Waitrose has brought back its green token voting stations to give shoppers a say regarding support for local charities and community projects.
The retailer first introduced the Community Matters initiative in 2008. However, it was forced to remove the tokens and voting stations from stores in 2020 as a result of the Covid pandemic. Since then, Waitrose has continued to donate to good causes but without the involvement of its in-store customers. To date, the scheme has donated over £50m to good causes across the country.
Just as before, customers will receive tokens from checkout operators, which they can drop into one or all of three ballot boxes named after the chosen community project. In its latest iteration, the results will be decided every quarter and the project with the most votes in each store will receive £1,500, while the second and third will receive £1,000 and £500 respectively.
Waitrose said it had “refocused the causes and programmes being supported” with projects linked to food given greater focus. At least one of three projects available to vote on would be food-related, the retailer confirmed.
“Our greatest love at Waitrose is of course food. It’s what gets us excited for work every day and it connects every partner no matter what their role,” said Waitrose interim MD Tina Mitchell.
“However, what also connects us is the communities we live and serve within, so we’re equally invested in the causes and programmes which strive to make a real difference in the towns and cities we care most about.
“We hope customers will be as happy as we are to see the return of our voting stations this week, and we look forward to hearing those green tokens dropping into the slots once more.
Charities and community projects can be nominated by customers or they can put themselves forward.
John Lewis Partnership director of ethics & sustainability Marija Rompani added: “We’d be nothing without the communities that are home to our stores. Through Community Matters, we can make a difference to the lives of local people through our love of food.
“It’s an exciting moment, as this programme has already donated over £50m to good causes. Now, with the return of our green tokens, customers can help us support local causes that are truly important to the people who live there.”
Waitrose was keen to allay fears over the use of plastic and has pointed out that that the tokens will be made from 100% recycled nylon.
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