Marks & Spencer (M&S) published its ‘2015 Plan A Report', the first since it launched the third stage of its Plan A sustainability strategy - Plan A 2020. The report has outlined a number of achievements made by the company over the last 12 months, including around 652,000 workers in M&S's clothing supply chain having received training on subjects such as financial literacy and health information and services.
M&S said that it has been working with its suppliers to help them become more efficient, reduce their environmental footprints, and provide better working conditions for their employees. As a result, 102 of its largest clothing factories have adopted energy efficiency measures, making estimated savings of 10 per cent. Now it aims to consult with customers and stakeholders on what they consider to be important about how and where M&S sources and produces its products. The retailer is hoping to respond by improving the information available by 2020.
M&S said it last year collated results from a small-scale online survey of sustainability specialists, a review of best practice by Forum for the Future, and a summary of findings from existing customers and public market research. This year, it has commissioned further research with GlobeScan, gathering the views of 172 sustainability specialists globally. In a further move to increase transparency in its supply chain, M&S plans to publish a list of its clothing suppliers - a goal the retailer said it has not yet started, but is aiming to publish by 2016.
M&S also outlined a number of new sustainable innovations, including its Footglove Earth shoes made from recycled and sustainably sourced materials. It has also started using mixed recycled fibres collected through its Shwopping clothes recycling scheme to make Topaz filling for use in mattresses. The company has also started a two-year project – Redress - with the University of Cambridge, Institute for Manufacturing, to investigate opportunities to increase the volume and value of garment recovery.
