Marks and Spencer has become the latest organisation to sign up to the Assembly Government’s Sustainable Development (SD) Charter and to demonstrate its commitment to finding long term and sustainable business solutions.
The world famous retailer is the 36th organisation to sign up to the SD charter which allows businesses operating in Wales to publicly show their commitment to putting sustainable thinking and decision making right at the heart of their business.
Sustainable development is all about enhancing the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of people and communities, achieving a better quality of life for our own and future generations in ways which promote social justice and working towards ‘one planet living’ – which means living within our environmental limits.
The Sustainable Development Charter was launched at this year’s Hay Festival by Environment Minister, Jane Davidson. Since its launch it has attracted support from a range of public sector, private sector and not for profit organisations.
Speaking about the Charter at the Glamorgan Public Affairs Forum on Wednesday 17 October, the Environment Minister said:
“One Planet living, where we live and plan for a future that only uses our fair share of the earth’s resources, is a key commitment of the Welsh Assembly Government.
“Our SD Charter urges organisations to put sustainability at the heart of their development and ensure that their decisions promote the long term, sustainable wellbeing of people and communities.
“It asks those that sign up to identify and share best practice so that we can develop an innovative community of practice on sustainable development here in Wales.
“It also challenges them on an annual basis to find something that they can do differently and much more sustainably, and we will be testing organisations on this every year to ensure that their commitment to the Charter continues to be valid.
“I am delighted that 36 organisations have now shown their commitment to sustainable business and decision making by signing up to our Charter. It is a great start and I urge other organisations in Wales to follow their sustainable lead.”
Richard Gillies, Director of Marks and Spencer’s sustainable programme Plan A, said:
“Marks and Spencer is delighted to support the collaborative approach of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Sustainable Development Charter. With our own Plan A sustainability commitments we have seen how important it is to work with all sectors of society.”
