Plan A 2025: M&S paves the way for a sustainable future

London - Marks & Spencer may not be the most vocal when it comes to their sustainability commitments, but the fact remains that British department store group is one of the leading retailers when its comes to responsible production and consumption. In order to achieve its goal of becoming an international multichannel retailer which leads the way for sustainability M&S has launched a new Plan A for 2025 which builds on the success of the first 10 years of Plan A.

M&S unveils sustainable plan for the future under Plan A 2025

M&S’s new environmental and ethical Plan A is said to be ambitious, as it focuses on the customers, aims to support 1,000 communities, help 10 million people live better lives while transforming the department store group into a zero-waste business. In order to achieve these goals, Marks and Spencer has designed a three-pillar plan to help tackle the biggest issues retailers, consumers and businesses face today when it comes to sustainability. The new pillars take customer and colleague wellbeing into account, as well as communities and workers lives and the overall health of the planet.

“Marks & Spencer has been at the forefront of social change for 133 years and we’re determined to play a leading role in the years ahead,” commented Steve Rowe, Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer. “Plan A 2025 will help us build a sustainable future by helping our customers live healthier lives, supporting the communities they live in and we source from and looking after the planet we all share. We believe we can engage all of our 32 million customers, 85,000 colleagues and 200,000 shareholders in the plan that becomes a mass voice for sustainable change.”

"Plan A 2025 will help us build a sustainable future"

Plan A 2025 is said to have been designed to help inspire consumers to be the best they can be and take on an active role in helping society become better through an array of new commitments. For example, new commitments laid out in Plan A 2025 Wellbeing section include incentivising and rewarding customers for making healthy choices by 2019, making sure that at least half of its global food sales come from healthier products by 2022, and raising 25 million pounds for charities battling a wide range of diseases, such as cancer, dementia and other mental health issues. In addition, the department store group aims to see 20 percent of all its clothing have a Plan A health or wellbeing attribute by 2025 - although what this exactly means remains to be seen.

Under its Caring for the Planet pillar, M&S hopes to make substantial improvements to its environmental footprint and go further by making its entire business model zero waste from its operations to its supply chains and products. Under this pillar, Marks & Spencer has committed to making all of its packaging ‘widely recyclable’ by 2022 and halving its food waste by 2025. M&S has also committed to ensuring all of its raw materials come from sustainable sources by 2025, including cotton by 2019. What’s more, by 2025 at least ¼ of all M&S Clothing and Home products will be made using 25 percent recycled material under this pillar. In addition, M&S aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent in its own operations by 2030 and cut emissions in its supply chain by 13.3 million tonnes, a scientific based target.

M&S launches three-pillar scheme for sustainable future

But it is perhaps M&S commitment to transforming lives and communities which is set to make the biggest impact. Under this pillar of Plan A 2025 M&S aims to play a transformative role in communities through the launch of a new 10 community pilot. By 2020, these 10 locations are set to have complete programmes developed by M&S which aim to secure economic, social and environmental benefits. Later on, M&S aims to build on these pilots and roll out the programme to an additional 100 locations across the UK and internationally by 2023, ultimately sharing its programme to 1,000 locations by 2025.

“It’s so important that M&S, one of the world’s most trusted and well-loved companies, keeps raising the bar on what it means to be a sustainable retailer,” said Jonathon Porritt, Chair of the Plan A Advisory Board. “On all the big challenges – supply chain, climate, food waste, living wage, human rights, packaging, community investment and so on – the pressure is intensifying and expectations rising. It’s great to see M&S leading the way here.”

"It’s so important that M&S keeps raising the bar on what it means to be a sustainable retailer"

The department store group is also set to launch a new collaboration with Oxfam, which sees M&S working with the charity over the next three years to develop a deeper understanding of the impact of its sourcing practices on human rights in India. Oxfam will report the findings independently, whilst M&S will develop a programme of actions and report annually on progress from 2018. Lastly, the M&S Global Community Programme is set to help a million people in M&S’ supply chain communities to help build livelihoods and protect the environment over the next seven years.

Marks & Spencer rolls out Plan A 2025

“The first 10 years of Plan A have given us the confidence to embrace a sustainable future," added Mike Barry, Director of Plan A at Marks & Spencer. "Plan A 2025 is now our plan for a future in which a truly sustainable M&S can, in partnership with our customers and stakeholders, have a positive impact in all we do. It will force us to address questions for which we don’t have all the answers to yet and collaborate with others to drive true change across consumer goods industries.”

M&S is set to support its new Plan A 2025 with a marketing campaign in stores and online, which includes its first ever complete store take-over, with every single M&S window featuring a Plan A message. M&S’ 70 biggest stores will have a dedicated welcome zone that details what the store is doing to support its local community. The department store group is set to report on its progress on Plan A 2025 every June and has pledged to have its commitments assured by independent auditors and M&S’ own audit team.

Photos: Courtesy of M&S