Marks and Spencer (M&S) has reported some positive results from an array of projects it is working on aimed at reducing carbon emissions from its supply chain.
One trial already under way aims to deliver bigger British strawberries. M&S King, White Pearl and Red Diamond strawberries have launched in recent seasons – as has the M&S Strawberries & Crème sandwich – and someo of this produce has been grown using new techniques.
A small group of growers have been trialling what the company is describing as “precision pollination”, a farming approach that monitors and enhances pollinator activity to deliver more fruit and higher quality berries whilst improving biodiversity.
M&S said it is using smart listening technology to monitor bumblebee activity, and four farms have been able to undertake targeted nature-friendly action to support pollination in areas where levels are lower.
Actions include introducing more bees, changing the location of bee boxes or adding additional plants to naturally attract pollinators to specific areas. The four farms trialling this technique have seen bee activity almost double, which in these early stages has shown to improve consistency – which the retailer said provided an even spread of strawberries across the trial area.
Further data will be tracked throughout the season to fully understand the impact and benefit of the trial.
Meanwhile, another project funded by the retailer’s £1 million Plan A Accelerator Fund, an annual investment in new sustainability projects announced in 2024, is looking to trial a circular approach to finding improved uses for waste from agriculture.
Specifically, M&S is using “high-quality” biochar on chicken farms. Biochar is a unique charcoal-like product made by heating natural materials from plants in low levels of oxygen – a process which locks away the carbon. Japanese drinks conglomerate Suntory is also experimenting with biochar in its supply chain, as reported on these pages earlier this year.
At M&S, the so-called ‘ChickenChar’ trial will mix a biochar into the bedding material in M&S chicken sheds to reduce ammonia emissions and potentially improve retention of phosphates from chicken manure. M&S said the lower ammonia emissions help keep the bedding drier, enhancing the environment and promoting better animal welfare.
By retaining the nutrients in chicken manure – an effective organic fertiliser – ‘ChickenChar’ could also help limit pollution, particularly by preventing run off into rivers, for example. Additionally, it may improve the effectiveness of organic fertilisers, by slowly releasing nutrients into the soil, reducing negative impacts of run-off into rivers, while simultaneously supporting crop growth and removing carbon from the atmosphere.
Victoria McKenzie-Gould, corporate affairs & ESG director at M&S, said: “M&S’s success as an own-brand retailer is borne from deep relationships with our supplier partners which supports a long-term approach to investment in innovation and quality, and a shared belief in the value of doing the right thing.
“This same approach is helping us to become a net zero business by 2040 through our annual £1 million Plan A Accelerator Fund with which we fund new and small-scale or untested solutions in collaboration with our supply base.”
Further projects M&S is planning to look at include measuring the methane output of progeny Aberdeen Angus cows to understand genetic links and how breeding selection could reduce this, as well as trialling new technology to drive energy efficiency in stores.
M&S is also working with Polytag, a tech company that allows businesses to track plastic milk packaging all the way through recycling plants across the UK. This allows the retailer to gain better data insight into how much of its packaging is actually being recycled, which is the starting point to making any kinds of improvement in recycling rates.
[image credit: M&S]
