Apr 30 2007
Marks & Spencer announces that it is to enter into a unique five-year partnership with BRE, the leading research and consultancy group for sustainability.
The partnership, which is the first of its kind in retail, will see M&S and the BRE team work together on ways of helping M&S achieve its Plan A* targets to become carbon neutral, send no waste to landfill and extend the use of sustainable raw materials by 2012.
M&S is increasing its store space by up to 20 per cent over the next five years and, in the biggest programme in the UK, is continuing to refurbish all of its stores. BRE will provide advice on ensuring these programmes are as sustainable as possible and will develop a set of ‘Sustainable Retail Construction’ guidelines for new and existing M&S stores.
These guidelines will cover everything from the analysis of initial store designs and the selection of construction materials, to auditing and working with key suppliers to deliver sustainable construction methods.
Speaking at the Low Carbon World conference, Stuart Rose, M&S Chief Executive, said:
“With Plan A we have set ourselves some deliberately ambitious targets and we know that we don’t have all the answers. Whilst we have made some progress, such as switching all the flooring we use in our stores to materials that have a top Green Guide A rating, there is much more we need to do.
“This partnership will give us full access to BRE’s expertise and leading-edge capability, to help us create sustainable solutions that we can use in the building or refurbishment of all our stores.”
Dr Peter Bonfield, Chief Executive of BRE, said: “From its very visible Plan A commitments, it is clear that M&S is determined to deliver measurable improvements in sustainability across its business and we are delighted to be working so closely with the company to help achieve these goals.”