In August 2018 Ethical Consumer sent a questionnaire to Waterstones, which included a question about the company's environmental policy. No response was received. The company's website was searched. No policy could be found.
An environmental policy was deemed necessary to report on its environmental performance and set targets for the future. A strong policy would include two future, quantified targets, demonstrate that the company had a reasonable understanding of its main impacts, be dated within the previous two years and be independently verified.
Waterstones had none of these, therefore it received Ethical Consumer's worst rating for Environmental Reporting.

In August 2018 Ethical Consumer searched the Foyles website, www.foyles.co.uk, and found that the company sold vinyl LPs, which are made with PVC. This material had been criticised by environmental campaign groups such as Greenpeace the for its negative environmental impact in production, use and disposal.
As such the company lost half a mark under Pollution & Toxics.

In August 2018 Ethical Consumer viewed the Waterstones website www.waterstones.com and found that the company sold leather-bound books, however, it was not considered to form a substantial part of its business. As a result the company lost half a mark under Ethical Consumer’s Animal Rights category.
It also lost half a mark Pollution and Toxics category for the following reason. Leather, as the hide of a dead animal, naturally decomposes. To prevent this decomposition the leather industry uses a cocktail of harmful chemicals to preserve leather, including trivalent chromium sulphate, sodium sulphide, sodium sulfhydrate, arsenic and cyanide. Tannery effluent also contains large amounts of other pollutants, such as protein, hair, salt, lime sludge and acids. These can all pollute the land, air and water supply, making it a highly polluting industry.

In August 2018 Ethical Consumer viewed the W&G Foyle website www.foyles.co.uk and found that the company sold leather-bound books, however, it was not considered to form a substantial part of its business. As a result the company lost half a mark under Ethical Consumer’s Animal Rights category.
It also lost half a mark Pollution and Toxics category for the following reason. Leather, as the hide of a dead animal, naturally decomposes. To prevent this decomposition the leather industry uses a cocktail of harmful chemicals to preserve leather, including trivalent chromium sulphate, sodium sulphide, sodium sulfhydrate, arsenic and cyanide. Tannery effluent also contains large amounts of other pollutants, such as protein, hair, salt, lime sludge and acids. These can all pollute the land, air and water supply, making it a highly polluting industry.

In August 2018, Ethical Consumer searched the Waterstones website, www.waterstones.com, for the company's timber soucing policy. None was found.
The company primarily sold books and as such Ethical Consumer would expect the company to have a policy that limited the amount of paper sold from virgin sources.
Due to a lack of policy, the company received Ethical Consumer's worst rating for timber sourcing and lost a whole mark under Habitats and Resources.

In August 2018, Ethical Consumer searched the Foyles website, www.foyles.co.uk, for the company's timber soucing policy. None was found.
The company primarily sold books and as such Ethical Consumer would expect the company to have a policy that limited the amount of paper sold from virgin sources.
Due to a lack of policy, the company received Ethical Consumer's worst rating for timber sourcing and lost a whole mark under Habitats and Resources.