Marks & Spencer's high-profile Plan A strategy has moved into a new phase today with the announcement of a pioneering closed-loop recycling initiative that will see the retailer fund kerbside collection for recyclable material, which it will use to make food packaging for use in its stores.
The company said it will invest £1.25m over five years in a deal with Somerset County Council that will see it part-fund the kerbside collection of plastics and cardboard. Marks & Spencer will then use some of the collected recyclable material, with the excess being sold on to other packaging producers.
The partnership is expected to be followed with three similar deals later this year, one of which will be Kent. The company said its investment should help councils collect an additional 60,000 tonnes of recyclable material every year by 2015.
Helene Roberts, head of packaging at Marks & Spencer, said the innovative partnerships would help the company get its hands on the recyclable materials it needs.
"In order that we move to the next level, which is making more of our packaging with recycled content, we need more materials at a higher quality collected at the kerbside and made available to our suppliers," she said. "We are tackling this problem by providing funding directly to the people who can make a difference – local authorities."
The deal was also welcomed by Councillor Derek Yeomans of Somerset Waste Partnership, who said it would result in "substantial service improvements" for council tax payers while also helping to reduce the environmental impact of local household waste and high street packaging.
Marks & Spencer has made packaging and waste a central component of its high-profile Plan A sustainability strategy and has already cut food packaging levels 16 per cent since 2007, while more than 90 per cent of its packaging is now classified as recyclable.
The strategy also features commitments to stop sending waste to landfill from UK and Republic of Ireland operations, reduce use of packaging and carriers bags and use packaging materials from sustainable or recycled sources.
Committee accuses government of focusing on household waste, while offering "vague" policies for tackling the 90 per cent of waste that comes from businesses 19 Jan 2010
Sportswear giant reckons shoe boxes have run their race 13 Apr 2010
Airline says entire fleet operating from London City airport could be using bio jet fuel from 2014 15 Feb 2010
Supermarket chain withdraws 'eco-friendly' milk pouch and jug after poor sales led to high wastage 16 Apr 2010
New £5m capital grant scheme designed to kick-start home grown plastic recycling business 01 Mar 2010
Power supplier urges companies with complex or foreign ownership structures to engage with the Environment Agency immediately 30 Jul 2010
Danish firm’s swan song gives way to new turbine blade maker on Isle of Wight 30 Jul 2010
Memorandum signed with Energy Department to use more renewables 30 Jul 2010
More news
Energy analyst's report questions wisdom of DECC’s energy review 29 Jul 2010
Telecity becomes 300th organisation to get the Trust’s official stamp for ongoing carbon reduction 28 Jul 2010
The price of decarbonising versus the price of business as usual: both are variables 28 Jul 2010 More in-depth
