Following on from the success of Marks and Spencer’s, ‘Plan A’ campaign, Sir Stuart Rose promised on BBC Breakfast that there would be ‘bigger, tougher targets…with goods sourced in a more ethical way’. Sir Stuart went on to say that 95% of Marks and Spencer packaging is now recyclable and they have reduced packaging on foods alone by 16% in the last year.

The Local Government Authority (LGA) has recently praised Marks and Spencer for cutting down on the amount of packaging they use. In a 2007 survey by the LGA Marks and Spencer were the second worst for packaging weight, but now they are the second best.

The Jury Team supports Marks and Spencer’s goal of using less packaging on their products and we encourage other supermarkets to follow suite. An LGA survey in 2009 found that 40% of packaging cannot be easily recycled, and supermarkets really need to do their bit, just as Marks and Spencer’s are. The Jury Team proposes that large supermarkets should provide facilities for customers to leave in store or take back, any excess packaging on products they have brought.