DDi - October 2013 - (Page 12)
12 | Newsworthy
| Sustainability
Marks & Spencer’s Plan A
(because there is no Plan B)
D
Photos: Courtesy of Marks & Spencer
espite a challenging economic climate
that has contributed to eight straight
quarters of decline in the fashion categories of its business and overall declines in profitability, U.K. department store retailer Marks &
Spencer says it is committed to sticking with its
“Plan A,” a corporate social responsibility (CSR)
platform considered to be the most comprehensive of any major retailer anywhere in the world.
The program came about in 2007, after thenchief executive Sir Stuart Rose read Al Gore’s “An
Inconvenient Truth” and decided his business
should take a leadership position around environmental and social responsibility—believing a
sustainable business could be a profitable one and
also because “there’s no Plan B for our planet.”
Starting with a 100-point, five-year plan,
estimated at the time to cost $350 million to
implement, Plan A has since expanded to include
180 commitments to be achieved by 2015, covering everything from the working conditions of
factories that supply the company to emissions,
recycling, facilities management and even a program called “Schwop” that encourages customers
to donate used clothing to benefit local charities.
The results are impressive:
• Since the program’s inception, the company’s
emissions have been reduced 23 percent and net
CO2 emissions from operations in the U.K. and
Republic of Ireland are zero.
• M&S stores, offices and warehouses sent no
waste to landfills last year and achieved a 28 percent reduction in their volumes of waste overall.
• Since 2010, the company has provided
training and education around health, employee
rights and financial literacy to 244,000 workers
in its supply chain in India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia,
Bangladesh and China.
• Fifty percent of products sold—more than
a billion last year—have a Plan A eco or ethical
quality, such as being Fairtrade, carbon neutral,
made from sustainable materials or delivering
health benefits to the consumer.
• Through successful customer engagement,
3.8 million garments were donated last year
through the Schwop program, contributing more
than $4 million to charity.
• The net benefit of Plan A to the business is
up 29 percent year over year and is credited with
adding almost $210 million for reinvestment in
the last 12 months alone.
While the company clearly is hitting high
notes in performance and accolades, it already
has delivered on 139 of its 180 commitments and
earned more than 150 sustainability awards in the
process. A compelling aspect of Marks & Spencer’s strategy comes from the fact that Plan A isn’t
just about delivering value through its own operations, but instead also looks to deliver results by
recruiting the help of everyone connected to the
business, both customers and suppliers alike.
While other department store retailers have
made CSR programs part of their overall plan, few
have made it as visible as Marks & Spencer. In recent interviews, current CEO Marc Bolland claims
his company avoided scandals (such as tainted
horse meat found in competitors’ food products
and the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh)
because of how entrenched Plan A’s operating principles are within the business, something he claims
is generating significant trust with customers.
Ultimately, Plan A is an example that profit and
social conscience aren’t mutually exclusive, and, in
fact, form a strategy worth considering given the
growing awareness consumers have around their
purchase decisions and the values of those companies they choose to spend their money with.
—ROBERT HOCKING
|
October 2013
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - October 2013
DDi - October 2013
Contents
From the Editor
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Editor’s Choice
Design Snapshot
Restoration Hardware (RH)
Converse
American Express
State of the Retail Design Industry 2013
Right Light
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
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