work with the Reuse Network members to give the products a second lease of life and to pass them on to those in need or if the item is not reusable, it is disassembled and recycled.
  • We have been named Best Retailer for farm animal welfare by Compassion in World Farming four times in a row (held since 2015).

• Kinder to the environment
  • By taking from one supplier (Dovecote Park) that commits to buying the whole animal, our farmers have more financial security to give them confidence in investing in more sustainable, higher welfare farming methods that give their animals a good life while helping local wildlife and the surrounding environment to flourish.
  • By not sourcing the leather from areas at risk of deforestation, we are reducing the relative environmental impact of our own brand sofas and chairs.
  • Our Nature strategy pledges that we will reduce waste within our supply chains wherever possible and that we will reach net zero across our operations by 2035.  And we have a public commitment that by 2028, all of our new own-brand John Lewis products will meet circularity criteria.
  • Our own-label leather sofas and chairs is just one of the ways we are creating innovative ways to reduce our environmental impact in our supply chains whilst.

Nicola Waller, Head of Furniture at John Lewis, ends: “Leather is a durable, practical and tactile material. It ages beautifully, creating a weathered look that is simply timeless, and a perfect long term investment for the home. What makes our collection extra special is knowing that the material has come from British farms that practise the higher welfare standards that we know our customers will love.”

Source : John Lewis Partnership

For all the very latest news and intelligence on the UK's largest home improvement and garden retailers, sign up for the Insight DIY weekly newsletter.