Page 21 from: December 2012

21December 2012

p a p e r

Andrew Speck, Commercial and Environ-mental Packaging Manager for M&S, told
the Paper Recycling Conference Europe that

the achievements formed part of the company’s

Plan A project, launched in January 2007 with

the aim of making it the world’s most sustain-

able major retailer by 2015. The original plan

set out 100 commitments, now extended to 180,

in the areas of climate change, waste reduction,

use of sustainable raw materials and ethical

trading. A further objective was to help custom-

ers to lead healthier lifestyles. M&S chose the

name Plan A ‘because there is no Plan B’.

Major influence over packaging
The retailer accounts for 4% of the UK food

market. Mr Speck said that because it sells 95%

own-brand products, it has a major influence

over how goods are packaged. ‘Customers said

we were over-packaging,’ Mr Speck said. ‘We

pledged to reduce it by 25% and five years into

the project we’re achieving 27%, which we’ve

got to be pleased with.’ He cited the use of part-

sleeves instead of full boxes for a number of

products, which has the additional benefit of

showing the consumer what the food looks like.

On-pack labelling includes information on the

M&S:
packaging source, the percentage of recycled

material and how purchasers can dispose of

components such as sleeves, trays and film. The

proportion of packaging labelled as ‘widely

recycled’ has increased to 74%, while a further

17% carries the advice ‘check local recycling’.

This figure was frustratingly high, but reflected

local variations in council collection policies,

Mr Speck said. The 9% that is ‘not currently

recycled’ chiefly comprises films and laminates.

More than 90% of packaging board produced

for M&S food lines either meets Forest Stew-

ardship Council (FSC) criteria or uses recov-

ered fibre, which Mr Speck claimed was an

industry-leading figure. In some cases, the

weight of packaging has increased – for exam-

ple, fresh fruit is sold in thicker fibre trays than

were used previously – but he pointed out that

these could be recycled or home-composted.

Supplier commitments
The next phase of Plan A involves sustainable

sourcing of raw materials. In some parts of the

UK, M&S is funding local waste partnerships to

try to close the loop and use locally-sourced fibre.

Where it was not possible to use FSC-certified

virgin pulp, Mr Speck said M&S suppliers were

required to commit to sustainable forestry pro-

grammes. He explicitly ruled out products from

Indonesian manufacturer Sinar Mas, which

became controversial for its alleged rain-

forest sourcing, and from the group’s

Singapore-based subsidiary Asia Pulp & Paper.

M&S is broadening its approach to sustainable

sourcing by taking into account water, land and

energy use as well as the physical quantity of pack-

aging. ‘The challenge for your businesses is, are

you reducing your fossil fuel reliance and securing

your sources for the future?’ Mr Speck queried.

No apparent infrastructure
Despite gloomy predictions of the demise of

printed newspapers (see main article), Mr

Speck said thousands of free-sheets were dis-

tributed every day in London and other major

UK cities, with no apparent collection infra-

structure in place for when they were discarded.

The London Metro alone, according to his cal-

culations, used more paper than M&S needed

for its entire food packaging. He asked confer-

ence delegates: ‘Could more of them be recy-

cled? How do we get hold of this material?’

He quoted a study carried out in 2009 for the

London Assembly showing that the city had the

lowest recycling rate in the UK. ‘Only 20% is

recycled,’ he said. ‘More than 60% of what is

thrown away could have been recycled.’

There must be no threats to human health

resulting from either new packaging technol-

ogy or increased recycling efforts, however, and

Mr Speck warned of two areas that were of con-

cern to M&S. Mineral oil content in inks was a

potentially harmful contaminant where packag-

ing came into direct contact with food. He also

worried about the possibility of nano-particles

entering the supply chain as these were ‘small

enough to pass through barrier materials’. More

detailed scientific studies were necessary before

the retailer could approve nanotechnology for

applying graphics to cartonboard.

Leading UK retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has reduced its use of

food packaging by 27% in the last five years and has increased the

recyclable fraction to 91% in collaboration with its suppliers.

M&S now sells fresh fruit in thicker fibre trays, but these can be recycled or home-composted. Marks & Spencer is one of the UK’s leading retailers with around  21 million customers visiting
the company’s stores each week.

Use of part-sleeves on some products not only reduces
packaging but also shows the consumer what the food looks like.

‘ there is no Plan B’
for sustainability

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