While Tony Blair tells the world he will not be cutting back on long haul holidays, we are fortunate in being able to look to Marks & 
Spencer as our eco champion. They are spending £200 million over the next five years on going green, planning to become the country’s most environmentally friendly retailer.
They are not doing it in a half-hearted way either. They are making major changes, including sending no more waste to landfill, reducing CO2 emissions by 80% and trialling the use of food waste to power their stores.
Stuart Rose is very canny, he has captured the mood of the moment, as well as meeting pressing environmental needs. He believes, like myself, that more people are switched on to environmentally friendly initiatives than people give credit for. Stuart Rose is a shrewd operator and will have done his homework before agreeing to a 100-point eco-plan, he is confident M & S will remain profitable, that they will have public support, that it will enhance their reputation. I am even be tempted to buy shares in their company, even though I don’t own any at all, because I applaud this move.
It is this kind of excellent example that will make other companies rethink their green initiatives. I admire every word Stuart Rose says, because these are the actions I could see we needed long ago, but our Government was too ineffective to push them along:
“Every business and individual needs to do their bit to tackle the enormous challenges of climate change and waste. While M&S will continue to sell great quality, stylish and innovative products, our customers, employees and shareholders now expect us to take bold steps and do business differently and responsibly. We believe a responsible business can be a profitable business. We are calling this “Plan A” because there is no ‘plan B’.
“M&S will change beyond recognition the way it operates over the next five years. We will become carbon neutral, only using offsetting as a last resort; we will ensure that none of our clothing or packaging needs to be thrown away; much of our polyester clothing will be made from recycled plastic bottles instead of oil and every year we will sell over 20 million garments made from Fairtrade cotton.
“We will clearly label the food we import by air; UK, regional and local food sourcing will be a priority and we will trial the use of food waste to power our stores. We will do this without passing on the extra cost to our customers.
“We will also help our suppliers and customers to change their behaviour. Because we are own-brand our influence extends to over 2,000 factories, 10,000 farms and 250,000 workers, as well as millions of customers visiting over 500 stores in the UK.
“This is a deliberately ambitious and, in some areas, difficult plan. We don’t have all the answers but we are determined to work with our suppliers, partners and Government to make this happen. Doing anything less is not an option.”
Rose knows others will follow their lead, I predict he will be given an honour for this innovative step. He’s listened to his customers – no more wasted packaging being one of the biggest bugbears.
It reminds me of an interview I had for a freelance press job with one of the country’s top home builders about four years ago. I mentioned that they should build eco-homes homes and develop this brand to give them an edge against their rivals. I suggested that they should have communal recycling facilities on new estates, chutes in flats, lots more trees and nature areas, but they didn’t want to know. I told them that it would be legislated if they didn’t take it on board, that they could be leaders instead of followers. The reply was that they were only interested in making money. I didn’t get the job, btw, and I wouldn’t want to work for a company that was so small minded.
I very much like Rose’s plan to clearly label food imports, that local foods will be a priority. This plan has got to be a winner. Do you think so too?
Interesting. Did you happen to notice that Mand s are at the forefront of the new investors piling into India which has just opened up. This , marvellous news for India , will of course undo all the supposed good of their Greenery and I am dubious about Green as a marketing ploy .
Marks and Spencer have had agood run recently because of the weakness of their rivals but they have a history of getting things wrong and I wonder about this .
In reality they maintain prememinence by holding costs very low and outsourcing supply to cocuntries where there is avastly different attitude to all kinds of virtuous social bullying.
China for exaample whose growth is worthba the whole of the UK`s pollution every 8 months .
I suspect that this is apreemptive strike . mand S are likely to come in for criticism for supporting child Labour and slave conditions world wide. the phrase”help our suppliers to change their behaviour” is key I think.
The world of enviromentalism is always much larger and more complex than Greenies would have us believe. You are right though this is much more positive than hectoring and bullying from the left which is always an excuse for more control higher taxes and more commissars of carbon
I see below you are still confusing the weather and the enviroment ;bless.
I think it is important for peole who wish the envirorment well to be rigorous in what they say. the danger that it will become a state con are already apparent and there is no reason for any real disagreement here.
