Waitrose & Partners sustainability score: 42/100
Better than 62% of Retail (non-fashion)
Making progress starts at 46. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Waitrose & Partners is a UK food retailer owned by the John Lewis Partnership, operating over 370 supermarkets and employing 150,000 people. It sells groceries, clothing, and homeware across the United Kingdom and is positioned as a premium, values-led brand emphasizing quality and ethical sourcing.
Founded 1904Head office Bracknell, United KingdomStaff ~74,000Revenue ~£9.6B (est. Waitrose share of JLP £12.8B total)Website ↗
Waitrose has strong science-based climate targets and operational emissions reductions, but Scope 3—98% of its footprint—remains largely unmapped and unquantified. Supply chain data gaps, greenwashing accusations over scallop sourcing and Leckford Estate claims, and misaligned trade association membership undermine credibility.
Waitrose & Partners scores 42/100 (Below expectations) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Scores are free. Nobody can pay to change a score, speed it up or hide it. Last verified May 2026.
That places Waitrose & Partners joint 362nd of 1,023 companies scored, and joint 18th of 54 in Retail (non-fashion).
What is Waitrose & Partners doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Targets & Commitments and Carbon Footprint: Operations (7/10, 6/10). Weakest on Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain and Water Impact (4/10, 4/10).
Where Waitrose & Partners lost points
For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.
What would raise this score
- Emissions from its supply chainMeasure most of its supply-chain (Scope 3) emissions.
- Its effect on waterMeasure its water footprint and set reduction targets.
- How clean its energy isShow at least half its energy is renewable, with a transition plan.
Every question that lost points
- Emissions from its own operations6/10Its own emissions aren't independently verified or tracked over several years.
- Emissions from its supply chain4/10Most of its supply-chain (Scope 3) emissions aren't measured.
- Whether its emissions are falling6/10No consistent fall over several years across its operations and supply chain.
- How clean its energy is5/10Less than half its energy shown to be renewable, or no transition plan.
- Its effect on nature5/10Its effect on nature isn't measured or independently verified.
- How it uses materials and handles waste5/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
- Its effect on water4/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets7/10No validated long-term net zero target.
- How openly it reports6/10No annual impact report, or no pay linked to climate targets.
- Its record on controversies5/10Points deducted for controversies or its business model. The finding is under question 10.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Anyone can send us new evidence, free. How to send it.
How is Waitrose & Partners's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Waitrose & Partners's score changed?
Waitrose & Partners's score has moved from 56 to 42 across 3 recorded reviews, down 14 points.
- 42 → 427 November 2026
Correction, 7 November 2026: stored Scope 3 corrected to the company's own 7.39 million tonne baseline, and questions 2 and 3 corrected: the company does report Scope 3 progress year on year. Score unchanged.
- 56 → 42-147 November 2026
Correction, 7 November 2026: replaced an unsourced emissions figure with the company's own Scope 3 baseline. Score unchanged.
- Scored 564 April 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is Waitrose & Partners's score based on?
19 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
47% of them were published by Waitrose & Partners itself; the rest come from independent sources.
10 of 19 sources are independent of the company.
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
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How does Waitrose & Partners compare with other retail (non-fashion) companies?
Where Waitrose & Partners sits among retail (non-fashion) peers.
Among the 54 major retail (non-fashion) brands we've scored, Waitrose & Partners is tied =18th of 54, with 3 others.
Who scores higher in Retail (non-fashion)?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Waitrose & Partners.
Halfords' emissions rose across all scopes in FY26 despite validated net-zero targets.
See the breakdown →Sainsbury's has cut operational emissions 53% since 2018 and achieved 100% renewable electricity, but Scope 3 emissions—98% of total—are flat.
See the breakdown →Kingfisher has reduced operational emissions 66% since 2016/17 and sourced 95% of electricity from zero-carbon sources, but Scope 3 coverage remains partial—only 2 of 15 categories disclosed.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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