Marks & Spencer (M&S) announces a programme to be the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015, launching 80 major new commitments under M&S’ eco and ethical plan, Plan A.
The new commitments will mean M&S ensure all its products become ‘Plan A products’ with at least one sustainable quality, enable our 2,000 suppliers to adopt Plan A best practice and encourage M&S customers and employees to live ‘greener’ lifestyles.
They include:
— Converting all 2.7 billion individual M&S food, clothing and home items (across 36,000 product lines) sold every year into ‘Plan A products’, so that each carries at least one sustainable or ethical quality. M&S will aim to convert 50% of our products by 2015 and 100% by 2020;
— Encouraging 21 million M&S customers to live a more sustainable lifestyle starting today with the launch of a new competition – Your Green Idea – for customers to submit their ideas for ‘green’ actions for M&S to adopt. The winning idea will receive over €100,000 to be spent on ‘greening’ an organisation such as a school, charity or small business;
— Helping the suppliers create 200 ‘Plan A’ factories with either ethical or environmental features, or both, and encouraging 10,000 farmers who produce our fresh foods to join our sustainable agriculture programme;
— Becoming the first major retailer to ensure full traceability of all the key raw materials used in our clothing and home products including cotton, wool, polyester, nylon, leather and wood;
— Launching a five-year £50m Plan A incubator fund to support the development of innovative new ‘Plan A’ products and services at M&S;
Marks & Spencer first launched its ethical and eco plan, Plan A, in January 2007. The original 100 commitments maintain their 2012 target, with 46 achieved already. Full details about Plan A and these new commitments can be found at www.marksandspencer.com/corporate.