Marks & Spencer, Britain’s biggest clothing retailer, puts sustainability high on the agenda. Its product line consists mainly of clothes, food, furniture and home accessories. The Marks & Spencer shops only sell their own brand.

M&S took on the challenge to become the most sustainable retailer, introducing their ecological and ethical strategy, ‘Plan A’, in January 2007. Most of the 100 measures put forward in the plan have been completed by now, which is why M&S launched a ‘Plan A 2020’ containing 100 new targets. These range from buying sustainable resources, collaborating with local partners and funding social projects to building eco shops.

• Responsible sourcing of materials: Marks & Spencer thinks it’s important to source their products in the most sustainable way possible. They work with fairtrade farmers and use organic cotton, recycled fibers and animal friendly beauty products. 
• M&S wants to buy as much food as possible (like fruit and vegetables) from local UK and Irish producers.
• Marks & Spencer also attaches importance to social and environmental projects all over the world, collaborating with organizations like UNICEF. For instance, they support projects on sustainable cotton in India, adapting to climate change together with Peruvian coffee farmers, leadership development in Africa and much more.
• In addition, M&S has launched several initiatives in their stores, such as surplus food distribution, or reselling, reusing or recycling unwanted clothes.
• Lastly, Marks & Spencer has built a number of eco stores in England.