VIDEO: John Lewis predicts: ‘Waste won’t exist in 20 years’

John Lewis Partnership offers a compelling retail perspective on how corporate resource efficiency is reshaping the waste supply chain in the second of our Resource Revolution thought leader video interview series.


The company’s recycling & waste operations manager Mike Walters talks openly about how his organisation has taken greater accountability for its waste management arisings by streamlining the number of service providers it deals with.

“Working with a select group of contractors has enabled me to get very clear data … once you can measure waste, you can start to influence reducing it,” he said.

Walters added that this consolidation has enabled greater innovation in terms of closing the loop on some of its waste streams, such as plastics and wood.

He also forecasts a dramatic change for the waste sector in 20 years’ time, in which more on-site diversion and treatment solutions are adopted to cut down on logistics and where disposal costs for businesses are replaced by income streams.

“I don’t think there will be something called waste, I think there will be end-of-first-life materials … that’s a phrase we are adopting now within our business.”

Sponsored by FCC Environment, the interview series comprises eight video interviews with stakeholders from all points in the circular economy.

View our other interviews:

The SME Leader perspective – Commercial Group

The Manufacturer perspective – Unilever

The Waste Contractor perspective – FCC Environment

The Designer perspective – Sophie Thomas

The Local Authority perspective – Somerset Waste Partnership

The Brand Leader perspective – Coca Cola Enterprises

The Thought Leader perspective – Peter Jones

The interviews incorporate learning from our recently-published White Paper ‘Closing the loop: risk or reward’. You can download your copy here.

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe