It’s not often you see a business stick its neck above the parapet to promise something, that by all accounts, is incredibly difficult to achieve. That’s what our client Marks & Spencer did recently with the launch of its new Plan A ambition – to be the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015.

Our guess is that if any other major British retailer were to have announced such a stretching ambition we would have seen an uprising in both press and public condemnation – but that is not the case for M&S.

As one of Britain’s best loved retailers, M&S has given itself permission to set these lofty ambitions whilst retaining staff and customer support. Most companies use their CSR initiatives to only talk about the good things they’ve achieved, inviting criticism from the press and public alike who focus on issues the company has yet to tackle. M&S took a much more nuanced approach by thinking big but consistently saying, in the words of Sir Stuart Rose, ‘we’re not where we want to be yet’.

This year Sir Stuart is moving into the role of Chairman but his time as CEO can certainly be characterised  by an unerring commitment and ambition for M&S to succeed not just on the balance sheet but also by making a difference to society as a whole – let’s hope the incoming CEO has the same utopian vision.

Ethical Corporation Article