M&S Plan A shows going green pays dividends

Environmental issues show no signs of slipping down the list of concerns of UK consumers, despite ongoing economic uncertainty. A ComRes survey, found that 72% of people surveyed are worried about environmental issues, with 73% saying that the recession had not changed their level of concern.

The survey was commissioned by M&S, which coincidentally (or not, as the case may be) has just announced that it has supercharged its eco and ethical manifesto known as Plan A and outlined ambitious plans to become the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015.

M&S launched its high profile Plan A campaign in January 2007 with 100 commitments and an overall goals of making M&S carbon neutral, sending no waste from operations to landfill, extending sustainable sourcing, setting new standards in ethical trading and helping customers and employees live a healthier lifestyle.

The UK’s favourite knicker shop knows a good business story when it sees one and pledging to save the planet single-handedly has been a veritable eco coup for the company.

Sir Stuart Rose, chairman of Marks & Spencer, said that since the launch, M&S had reduced its environmental impact, developed new sustainable products and services and saved around £50m by being more efficient.

And far more than ‘green wash’, a quick glance at some of the facts of figures proves that the initiative has already more than paid dividends. In 2009/10, Plan A delivered 250,000 customers for M&S Energy, cut CO2 emissions by 40,000 tonnes, reduced 10,000 tonnes of packaging, diverted 20,000 tonnes of waste from landfill, saved 387 million food carrier bags and generated £15m for charities (the list continues...)

"Our extended Plan A will reach further and move us faster - covering every part of our business and reaching out to forests, farms, factories, lorries, warehouses and into our customers’ and employees’ homes," Rose said in a statement. "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."

Mind you, all those pledges to be green and sustainable have done little to help M&S chief Stuart Rose’s personal business case, as M&S finds itself under increasing pressure from blue-chip investors to slash Rose's £1.13m pay package. You can almost guarantee that wasn’t part of his Plan A.