News Flash

Marks & Spencer plans to sell Fairtrade clothing line

30 Jan '06

3 min read

UK's biggest clothing retailer Marks & Spencer has revealed a major new campaign called 'Look behind the label' to tell customers about the way its products are sourced and made.

"Customers care more than ever how products are made," said Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Rose.

All Marks & Spencer stores, including all store windows, will feature hard-hitting messages and striking imagery about M&S products and their health, quality and environmental aspects including: "We're committed to reducing salt faster than you can say 'sodium chloride' “and "It's not just our green dyes that won't harm the environment".

A series of advertisements will run every day this week in the national press.

Marks & Spencer has also informed it will become the first major UK retailer to sell clothing made from 100 percent Fairtrade cotton. From March, t-shirts and socks will be sold in M&S stores and on www.marksandspencer.com.

A YouGov* survey commissioned by Marks & Spencer shows consumers are thinking more about ethical and health issues when they buy clothing and food. Almost one third said they had decided not to buy an item of clothing because they felt concerned about where it had come from or under what conditions it had been made.

Almost 59 percent reported they had also avoided buying a food product due to similar concerns while 78 percent said they would like to know more about the way clothes are made including the conditions inthe factories where they come from and the use of chemicals in their manufacture.

More Marks & Spencer News... More Textiles News - United Kingdom...