Marks & Spencer plots to be world's most sustainable retailer by 2015
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Marks & Spencer has unveiled new plans to become the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015 with a host of new commitments under its ethical ’Plan A’ programme.
The retailer has unveiled 80 new commitments under the programme, including the conversion of 50% of its food, home and clothing items across 36,000 lines to Plan A status over the next five years.
To achieve the benchmark, each product must have at least one ethical or sustainable quality, such as being made with free range ingredients.
M&S wants all of its products to comply by 2020 and is encouraging suppliers to put best practice in place.
The company also said it will work with clothing suppliers in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India to agree a fair, living wage for workers after a pilot programme in Bangladesh.
Marks & Spencer executive chairman, Sir Stuart Rose, says: “We believe sustainability is a key ingredient of business success and that Plan A will continue to make us more efficient, develop new markets and build customer loyalty. It’s therefore not just the right thing to do morally but also makes strong commercial sense.”
Plan A was launched in 2007 and included 100 commitments in five areas including climate change, sustainable raw materials, waste and health.
The retailer - which says it has achieved 46 of these original commitments up to now - points out that the ethical drive has saved it £50m in efficiencies so far.
Readers' comments (5)
Anonymous | Mon, 1 Mar 2010 11:40 am
Utter greenwash. Whenever I go to M&S, they always give me a bag without asking - even for one item. I complained twice to M&S, yet their staff continue to do this.
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Steve Hewson | Mon, 1 Mar 2010 11:43 am
If Plan A delivers real sustainability and genuine social benefits in developing areas of the world that has to be a good thing. There is a huge appetite from consumers to support these moves and if they can provide business savings into the bargain so much the better.
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Ian Jones | Mon, 1 Mar 2010 12:29 pm
Perhaps they can start by making some of their packaging recyclable. M&S makes grand claims about this in its press advertisements but in reality they are one of the worst offenders on the High Street. Virtually nothing you buy from them comes in recyclable packaging. Tin cans and wine bottles don't count.
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Jamie | Mon, 1 Mar 2010 3:12 pm
I hope they arent just hijacking the green bandwagon and exhausting its fuel!
If it turns out how they plan then it can only be a good thing, and if it is a success, then obviously others will follow suit.
If it gets to that, then the big supermarkets are going to be under a huge amount of scrutiny.
Always a good thing ;)
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Jon Staines | Wed, 3 Mar 2010 5:15 pm
If 'there's no Plan B', why didn't they just call it:
'The Plan'?
'Plan A - because there's no Plan B' always makes them look a bit daft.
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