Responsible leather sourcing
M&S is committed to supporting responsible leather manufacturing across the globe and that is why we have been proud members of The Leather Working Group (LWG) since 2005.
LWG is a member-led not-for-profit made up of stakeholders from across the leather value chain, committed to driving improvement across the global leather supply chain, minimising the environmental impact of leather production as well as inspiring, educating, and challenging its member companies.
We successfully achieved our goal of sourcing 100% of our leather from Leather Working Group (LWG) certified finishing tanneries in June 2023. Additionally, we were one of the first retail brands to commit to sourcing bovine leather from a deforestation-free supply chain by 2030. In support of this commitment, we signed the Deforestation-Free Call to Action for Leather, in partnership with Textile Exchange, the LWG, and WWF.
Responsible wool sourcing
All wool for our Clothing & Home products must be sourced in accordance with our Responsible Wool Sourcing Policy and Clothing & Home Animal Welfare Policy.
We are committed to sourcing 50% of our wool from more preferred sources by 2025, and 100% by 2030. That’s via the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS), Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS), For recycled animal standards it would be the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) or the Global Recycled Standard (GRS).
This includes a complete ban on wool from mulesed sheep. Our approach to responsible sourcing of wool follows a risk-based approach:
Low risk sources: Suppliers sourcing from low-risk countries are required to provide import/export documentation proving country of origin and country of destination. Wool from South Africa, China and South America is considered lower risk as these sources suffer much lower instances of blowfly, and mulesing is not commonly used.
Australian wool: wool from Australia is considered to be the highest risk as the use of surgical mulesing is widespread. Suppliers are required to provide an AWTA certificate to prove the mulesing status. We only accept wool categorised as Non Mulesed (NM) or Ceased Mulesed (CM).
It is also a minimum requirement for all our mohair to be certified against the Responsible Mohair Standard and for all of our Alpaca to be certified against the Responsible Alpaca Standard
In addition to wool sourced through our strict principles we are progressively increasing our use of recycled wool too.
Cashmere
Warm, super-soft and certified all pure cashmere in our ranges are now certificated by the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) which supports the livelihoods of herders, promotes high animal welfare standards, and reduces environmental impact.
As a minimum standard all pure cashmere in our clothing collections will be certified by the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA), which supports the livelihoods of herders, promotes high animal welfare standards, and reduces environmental impact.
Since 2018 M&S has been an active member of the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA), a non-profit international organisation working with the extended cashmere supply chain, from herders to retailers. Their goal is to promote a global standard for cashmere production, preserving and restoring grasslands, ensuring animal welfare and securing livelihoods.
Through the SFA’s network of implementing partners we have directly supported the training of over 1000 cashmere goat herders' families across the plateaus of China and Mongolia during the winter of 21/22. The cashmere produced by these herders will be linked to our own supply chain and used in all our pure cashmere products for Autumn-Winter 2022.
Feather and down
All our feather and down sourced for our clothing, is either recycled or certified to recognised animal welfare standards including IDFL Down Standard (IDS), the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) and the Traceable Down Standard (TDS).
Our Responsible Feather and Down Policy begins from and includes the raising farm(s) – Raising Farms are defined as farms where birds live in preparation for meat production. The policy also extends to all downstream supply chain actors involved in M&S production – including the final garment/product manufacturer.
The following minimum standards exist across our feather and down supply chains:
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Feather and down – must not be obtained from the live plucking of birds or from birds used in the production of foie gras.
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The bird species and breed must be identified by the supplier and declared on the product specification.
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Force feeding is prohibited.
Animal Welfare Policy
Animal welfare is a broad term covering the general health, welfare and wellbeing of animals in our diverse farming systems. It covers all the elements associated with livestock production including housing, grazing, nutrition, disease prevention and control, transport right through to humane handling and slaughter. It means providing for the animal’s physical and mental needs.
Raw materials such as wool, cashmere, leather, and feather and down used to make certain clothing and homeware items are derived from animals. We care greatly about the health and welfare of all the animals that feed into our supply chains. We have a strong heritage of sourcing with integrity. Over the years, we’ve taken significant steps to improve the sourcing of key raw materials in our products.
We have a dedicated team of raw materials specialists responsible for defining and implementing policies and specifications of relevance to Clothing & Home animal welfare across our business. This team has been supported by an independent animal health and welfare expert for over 20 years.
In developing our animal welfare policies and production specifications for Food and Clothing & Home products we have referred to the internationally recognised ‘Five Freedoms’ recommended by the UK Farm Animal Welfare Committee as a framework and for guidance. These freedoms are:
- Freedom from hunger and thirst – by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour
- Freedom from discomfort – by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area
- Freedom from pain, injury or disease – by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment
- Freedom to express normal behaviour – by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal's own kind
- Freedom from fear and distress – by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering
| DATE | TITLE | DOCUMENT |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2024 | Animal Welfare Policy |
Animal Testing and Cruelty Free
Marks and Spencer will not conduct or commission any tests on animals. All M&S own-brand cosmetic and household products and ingredients must comply with CFI (Cruelty Free International) standards.
Where products from animals are used as a component or trim/accessory sourcing must be conducted humanely and compliant with the M&S Clothing & Home Animal Welfare Policy.