Our sustainability legacY

Championing sustainability has always been at the heart of our business, from providing new, earth-conscious shopping platforms to being one of the first businesses to ban single-use plastic water bottles. Discover our legacy of positive change below.

September 2023

2023 PROJECT EARTH REPORT

We published our second Project Earth report charting the ongoing evolution of sustainability at Selfridges as we look to imagine and create a better future for both people and planet.

Read our Project Earth report

September 2022

FIRST ANNUAL PROJECT EARTH REPORT

We published our first annual Project Earth report detailing the progress we have made since launch in 2020, the challenges we’ve faced and the future we envision as we look to reinvent retail.

Read our Project Earth report

November 2021

PROJECT EARTH PROGRESS UPDATE

We released our first progress update, holding ourselves accountable to our Project Earth ambitions and checking in on our progress so far.

Read our progress report

14 SEPTEMBER 2021

SIGNING THE CLIMATE PLEDGE

Following a decade of retail activism, Selfridges is proud to have signed The Climate Pledge, committing to significantly accelerating our target to achieve net-zero carbon across the business by 2040. By signing the pledge we've joined other businesses in taking action on the climate crisis to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early.

25 AUGUST 2021

HAPPY anniversary PROJECT EARTH!

To celebrate one year since the launch of Project Earth, we launched RESELFRIDGES: The Wedding, a pre-loved destination for fashion and accessories, for brides, grooms and guests-to-be at The Selfridges Corner Shop in London and online. The Project Earth anniversary also marks the launch of our new earth-conscious product labelling categories that celebrate brands doing better for people, animals and nature and new retail models that offer better ways to shop.

Find out more

7 MAY 2021

GIVE IT UP FOR RENT

We launched our all-new Selfridges Rental platform, where you can rent your favourite styles from our leading designers and brands at Selfridges. Curated by our expert buyers, it offers a great way to try out new looks and shop with the planet in mind.

Rent now

1 JANUARY 2021

PLASTIC GLITTER & BALLOONS GO POP!

As promised, we stopped selling plastic-based cosmetic glitter and balloons to help reduce single-use plastic waste.

28 September 2020

WE LOVE PRE-LOVED

As part of our ambition to give you as many ways to shop as responsibly as possible, we launched our new RESELFRIDGES platform, enabling you to sell your pre-loved designer bags in exchange for Selfridges credits to spend in store or online.

Discover more

17 AUGUST 2020

PROJECT EARTH

We launched a series of ambitious long-term sustainability commitments set to radically change our business, brought to life by the launch of Project Earth – an ongoing celebration and exploration of the most exciting and responsible new ways to shop. From discovering positive solutions to innovative new ideas and a thought-provoking events programme (click below to see some of the key events), we explored how, together, we can create a brighter future.

Watch now

AUGUST 2020

FROM PROJECT OCEAN TO PROJECT EARTH

We committed to continuing our Project Ocean goals of helping to help protect our precious oceans from overfishing and plastic pollution, as part of our new and all-encompassing Project Earth initiative. To find out more about our Project Ocean work and our 10-year partnership with the Zoological Society of London, click here.

2020

NAMED BEST RETAILER BY POSITIVE LUXURY

In recognition of our sustainability achievements, we were awarded Retailer of the Year at the inaugural Positive Luxury Awards 2020.

FEBRUARY 2020

WE SHED EXOTIC SKINS

First fur, then angora, now this: as of February 2020, we no longer stock any products containing exotic animal skins, including python, crocodile and alligator.

29 JANUARY 2020

All that glitters isn’t…plastic

As part of Project Ocean (our long-term campaign to protect our oceans from overfishing and plastic pollution), we vowed to remove all plastic-based cosmetic glitter from sale in our stores by 1 January 2021.

26 NOVEMBER 2019

Total wipe-out

To help protect our oceans from plastic pollution, we removed all single-use beauty wipes from sale and use in our Beauty Halls.

2019

CIRCULAR MODELS

To reduce waste and alleviate the pressure on natural resources, we launched two pop-up platforms: Vestiaire Collective and Depop. Vestiaire now has a permanent space in store and we’ve introduced our own ‘RESELFRIDGES’ pre-loved offer and fashion rental service from HURR Collective.

6 MAY 2019

PALM IT OFF

Every 25 seconds, a football-pitch-sized area of rainforest is lost because of unsustainable palm-oil farming. So, we removed all palm oil from our Selfridges Selection range (and continue to use our Project Earth: For Nature label to highlight palm-oil alternatives).

2019

RECYCLED-PLASTIC GARMENT COVERS

Partnering with Jutexpo (the world’s leading eco-friendly reusable bag company), we launched the world’s first garment covers made from recycled plastic bottles.

2019

SELF-Sustainable podcasts

We teamed up with Jasmine Hemsley for a podcast series, exploring where luxury and sustainability can work as one.

23 AUGUST 2019

WE SIGNED THE FASHION PACT

At the G7 Summit we signed the Fashion Pact, an initiative that aims to create a more sustainable future for the fashion industry.

5 JUNE 2019

Roll up to the
Beauty Booth

Our Project Ocean Beauty Booth, in celebration of World Oceans Day 2019, promoted the reduction, reuse and recycling of bathroom products to help us all lead a plastic-conscious lifestyle.

