John Lewis

Is John Lewis a sustainable furniture brand?

Within The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Furniture sector, John Lewis is a below benchmark brand due to its low score.

To see how other brands within the Ethical Furniture sector compare against John Lewis, you can visit the Furniture Ethical Ratings Table. Our Ratings Table can help you to find out more about the criteria that a brand has to meet so that it can reach our minimum Ethical Benchmark.

What does John Lewis receive a top rating for?

For our Environmental Report category, The Good Shopping Guide awards John Lewis with a top rating. John Lewis Partnership has a recent Ethics & Sustainability Report. Within its report, John Lewis shares its targets on waste and climate action, as well as evidence of progress it has made.

John Lewis also receives a top score for Armaments and Political Donations due to its lack of negative records.

What does John Lewis receive a bottom rating for?

John Lewis receives a bottom rating in the Human Rights and Human Rights+ criteria, as it has received numerous criticisms for its links to poor human rights practices, particularly due to its involvement in the supermarkets industry, through its subsidiary Waitrose.

For instance, John Lewis has been called out for buying from several unethical suppliers over the past five years, including suppliers based in Mauritius, Kenya, Nepal, the United Kingdom, and more.

What can John Lewis do to improve its score? 

John Lewis’s score within The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Furniture sector is the result of a calculation of multiple ethical criteria. To improve its overall rating, the most important thing John Lewis can do is clean up its act in regards to the human rights practices of its suppliers.

The Good Shopping Guide’s Ratings Tables can show you which other brands within the Ethical Furniture Sector have received our ethics and sustainability certification. If you would like more information, contact us or fill out a rapid initial sustainability assessment form.