Marks & Spencer - CarbonBright

Marks & Spencer: Advancing product sustainability through refillable packaging

COMPANY SIZE

72,316

INDUSTRY
Retail

GEOGRAPHIC FOOTPRINT
HQ in London, UK with 1,487 stores spread across the world.

Marks and Spencer (LSE: MKS) is a major British multinational retailer that specializes in selling clothing, beauty products, home products and food products. M&S currently has 1,000 stores spread across the world.
In partnership with CarbonBright, M&S embarked on a pioneering project to conduct a comprehensive and independent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study focused on several home care products as part of an innovative refill program aimed at reducing environmental impact.

INTRODUCTION

Marks & Spencer has been at the forefront of sustainability with its Plan A program. This ambitious initiative targets transforming M&S into a net zero business by 2040, covering the entire value chain. Key aspects of the roadmap include:

Goal: Achieve net zero status by 2040.
Focus: Reduce emissions throughout the value chain, from raw material sourcing to product usage by customers.
Strategy: Implement a comprehensive plan involving customers, colleagues, supplier partners, and industry partners.

To this end, M&S has actively engaged in partnerships and collaborations with environmental organizations, technology firms, and experts in sustainable practices, aiming to leverage innovative solutions to drive their sustainability agenda.

CHALLENGE

As part of its commitment to reduce and remove plastic packaging, Marks & Spencer initiated an innovative refill program for 10 of its own-brand homecare products using reusable aluminum containers. Following a successful trial with over 10,000 M&S customers engaged in the program, the retailer planned to expand its roll it out across a further 19 M&S stores across the UK. However, a key challenge for M&S was accurately assessing the environmental impact of these refillable products compared to their traditional counterparts. With the growing emphasis on sustainability, M&S recognized the importance of quantifying the life cycle emissions of the products involved in the refill program. This presented a complex task, as it required comprehensive analysis of factors such as sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, and end-of-life disposal of the products. Additionally, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of these assessments was paramount to effectively communicate the environmental benefits to its customers. Thus, M&S sought a reliable and science-based solution to accurately measure and compare the life cycle emissions of the products included in the program.

SOLUTION: USE CARBONBRIGHT’S AI-DRIVEN PLATFORM TO AUTOMATE PRODUCT LCA’S

To meet this challenge, Marks & Spencer (M&S) chose to leverage CarbonBright’s AI-driven platform for its ability to automate Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) of products, addressing the challenge of measuring the environmental impact of its refill program. CarbonBright’s technology provides detailed analysis of product life cycle emissions—from raw material sourcing to end-of-life disposal—enabling M&S to efficiently evaluate and compare the emissions of refillable versus traditional products, across multiple product SKU’s, with a consistent, science-based approach. CarbonBright’s platform not only facilitated the generation of credible, scientifically supported data but also enhanced M&S’s ability to communicate the environmental benefits of their refill program to customers and stakeholders.

RESULTS

Marks & Spencer (M&S) was able to conduct a science-based Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study across 20 products with unprecedented efficiency. Leveraging advanced technologies such as AI and machine learning, CarbonBright’s platform provided M&S with more precise and data-driven assessments of various aspects of the life cycle model, significantly reducing the time required compared to conventional approaches which rely on manual data collection. Moreover, the study conducted was fully compliant with industry standards, including ISO 14040, 14044, and 14067, ensuring the reliability and credibility of the findings. The study included a comparative analysis of multiple ‘average use scenarios’ for each product pair, determining breakeven points for using reusable packaging. Results showed that just two reuses of an aluminum container revealed environmental benefits, showcasing a lower overall carbon footprint and validating the circularity model. These findings emphasized the environmental advantages of M&S’s refill program, supporting their sustainability goals.

Through this collaboration, CarbonBright demonstrated its ability to revolutionize sustainability practices within the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry. By enabling real-time emissions calculation, facilitating credible decarbonization communication, and identifying actionable areas for emission reduction, CarbonBright’s platform empowered M&S to make informed decisions and drive progress towards a more sustainable future.

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