posted April 11, 2010 06:39 AM            

Marks and Spencer is a classic example of a case where sustainability is taken very seriously. They have launched something called as Plan A. It is Plan A because there is no Plan B. The company is aiming to elimiate 500,000 tonnes of carbon emission, become more energy efficient, embracing green electricity and use carbon offsetting. All said the company has also chosen not to send any waste to landfill by 2012.

These are significant changes for a corporate such as Marks & Spencer.

Marks & Spencer further say how their customer wanted a green company. 39 percent of customers in UK wanted definite action, 36 percent felt helpless and the remaining 25 percent did not care. The statistics is bound to increase in future with more people wanting definite action and this is my prediction.

Further Marks & Spencer had taken the following steps:

1. Encouraged its shoppers to wash their clothes at lower temperatures to save energy.

2. Labeling all its air freighted products so that the customers can take educated decisions.

3. Assist in development of carbon calculator to help the women's institute's 250,000 members understand and reduce their carbon footprints.

Tesco is also targeting the plastic bag.

The supermarkets group have pledged to halve the energy used in buildings by 2010 compared to 2000 (Did they actually do it, is a question, but they most probably must have), make all carrier bags biodegradable and take 1 million carrier bags a year out of use. It has piloted stores with a carbon foot print 60 percent lowe than that of its conventional supermarket anbd set up a 100m pound environmental fund for intiatives including powering stores with wind turbines, solar panels and geothermal power and producing energy from waste food.