Persuade Waitrose to dump Shell

  • by: Care2.com
  • recipient: John Lewis Partnership

In September 2011, Shell and Waitrose opened two trial sites for a new joint venture, which sees Little Waitrose convenience branches on Shell petrol forecourts and also consists of combined marketing activities. Shell owns the sites and Waitrose has taken over the operation of each site, acting as Shell's agents for the sale of fuels.

Shells ethical and environmental reputation is vastly at odds with those of Waitrose.
A United Nations Environment Programme report in 2011 found irrefutable evidence of oil contamination from Shell, lasting 50 years ending in 1993, devastating communities in the Niger Delta. It revealed the damage, in one of Africas most bio-diverse regions, to agriculture and fisheries has destroyed livelihoods, food sources and contaminated drinking water, exposing communities to serious health risks. Thanks to the work of Platform and Amnesty International there is now a growing dossier of evidence against Shell. Theirs is a culture of alleged corruption; a blatant disregard for human life and the environment which is endemic throughout the company. Since 1960, Nigerian oil exports have generated wealth estimated to be valued at over £300 billion, yet poverty is rife in the Niger Delta and local communities are lumbered with the devastating fallout of irresponsible oil extraction led by Shell.
Last Thursday Royal Dutch Shell announced record profits of £18.1 billion representing a 54% increase from last year's revenue. News of these recession busting profits was followed by a statements of intent to pursue a new aggressive growth strategy. This strategy includes drilling for Oil in the Arctic, a pristine wilderness where if there was an oil spill it would be impossible to clear up, there is estimated to be enough Oil in the region to last the world three years. Shell is also investing heavily in the Canadian Oil Tar Sands the extraction of which is so polluting that the EU is debating  banning its importation.
Further to this, the 2009 Friends of the Earth Europe report found that Shell is the world's most carbon intensive oil company.


Waitrose needs to conduct due diligence on the co-branding implications of a link-up with Shell, this would be a sensible move for Waitrose in light of public concerns around Shell's track record on human rights and the environment.
Waitrose's response so far has come from Mark Price, Waitrose managing director, he said: 'Bringing Waitrose to more people in more places is a big priority for us and so I am very pleased to be embarking on this new pilot with Shell. I think the combination of their offer and Little Waitrose will hold a lot of appeal for customers.'
A Waitrose spokesperson responded to the contradictions noting: 'Waitrose takes our ethical commitments very seriously. While we don't think it's appropriate that we comment at length on Shell's business, we know they share concerns over the people of the Niger Delta, and they have informed us they are engaged on this subject with a variety of stakeholders.'

Waitrose is part of the John Lewis Partnership, whose principles include 'we act in the interests of society and strive to be a more sustainable business and aims to actively look for opportunities to improve the environment and to contribute to the wellbeing of the communities in which we trade.

We the undersigned want you to cancel your partnership with Shell, it compromises your famous historical ethical and moral principles.
In September 2011, Shell and Waitrose opened two trial sites for a new joint venture, which sees Little Waitrose convenience branches on Shell petrol forecourts and also consists of combined marketing activities. Shell owns the sites and Waitrose has taken over the operation of each site, acting as Shell's agents for the sale of fuels.
 Shells ethical and environmental reputation is vastly at odds with those of Waitrose.
A United Nations Environment Programme report in 2011 found irrefutable evidence of oil contamination from Shell, lasting 50 years ending in 1993, devastating people’s lives in the Niger Delta. It revealed the damage, in one of Africa’s most bio-diverse regions, to agriculture and fisheries has destroyed livelihoods, food sources and contaminated drinking water, exposing communities to serious health risks. Thanks to the work of Platform and Amnesty International there is now a growing dossier of evidence against Shell. Theirs is a culture of alleged corruption; a blatant disregard for human life and the environment which is endemic throughout the company. Since 1960, Nigerian oil exports have generated wealth estimated to be valued at over £300 billion, yet poverty is rife in the Niger Delta and local communities are lumbered with the devastating fallout of irresponsible oil extraction led by Shell.
Last Thursday Royal Dutch Shell announced record profits of £18.1 billion representing a 54% increase from last year's revenue. News of these recession busting profits was followed by a statements of intent to pursue a new aggressive growth strategy.  This strategy includes drilling for Oil in the Arctic, a pristine wilderness where if there was an oil spill it would be impossible to clear up, there is estimated to be enough Oil in the region to last the world three years. Shell is also investing heavily in the Canadian Oil Tar Sands the extraction of which is so polluting that the EU is debating  banning its importation.
Further to this, the 2009 Friends of the Earth Europe report found that Shell is the world's most carbon intensive oil company.
Waitrose needs to conduct due diligence on the co-branding implications of a link-up with Shell, this would be a sensible move for Waitrose in light of public concerns around Shell's track record on human rights and the environment.
Waitrose’s response so far has come from Mark Price, Waitrose managing director, he said: 'Bringing Waitrose to more people in more places is a big priority for us and so I’m very pleased to be embarking on this new pilot with Shell. I think the combination of their offer and Little Waitrose will hold a lot of appeal for customers.'
A Waitrose spokesperson responded to the contradictions noting: 'Waitrose takes our ethical commitments very seriously. While we don't think it's appropriate that we comment at length on Shell's business, we know they share concerns over the people of the Niger Delta, and they have informed us they are engaged on this subject with a variety of stakeholders.'
Waitrose share the principles of the John Lewis Partnership, those principles include “we act in the interests of society and strive to be a more sustainable businessâ€Â and aims to actively look for ‘opportunities to improve the environment and to contribute to the wellbeing of the communities’ in which we trade.



Waitrose please stop tarnishing your image by supporting Shell. 

Sign Petition
Sign Petition
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.

Privacy Policy

By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.

Having problems signing this? Let us know.