Mike Barry insisted all parts of the supply chain needed to “adopt a radically different model” to reflect changes to the global economy and live up to consumers’ expectations.
Speaking at a Farmers of the Future discussion at London Olympia yesterday (September 3), Barry said businesses had to consider the world in 15‒20 years’ time, as well as being concerned about short-term performance.
“If we don’t look ahead, we won’t have a business,” he told delegates to the event, organised by the Source Trust, a not-for-profit organisation set up to help farmers.
“99% of the foods we sell at M&S are own-label products, so we have an enormous interest in how they are made and produced.
“It is also something our customers are concerned about and they expect leadership from people like us when it comes to sustainability. All of us need to radically adapt, or we’ll die as businesses.”
‘Die as businesses’
He said the growing global population, extreme weather conditions and western austerity not only provided a challenging trading backdrop, but also the reasons why more sustainable products were required.
He said there could no longer be a “black hole” between producer and consumer.
Included in his 10-point plan for a more sustainable future were: increased transparency, adhering to agreed external standards, improving efficiencies and providing stability and step-by-step processes for producers to follow.
“There is no point in us, or Unilever, or Kraft, saying ‘this is a sustainable chocolate bar’ on our own. We need shared standards and a common language,” he said.
Barry said M&S was making great strides through its Plan A sustainability programme. He highlighted how the firm had signed up to the World Wildlife Fund’s Seafood Charter, pledging to use the most sustainable fish possible.
Manufacturing base
He also stressed sustainability would work only if there was a collaborative approach across the supply chain. And he paid tribute to the manufacturing base which he said had been crucial to the firm’s successes so far.
“The manufacturing base has been key, not only in relation to the raw materials used, but also due to the innovation and operational efficiencies we have seen,” he said.
“We have been working in partnership with our manufacturers to tackle some complex issues which have had mutually beneficially results. After all, efficiencies and improvements are as vital for manufacturers as they are for us.”
But despite its achievements, Barry conceded that M&S, along with all businesses, had a long way to go.
“At the minute we are all on version 0.1 in terms of heading towards sustainable outcomes,” he said.
“We have got to keep reinventing ourselves because what we have achieved so far is not good enough.”