Greengage carried out a Materials Assessment on behalf of Marks and Spencer (M&S) in order to help the retail company meet one of their ‘Plan A’ commitments. Commitment number #100 aims to “ensure all new UK and RoI shop fit items have at least one Plan A quality by 2020”. The Materials Assessment incorporated principles of the Circular Economy and evaluated the environmental metrics of Walls, Floors and Ceiling Finishes used as part of the M&S in-store surface finishes. Specifically, the team examined:
- Increased recycled content; End of life; Re-use; Recyclability; and Embodied impacts of materials and finishes.
As part of the Assessment, Greengage reviewed the environmental metrics set by a number of existing rating systems including SKA; LEED; BREEAM; and WRAP in order to provide recommendations for the most appropriate environmental metrics for M&S finishes. The work also involved the development of Materials Pro-formas for each of the finish types and liaison with a number of M&S suppliers on these pro-formas.
Building upon the M&S Sustainable Designers Guide released in 2013, the Assessment forms part of a new commitment from M&S that recognises an opportunity to reduce environmental impacts through measured shop-fit material specifications and design decisions.