Marks and Spencer’s “Plan A” corporate social responsibility strategy has led to efficiency savings of over £70 million last year.
The company has been working to reduce the environmental impact of its business by implementing a raft of efficiency measures in its stores and supply chain.

It’s latest “How We Do Business Report” shows that the measures have reduced carbon emissions by 13 per cent, saving £13.5 million, reduced waste by 34 per cent and saved £2 million by increasing fuel efficiency. Overall the company has achieved 95 of the 180 commitments it made when it launched Plan A in 2007, with a further 77 on target, 7 behind schedule and 1 on hold.

Marks and Spencer is now working to further reduce carbon emissions and improve efficiency elsewhere in its supply chain.

This report shows that corporate social responsibility can have real benefits to companies’ bottom line. A lot of the time, environmental efficiency measures also deliver financial benefits to businesses, making supply chain efficiency a win-win situation.

As well as saving money, companies could find that making improvements to their supply chain operations delivers additional benefits. Companies with a better environmental record increasingly find that this impacts on their reputation and helps to win them more business, and as larger companies focus on corporate social responsibility it’s important that smaller businesses keep up.