Waitrose Ranked As One Of The UK’s ‘Most Sustainable Brands’

Retailer Waitrose & Partners has been ranked as one of the UK’s top ten ‘most sustainable brands’ in the latest edition of Impact’s Great Green Sustainability Study.

The upmarket retailer placed tenth in the study, which evaluates the sustainability of UK-based brands by deriving a score based on public perception.

Top Of The List

For the third successive year, eco-friendly detergent- and cleaning product-maker Ecover tops the list, with a score of 88, followed by Smol (85), Method (83), Oatly (81) and the Body Shop (81).

As well as Waitrose (which earned a score of 77), notable retailers on the list include Co-op (13th, 76), Marks & Spencer (14th, 76), Sainsbury’s (30th, 70), Morrisons (33rd, 68), Tesco (43rd, 65), Lidl (46th, 64), Ocado (48th, 64), Iceland (50th, 63), Aldi (53rd, 63) and Asda (55th, 62).

In fact, Waitrose overtook Co-op to take the top spot this year, with the brands scoring 67 and 69, respectively, last year.

The study found that more than a fifth (22%) of UK consumers believe that retailers are one of the three most important players in tackling climate change, while 69% consider the supermarket sector one of the three most important players in the fight against food waste.

‘Shared Responsibility’

“It’s impressive to see that all supermarkets featured in the top 20 out of 49 retailers in the study are showcasing a collective, industry-wide commitment to fostering sustainable practices,” commented Tom Gould, MD at Impact Research. “This demonstrates a shared responsibility and a promising shift towards prioritising sustainability within the supermarket landscape, which shoppers are noticing.

“However, supermarkets can’t get complacent. Our research makes it clear that consumers are increasingly looking towards supermarkets to take a leading role in addressing food waste. The expectation placed on supermarkets to tackle this issue highlights increasing awareness among consumers about the pivotal role these retailers play in reducing waste along the supply chain.

“It’s crucial for supermarkets to respond to this call to action and implement effective strategies, partnering with consumers to collectively combat this challenge, for a more sustainable future.”

The Most Sustainable Supermarkets In The UK