Thanks for that
I think you will find that in alot of areas Boots are leading the way in this field. However they perhaps haven’t made a song and dance about it as much. They even have Europe’s most efficent combined heat and power station at their Head office site – and control centrally the lights at a number of stores thus cutting CO2 emissions. Retailing has often led the way on the environmental agenda.
Air travel is a red-herring Ellee but Stuart Rose’s green ruse is welcome. He’s probably done it to get one over on Phillip Green and to ensure increased shareholder value.
I’m not a lover of the green bandwagon Ellee much of it is done out of hatred and jealousy towards capitalism, however all of us must take some responsibility to recycle items. Common sense really. Loved your story about that job. So many firms and organizations in this country lack vision.
Carry on.
Many thanks for writing up the full story Ellee. I particularly like power generation from waste, though large shops have lots of roof space to put various forms of solar power for both heat and electicity generation.
In fact my only quibble with Mr Rose is the dreadful American use of the word “store”.
Oh come on Ellee! Will you no longer be flying long haul? It’s the first sensible thing that Tony Blair has said in ages!
I assume you do not have a dishwasher at home due to it’s high water consumption! Are you vegetarian to help reduce the negative environmental impact of keeping livestock?
Should people stop buying tea and coffee or exotic fruits!?!
What about the environmental pollution caused by the cement industry? Is this factored into the 2012 Olympic Games!?!
Could Britain be self-sufficient AND organic? Or even anywhere like self-sufficient?
I only heard the end of the news report and I wondered who it was. They have good intentions.
Snafu, You don’t have to live in a bubble to be environmentally friendly, but you should do your utmost to reduce your carbon emissions.
I didn’t fly anywhere last year (went on a ship instead), and only once the year before to Greece. I’m pretty confident that aviation fuel will be greener one day too.
In 20 years time, you could find that we are buying considerably more locally produced foods as a result (probably not tea and coffee). When people adapt to green initiatives, it affects their way of thinking too. I went to Dublin to research an article on the plastic bag tax and shoppers there told me it made them feel more environmentally friendly, just that one action made them care more about green issues.
I’m afraid I do own up to having a dishwasher, my husband says it was our best wedding present as he doesn’t like cooking and usually ends up at the kitchen sink!
Ken Livingstone feels we can`t be green in London unless he takes over. This is excatly what worries me about it all.
Newmania, Ken Livingstone has failed totally on green issues, do not believe a word he says.
Ellee, perhaps 20 years from now the UK will be self-sufficient in tea and coffee thanks to the greenhouse effect!
I do remember meeting up with Michael Meacher once and some others when he was Environment Secretary, he was really keen to push the green agenda, but found he had no support from Cabinet, the priorities were always health and education, etc. Now it is catch up time.
I’m cynical. It’s a great marketing ploy he has there! If M&S really wanted to be green, they’d encourage people to make their own meals from scratch! I hope he gets their staff trained in good customer service as well, as I used to find it abysmal in their Cardiff store.
Elee my point about king Ken was that the enviroment can be used for political agendas. High tax , statist and busybodying ones generally. I was pleased to see that David Cameron has spotted the danger here.
Sounds like a really great plan to me. We need some of that here.
And house swapping….what a fun idea. Doubt if our tiny place would be of interest to anyone though LOL
As for David Attenborough`s predictions….scary. It does seem like it`s happening though. We`ve just gotten our first snow of the winter. I had spring bulbs springing up the other day. Unheard of.
We`ve been dumped on about 4 inches but I wonder if it`s here to stay? BBQ weather is wht it`s been here as well before this lot.
tea
xo
Maybe If tony hadn’t screwed up the Common Agricultural Policies whilst in Europe we would have an agriculural base for producing more home grown food. We managed to maximise the produce from farming during the second world war, why can’t we do now the green bandwagon has started to roll
Re food, I think it important to recognise that it is economically more efficient to have farms in across Europe produce our food. In fact the food miles created by this process are less than that produced from lots of local farms selling to lots of local people (more trips, you see; think economies of scale).
So the local food thing can also be a red-herring so to speak. On Waste the issue is very different and I am pleased to see the prviate sector at last focus on excess packaging and waste management.
Whether they mean it or not is another thing. We should keep an eye on this story as it progresses. Lots of firms use green issues as a cover these days.
