Marks and Sparks turn big on the environment, but Birmingham?

• Mar. 5 by Ben Harrow (0)

Despite Marks and Spencer’s aim to become ‘the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015′, their proposed presence in the West Midlands is questionable.

The eco and ethical plan, entitled ‘Plan A’, outlines bold and adventurous plans to take on the environment almost single-handedly in the retail sector.

However localised targets are not being set and in the long run this may damage or destroy the aims of Marks and Spencer as a whole.

Marks and Spencer’s environmental plan

Founded in 2007, Marks and Spencer hit the ground running, ‘committing to change 100 things over five years –because we’ve only got one world and time is running out’.

They are already revolutionary with their saving of 387 million food carrier bags, re-using over 130 million clothes hangers and using 1,500 tonnes of recycled polyester for bottled drinks.

Their aims planned out over the next five years focus a lot on recycling, as these examples show:

• Collect at least 70% of the clothing hangers we use and re-use at least 85% of these by 2012.
• Help our customers to recycle 20 million items of clothing each year by 2015.
• Ensuring that by 2012 all packaging can be easily recycled or composted…

Why use local targets?

Local targets for local sources would increase commitment to the whole scheme, increase the public’s access to successes and failures, and increase that community-strong image that Marks and Spencers have created over the years.

What they are doing is brave, and successes up to now seem to be great in number but show signs of losing control.

A close-combat approach would gain all the more appreciation in The Midlands, and certainly encourage those environmentally shy to take more notice.

So where are the targets committing to completely filling lorries from their Shropshire dairy farms to packaging plants and then retailers in the Midlands by 2012?

What about committing to recycling or reusing all clothing hangers through Birmingham’s Rag Market and Oxfam links in 2010?

Are Marks and Spencers simply pitching plans and limited successes at an environmentally conscious audience, hoping to reinforce that image of the caring-sharing slightly more expensive Primark?