Marks & Spencer has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for measuring, managing and reducing its carbon footprint, as part of its Plan A climate change commitment to make all of its UK and Republic of Ireland operations carbon neutral by 2012.

The Carbon Trust Standard is the only independent award for companies that can verify they are cutting their carbon footprint and reducing their own direct impact on climate change year-on-year.

In line with Plan A, the company’s 100-point five year eco-plan, M&S is reducing energy usage, sourcing renewable power and will only use offsetting as a last resort. Recent Plan A climate change highlights and achievements include: 

• M&S store energy efficiency has improved by 10% this year, at 61.4 kWhs per sq ft against 2006/07 (67.9 kWhs per sq ft).
• More than half of the innovations tested in M&S’ green concept stores have been included as standard in the company’s Sustainable Construction Manual.
• M&S has improved the transport fuel efficiency of deliveries to stores by 20% on general merchandise deliveries and by 23% on food deliveries
• M&S is now using 241 aerodynamic ‘teardrop’ trailers which are 10% more fuel efficient
• M&S is on plan for its commitment to continuing to replace HCFC gases and helping to develop better alternatives to HFCs for use in its refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
• This year, M&S signed the UK retail sector’s biggest renewable energy contract with npower – enough to ultimately power all of the retailer’s stores and offices in England and Wales with renewable electricity.

Richard Gillies, Director of Plan A at Marks & Spencer, said:
“We’re delighted to have achieved the Carbon Trust Standard. We’re making good progress on our Plan A commitments and this accolade is a great way of showing the action we have taken on climate change.

“Our commitment to make energy savings, increase our efficiency and source renewable power not only helps benefit the environment, but makes us more efficient and delivers savings to our customers and our business. That’s why, overall, Plan A is cost positive.

We know that our customers expect us to lead the way on climate change and this recognition shows we are doing the right thing and that we will continue to deliver.”

Tom Delay, Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust, commented:
“Well done M&S. Achieving the Carbon Trust Standard is proof an organisation has taken real action to reduce their direct impact on climate change by cutting their carbon emissions. Cutting carbon makes perfect business sense as it reduces costs, making business more efficient, while helping them improve their overall reputation with their customers and stakeholders.

“The independent recognition of Carbon Trust Standard proves that Plan A is having positive results, rewards the efforts of staff at every level and commits Marks & Spencer to continuous carbon reduction over time.”


Ends

For further information, please contact:
Emma Johnson Corporate Press Office 020 8718 1980


Notes to Editors

For more information and to see the 2009 How we do business Report please go to our website at http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/howwedobusiness/hwdb_reports


The Carbon Trust Standard
For further information or interviews on the Carbon Trust Standard, please contact the Carbon Trust press office on 01753 827294 or carbontrust@octopuscomms.net

• All businesses and organisations, both in the UK and internationally, are eligible to apply for the Carbon Trust Standard including FTSEs, mid caps, SMEs and public sector organisations. Organisations that are awarded the Carbon Trust Standard hold it for a two year period and to maintain the certification they must reapply and demonstrate that they have continued to make year-on-year reductions in their carbon emissions.
• Organisations that are certified with the Carbon Trust Standard are listed at www.carbontruststandard.com/CertificateHolder.aspx.
• Through a commitment to continually reducing their carbon footprint, Carbon Trust Standard achievers have together cut their annual emissions by 500,000 tonnes of CO2. This equates to nearly 7,600 tonnes saved per organisation. Carbon Trust Standard achievers have also saved themselves a collective fuel bill of more than £73m through reducing energy consumption.
  

The Carbon Trust

• The Carbon Trust is an independent company set up by government in response to the threat of climate change, to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy by working with organisations to reduce carbon emissions and develop commercial low carbon technologies. The Carbon Trust works with UK business and the public sector through its work in five complementary areas: insights, solutions, innovations, enterprises and investments. Together these help to explain, deliver, develop, create and finance low carbon enterprise.
• The Carbon Trust is funded by government.
• For more information on the Carbon Trust visit www.carbontrust.co.uk or call the Carbon Trust Advice Line on 0800 085 2005.
  

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