Welshcakes, You are a cynic, but I do agree that they never seem to have staff around to help and advise. I’m not a regular M & S shopper, so I don’t know if this has improved.
I think Twiggy was a great marketing ploy for them, but what they are doing here is totally different and inspirational on the environemtnal front. It is most encouraging.
Newmania, I have checked some figures from a story I wrote about London and reycling in 2004. Only seven out of 33 London boroughs achieved their government set recycling targets for 2003/04. I think that says it all.
If we could be sure it wasn’t a stunt and if I were in the country, I’d certainly swing my custom over to them or at least go through M&S first before going elsewhere.
Ellee – as someone who works in the food industry I agree that local food is the way forward. Knowing the provenance of your food is very important to a lot of people. Look at the rise in the popularity of local farmers markets around the country. Consumers want to be able to talk directly to the producers of their food. They also value the opportunity of giving feedback on products. An example of this is the Innocent smoothy people – they started with a stall at a farmers market asking people if they should make them full time. Look at them now, a multi-million pound business. You don’t get that with supermarkets. Stuart Rose, whilst being admirable in his intentions, still wants consumers to buy pre-packaged food at inflated prices and relies on them being time poor in order to make a profit.
However good & popular buying local food is/will beocme, there will stil be issues with foodstuffs that come from only certain parts of the world – foie gras & Puy lentils from France, Parma Ham & Parmesan from Italy etc etc. Yes they can come via land instead of by plane which will cut their carbon footprint slightly but that will only result in increased costs to the consumers.
Many people tend to see ‘green issues’ as a gimmick, while not realising the implications. A politician needs to have recognised credentials in this area.
Mr R, I agree with all the points you raise. It doesn’t make sense to sell pre-packaged food after pledging to eliminate unnecessary packaging, let’s wait and see what happens.
I also agree with you about food imports, there will always be speciality foods that are desirable, but maybe they will become priced out of the market by increased air fares and other unforseen taxes.
The difficile way to be really green
Ellee – I sincerely hope that some of the Apelation Controle foodstuffs do not become too expensive in the future due to increasd taxes. What would a risotto be without parmesan for instance? I happen to like foie gras, Puy lentils, truffles etc. I readily admit that the British have some of the best cheeses in the world but I like French cheese too. A Somerset brie is not bad, but a brie de Maux is in a different league altogether. All these products are expensive enough without green taxes being added on top.
Any genuine attempt to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels is to be welcomed. But, like Welshcakes, I start smelling rats when businessmen talk like this; one has to wonder what the “hidden agenda” might be.
Mr R, I can tell you enjoy fine foods, I’m sure you will be able to continue doing so. And don’t forget a fine glass of claret too!
Jim, This time next year we will hopefully see this strategy take effect. It will greatly enhance M & S’s CSR reputation, this is something which will become increasingly important in future years. In fact, the EU is trying to legislate it at the moment to make it compulsory for all small businesses.
This is a really positive move. Its good that one of the retail giants is showing leadership. We’ve only recently in my area started full recycling and it’s become a real pain trying to compost or recycle all the junk you get alongside your weekly groceries.
Makes a lot of sense. Many premium buyers are prepared to pay for knowing that “this isn’t just wine… this is organic fairtrade viognier, pressed by the feet of the handmaidens of Delphi”.
They already pay more for it at M&S than elsewhere, and M&S can take a bit of a hit on profits in order to raise volume by getting customers back from Waitrose.
Its good that one of the retail giants is showing leadership.
Eeek thats not what a company is for its for making profits for its shareholders. There is something nasty about this Blairite government by exhortation and inevitably it puts the focus on the showy and worthless.
Ellee you know perfectly well that M and S source products with brutal amoraality from anywhere in the world. Don`t you feel you might have out this in context ?
M and S have come back by atending rigidly to bottom line value and I will be amazed if they jepoardise that. If they do it will be the end of him and that shows you why do-gooding is not a serious way to tackle anything.
I do not agree with you Elee that “people are switched on”. If you were to look at the Boris Johnson site now you would see that people are suspicious that it is a state ploy to extract taxes and control.
