The Less Packaging Company says its online packaging management tool, Packspec, has helped retailer Marks & Spencer manage and reduce the environmental impact of its General Merchandise packaging by more than its original 25% target.
In keeping with the company’s ‘Plan A’ environmental and ethical programme, Packspec enables M&S to communicate and control best practice retail and transit packaging across its global supply base, helping to deliver both environmental and business benefits.
Hertfordshire-based Less Packaging is working closely with M&S’s domestic and international suppliers to develop packaging standards that are suitable for each product type and that can be easily produced in each geographical region.
“When we launched Plan A in 2007 we set ambitious targets to reduce our packaging by 25%,” says Kim Phillips, M&S head of GM packaging. “We’ve achieved this and gone even further with a 46% reduction, but there is still more we can do.
“That’s why, when we extended Plan A in 2010, we set a 25% reduction target for our transit packaging by 2015. Through innovation and using unique tools like Packspec, we’re confident we can achieve this.”
Throughout the last year, Less Packaging has reduced the number of different packaging formats for M&S bras from over 90 to just three formats – saving over 100 tonnes of packaging.
This standardisation also provides several business benefits including cost savings achieved through economies of scale and increased levels of compliance throughout the supply chain.
“Being able to communicate and control how product should be packaged remotely is a significant step forward for any retailer or brand owner sourcing product and packaging from overseas,” adds Less Packaging managing partner Greg Lawson.