2018

FIZZLING OUT PLASTIC BOTTLES

Following our 2015 ban of plastic water bottles, we removed single-use carbonated drinks bottles from all our stores.

3 MAY 2018

We make a pledge

Our Former Chairman, Alannah Weston, pledged to make a commitment to reducing single-use plastics every year on World Oceans Day until we have removed every plastic problem from our business.

2018

MAKING OUR STORES MORE SUSTAINABLE

We use everything from cutting-edge technology to recycled timber and plastic to make our stores more sustainable. In 2018, we revamped our Shoe Galleries using recycled glass and yoghurt pots.

2017

OUR CUPCYCLING SCHEME

We launched Cupcycling in collaboration with a paper mill in Cumbria, revamping our iconic yellow bags – 20% of their composition is now made up of recycled coffee cups.

2017

Put a label on it

To highlight products that are better for people and the planet, as part of our Buying Better, Inspiring Change initiative we launched handy physical labels and online edits.

2017

WE GO GREEN

As part of our commitment to reducing emissions, we converted to 100% renewable electricity from wind farms in our stores and offices.

2017

Think Positive Luxury

We launched a partnership with Positive Luxury, which certifies Luxury Brands through its Butterfly Mark. The Butterfly Mark is a third-party accreditation mark that identifies the luxury brands that meet the highest standards of verified innovation and environmental performance, offering transparency at points of sale and equipping consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions.

2017

THE LAST STRAW

Another step in our Project Ocean crusade against plastic waste, as of 2017 there are no plastic straws in our Foodhall and restaurants.

2017

WE GOT wastED

New York’s Blue Hill restaurants brought their wastED pop-up to London, turning food by-products into incredible recipes.

2017

MORE FOR OUR TROPHY CABINET

Our Project Ocean partnership with ZSL earned us the ‘Partnership with a National Charity’ title at the Better Society awards.

2017

MATERIAL WORLD

We asked “what on earth are you wearing?” with a creative scheme focused on sustainable fabrics, from Mongolian yakshmere to British wool.

JANUARY 2017

NO MORE ANGORA

Alongside our fur ban, we stopped selling any product containing rabbit angora.

2016

Buying Better, Inspiring Change

Putting sustainability at the heart of our business, we launched this strategy that covers our people, products and partners. That same year, the Intercontinental Group of Department Stores (IGDS) summit recognised our initiative with its first sustainability award.

2016

NO MORE MICROBEADS

Ahead of the national ban, we stopped selling any beauty products containing plastic microbeads.

2016

Bright New Things

We launched our first cohort of Bright New Things, supporting designers who put sustainability at the heart of their practice.

2016

OUR #ONELESS PLEDGE

We partnered with ZSL and pledged to help Londoners reduce the number of plastic bottles that enter the ocean by promoting reusable water bottles and later installing our water fountain on Duke Street.

2016

PLAYING WITH OUR FOOD

Our Executive Sous-chef, James Holah, came up with Less Waste More Taste: an initiative for turning food scraps into delicious recipes (think Scotch eggs made with yesterday’s breadcrumbs).

2015

BAGS FOR LIFE

60–80% of all marine debris is plastic; to help reduce pollution, we went plastic-free with our iconic yellow carrier bags.

2015

WE SAID NO TO SINGLE-USE PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES

13 billion bottles are used in the UK each year – as part of Project Ocean, we set about turning the tide on plastic pollution by banning single-use plastic water bottles from sale in our stores.

2014

Green Warriors started

Our community of over 200 Green Warriors, who work in all different areas of the business, come up with new ideas to make our business more sustainable and help to communicate key sustainability initiatives.

2014

SETTING THE (TRIPLE) STANDARD

We became the first UK department store to achieve The Carbon Trust Triple Standard – which recognises organisations that follow best practice in measuring, managing and reducing their environmental impact – and (humble brag) have retained it ever since.

NOVEMBER 2014

PROJECT OCEAN ON THE WORLD STAGE

A ZSL (Zoological Society London) delegation headed to Sydney for the once-in-a-decade World Parks Congress, where they addressed an audience of charities and government officials about the importance of Project Ocean in shifting consumer perceptions.

8 JUNE 2013

SAVE OUR SHARKS

Biting back against stereotypes around sharks – humans are responsible for killing 100 million a year – we launched a ‘Save Our Sharks’ exhibition and banned the sale of shark oil (squalene) from our Beauty Halls.

2012

Supporting marine conservation

On World Oceans Day, we co-founded the Marine Reserves Coalition (now called Great British Oceans) to support marine conservation overseas, publishing the first-ever league table of nations with marine-protected areas.

11 MAY 2011

NO MORE FISH IN THE SEA?

To coincide with the launch of Project Ocean, we stopped selling any endangered fish species in our Foodhalls and restaurants. Across our stores, we also removed any skins or animal-derived products that come from the ocean.

11 MAY 2011

PROJECT OCEAN

In 2011 we launched Project Ocean, our pioneering long-term partnership with ZSL to protect our oceans from overfishing and plastic pollution.

2009

FOIE GRAS IS OFF THE MENU

We care about animal welfare, so stopped selling foie gras in all of our Foodhalls and restaurants.

2005

WE SAID NO TO FUR

Committed to ethical trading, we announced a ban on any products containing animal fur. We’ve been rigorous ever since to ensure it never enters our stores.