Under the £200m, 100-point eco-plan – dubbed ‘Plan A’ – M&S aims to extend sustainable sourcing and become carbon neutral within five years.
The company has committed to only using wood that is recycled or certified as coming from a sustainable source by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – or equivalent standard where FSC wood is not available.
“We are taking this initiative very seriously – and that is the key point of difference,” said an M&S spokesperson. “We are not cherry picking in certain areas. It’s a fundamental change across all our operations. Wood is one of our main business materials and a key part of that.”
Over 50% of M&S’s home products are made from timber, everything from bed frames to dining tables, chef blocks to kitchen chairs.
“FSC is the most identifable standard and we believe it is the most comprehensive in terms of our product range,” said a company spokesperson.
The company has already used timber frame in some of its new stores and said it “will continue to do so”, as it tries to make its stores as ‘green’ as possible.
Stuart Rose, chief executive of M&S, said: “Every business and individual needs to do their bit to tackle the enormous challenges of climate change and waste. We are calling this ‘plan A’ because there is no ‘plan B’.”
Mr Rose it was a deliberately ambitious, and in some areas, difficult plan. “But we are determined to work with our suppliers, partners and government to make this happen.”
Blake Lee-Harwood, campaigns director for Greenpeace, said: “If every retailer in Britain followed M&S’s example, it would be a major step forward in meeting the challenge of creating a sustainable society.”
