Marks & Spencer has made “good progress” over the last year with its environmental initiative Plan A, despite tough conditions on the high street, according to its 2008 annual report.
The retailer has completed 94 of the 100 Plan A pledges set since it laid out its 100-point eco-plan in January 2007, which aims to make M&S carbon neural, ensure it sends no waste to landfill, extend sustainable sourcing, be a fair trading partner and help its customers and employees to lead healthier lifestyles.
Chief executive Sir Stuart Rose said in the report: “Our freeze on bio-fuels and greater emphasis on working in partnership with our suppliers to manage labour standards are examples of where Plan A has continues to evolve. The sheer scale of Plan A has forced us to rethink the way we measure, manage and report on social, environmental and ethical issues. We believe that we understand the issues involved and are making good progress - but we need to support this with stronger management systems. For this reason Richard Giles was appointed as director of Plan A in March 2008, to work across our business and improve the way we manage our performance.”
Some 15 months into its five-year plan, the retailer revealed that it is already seeing benefits in reduced energy and waste costs, savings in packaging costs and a roll on effect of these benefits on its suppliers. M&S claims that, across its food product lines, more than 70 per cent of the weight of packaging used is readily recyclable across most of the UK, and around 90 per cent would be recyclable if all local authorities provided consistent collection facilities. The retailer has also reduced its carbon dioxide and equivalent emissions (C02e) by nine per cent, which despite a five per cent increase in sales floor area, makes a cut of nearly 50,000 tonnes of C02e; improving energy usage in stores by four per cent on a like-for-like basis, and increasing the renewable electricity used in its stores, offices and warehouse to 23 per cent.
M&S has increased sales of organic food by more than 40 per cent this year, and now has offers more than 590 organic food lines, and research shows that M&S staff are generally more aware of, and more concerned about, environmental issues and show willingness to put Plan A into practice.
“One thing is clear: with trading conditions likely to remain tough, we must use Plan A to reduce costs, develop innovative new products and position M&S for future success,” said Giles in the report. “We think green and ethical issues will become more important in the medium- and long-term so we have to make it easier for our customers to feel their actions ‘make a difference’.”
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