There is also a feeling that a lot of green posts=uring is actually a ways of asserting class superiority. I betcha Mand S have focus groups telling them about that!!! They will , no doubt be looking for the mother load of a perverse demand curve.
What about having tax breaks for Green research and products ? Until we see such thngs why should we believe there is anyhting more to this than a state con.
I have previously turned up here and shared information on the true state of the Globe and I think I can fairly say that no one had anyhting rem,otely convincuing to say in answer to my questions and complaints.
Elee , you see how left wing you are , even David Cameron has clearly shown he understands these concerns and he is wetter than wet.
NOT that there is anyhting wrong or evil in such good wishes I hasten to add.( Probably to late)
I`m, relying on recent linking activities to retain my spot in your good books
Newmania, Labour has had an appalling record on environemntal issues and is only now sitting up because of the pressure placed by David Cameron. Tony Juniper from Friends of the Earth last summer told me they regarded Conservatives as their green champions, an unlikely alliance, but true.
Domestic waste only amounts to about 25% of the total produced in the UK which we need businesses to show they are serious about it too. I do not want to see the public being hit with endless taxes to make it pay because that will not engage the public at all, it will alienate them. I am not an economist and don’t have the answers for this yet, but I hope to learn more about possible alternative winnable options.
Ellee – sorry for the delay in replying to your post of last night, had an early start so early to bed. Just returned from the stove-face, playing/working with the fine foods you mention. The price of truffles this year, especially the white ones, were astronomical, and I’m in the trade. Good knows what green taxes will do to these speciality foods. As for fine wine I am into Argentinian reds at the moment. No doubt their carbon footprint is large but on a bang per bucks basis they are more worthwhile than many French reds at present.
Back to M&S – their seductive & slick advertising of their pre-packed food is all very well but I am with Tim Arnold’s post of this morning on this; they will either take a small hit on their profit line or they will pass on the extra cost dirtect to the consumers. Also if they want to go green why not cut down on the amount of packaging on their ready meals? From what I can see people waste about 2 minutes trying to open a packet of something that takes 5 minutes to microwave and are then left with loads of cardboard and plastic to get rid of. If you want to have a quick meal with minimal packaging try nature’s best packaged quick-cook food – eggs!
Mr R, It is a pity M & S doesn’t have a blog so we can ask these questions directly. I have a friend who is an M & S shareholder and she is quite vocal at shareholder meetings, that might be one way of expressing any concerns or opinions in the presence of Stuart Rose.
There are regulations regarding packaging, making companies responsible for its recovery. It is one topic shoppers complain about constantly. Packaging is only essential for hygiene reasons.
http://www.letsrecycle.com/legislation/packaging_waste.jsp
I’m wondering if you are a chef or in the restaurant business, you certainly like your fine foods and wine. I shall certainly check out Tim Arnold’s post.
Mr R, I confused Tim Arnold with Tim Almond whose site I visit. If you send me the link for Tim Arnold, I will check it out.
Sorry Ellee I@m tired and have lost my ability to read – I meant Tim Almond. In answer to your question I am a chef. And for my sins a friend of the man from Croydon.
Mr R, Delighted to hear you keep good company. I hope you make sure he is well fed.
Newmania – ‘This is much more positive than hectoring and bullying from the left’ – got to agree with that. After all, a lot of this green ‘carbon footprint’ stuff is shibboleth nonsense. The real issue is population growth, consumerism and the virulent way that businesses gobble at resources in the absence of controls – wouldn’t you say?
In the absence of birth controls and closed borders I’d say ‘ethical’ business leadership is about the best thing we can hope for.
Big businesses are all too keen to ape and outdo the latest role model after all, however cynical they might be.
I make sure he actually eats instead of spending all his time blogging!!!
Mr R, Do you feed him white truffles and foie gras?
Ellee – no I do not. He may be a mate but there is a limit you know. Chefs work hard but are totally underpaid. He gets a good line in cheese and other nice stuff – we shared a vacherin recently. In his defence I have to say he makes a mean cup of coffee.
Mr R, He is certainly lucky to have a friend like you, but you deserve more than a coffee by way of reward. I’m sure he looks after you well too. You can also take pleasure in the fact that you are boosting his creativity by feeding his brain cells.
Ellee – the Croydonian is a good man and a truer friend no man could wish for.