Back in the days when I was gainfully employed by EST (seems an age ago) I had a peripheral role in the launch of M&S's Plan A. As sustainability goes the company must be congratulated on the sustained effort it has put into the plan, with the latest annual report being released recently. Given how corporate initiatives tend to come and go with alarming rapidity (I've suffered a goodly number) to keep working at this one for nine years is laudable.
I wonder how much of this is down to the fact that the Director of Sustainable Business, Mike Barry, was there at the outset and still is - now working under a third CEO (Steve Rowe having replaced Marc Bolland who, in turn, replaced Lord Rose).
The report states that the company has delivered on 175 Plan A commitments and has more in the pipeline. What I notice is more emphasis on what I might term social responsablity in the Plan. Examples are the 5800 placements for the young unemployed that the company has fostered, over £5M raised for health and well-being charities, progress towards gender equality at senior manager level.
There's still much to be done and M&S are honest enough to point out where initiatives are behind plan - fuel efficiency, customer clothes recycling for instance. However, overall I'm deeply impressed.
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