ANIMAL WELFARE, ORGANIC AND FREE-RANGE
Woolworths has always had clear guidelines on animal welfare. These include:
- an NSPCA-approved Animal Welfare Code of Practice; and
- insistence that all animals destined for stores must be reared humanely and treated fairly in accordance with our code – abattoirs are regularly audited by a Woolworths technologist.
Woolworths was also heavily involved in the development and launch of badger-friendly honey, predator-friendly farming and sustainable fishing practices.
We do not permit:
- animal testing – we have never asked or commissioned our private label health and beauty suppliers to conduct testing on animals. Our animal welfare policy requires that suppliers did not use any raw materials tested on animals after 1 January 2001;
- products made from real fur;
- selling of whole eggs from caged birds;
- our health and beauty suppliers of our private label to use ingredients that are by-products of the food industry; and
- the use of duck feather and down that is not a by-product of the food industry in homeware.
Woolworths entire private label range of toiletries and cosmetics has been approved by Beauty Without Cruelty (BWC).
- Woolworths extensive Earth Friendly range of household cleaning and personal care products are made with naturally derived, plant-based, biodegradable ingredients and contain no petrochemicals and no artificial colours. Every product carries the endorsement of Beauty Without Cruelty and Woolworths has used recyclable bottles which themselves are made from at least 30% recycled materials.
- Woolworths is committed to addressing the issue of mulesing of wool-producing merino sheep. Mulesing is the surgical removal of strips of wool-bearing wrinkle skin from around the breech of a sheep. Mulesing is a common practice in Australia as a way to reduce the incidence of flystrike on Merino sheep. Although mulesing is not practised in South Africa, Woolworths will continue to monitor local South African suppliers to ensure that they conform to the position statement mandated by Cape Wools SA.
Free-range eggs
Woolworths is proud to have been the first major local retailer to stop selling whole eggs from hens kept in cages in 2004 – only whole free-range eggs are sold in Woolworths stores. We remain the only major local retailer to have achieved this.
Free-range egg production in South Africa is regulated by the Agricultural Product Standards Act. Woolworths free-range egg supplier farmers are fully compliant with the regulatory requirements and the requirements for free-range production as stipulated by the South African Poultry Association. Our free-range farmers are audited regularly to ensure adherence to our strict standards.
Our free-range hens enjoy access to ample food and water, sunshine and shade, the outdoors and protective shelters. They are fed a grain-based diet that contains no animal by-products.
The first hundred food lines “made with free range eggs” will appear on our counters in the last quarter of 2010 with seventy more appearing in 2011. We will be changing "factory-by-factory" as this is controllable and we can guarantee integrity.
Organic products
Woolworths offers South African consumers the widest range of certified organic products, from pasta and peanut butter to T-shirts and towels. In February 2008 we launched over 100 new organic grocery lines which cater for both basic grocery needs and the more specialised tastes of the contemporary cook. The range includes jams, pastas and pasta sauces, rice, condiments, oils, beans, breakfast cereals, biscuits, teas, coffees, juices, nuts, chocolates and more. This has made it easier than ever for shoppers to lead a more comprehensive organic lifestyle.
Woolworths began its organic cotton journey in 2004 and has steadily increased its use of organically grown cotton over the past six years. Woolworths offers a comprehensive collection of organic cotton products in children’s, men’s and women’s outerwear and sleepwear, baby clothing, towels and bedding.
- in 2010 our organic and free-range food sales were over R500m;
- organic clothing sales were considerably higher than 2009 sales, and over R400m of organic cotton sales were achieved, still below the target we have set for ourselves for the year;
- we now sell only free-range lamb, at the same price point as conventional lamb was sold at; and
- we have set internal sales targets for items made from other sustainable fibres, including soya, bamboo and organic wool.
Sustainable fibres
Driving innovation in clothing continued to be a strong focus. The use of organic cotton in clothing increased and garments with both 100% organic cotton and clothing with a percentage of organic cotton remain a popular choice among customers. A range of bamboo products, a natural and sustainable fibre, was introduced in women’s outerwear in 2008. Woolworths is the first South African retailer to offer organic wool and has introduced men’s formal trousers made from organic wool. A range of bamboo towels and wooden products from sustainably managed forests are available in homeware.
Along with organic wool, bamboo is one of the sustainable fibres we’re using to drive innovation in clothing and homeware products.
Bamboo is not only the fastest-growing plant in the world, it doesn’t need fertilizers or pesticides, and has no natural enemies. It simply spends its time growing. And it actually helps improve soil quality.
It is antimicrobial and absorbs moisture three to four times better than cotton; it also naturally ‘wicks’ that moisture away so that it evaporates quickly, a perfect fit for towels.
A whole range of Woolworths duvets are filled with plastic bottles.
Stronger than ‘virgin’ fibre, this specially designed fibre made from recycled plastic bottles makes our cushions, pillows and duvets beautifully fluffy and resilient.
By using such fibre, we’re saving almost 500 000 plastic bottles a year from going to landfill.
In 2009 Woolworths introduced the first 100% South African organic cotton garments for summer. The range of T-shirts for both men and women is being made from South Africa’s first commercial scale organic cotton crop, which was harvested last year in Limpopo. The planting of these 22 hectares was part of a multi-year pilot project which involved Woolworths, the Organic Exchange, ComMark, Cotton SA and the Agricultural Research Councils’ Institute for Industrial Crops. With this impressive list of associates, Woolworths has produced an exciting and fashionable range that is environmentally conscious and ecologically sound.
According to the Organic Exchange, conventionally grown cotton consumes approximately 25% of the insecticides and over 10% of the pesticides used in the world. Organic cotton, on the other hand, is produced using only natural compost and pest management techniques, making it much healthier for the environment and safer for farm workers.