M&S Launches RE:Spark to Accelerate Renewable Electricity Adoption Across Global Fashion Supply Chain
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has unveiled RE:Spark, a new supply chain decarbonization programme created in partnership with global energy technology leader Schneider Electric. The initiative aims to rapidly scale the adoption of renewable electricity across M&S’s global fashion supply chain and serves as a key pillar of the retailer’s sustainability strategy, Plan A, which targets net-zero emissions across the value chain by 2040.
Designed to look beyond M&S’s own operations, RE:Spark seeks to catalyse change across its supply base by providing suppliers with the tools, resources and expertise needed to accelerate their transition to clean energy. Through the programme, M&S and Schneider Electric will:
Launch a centralised digital hub for suppliers to submit emissions data, track decarbonization progress and access carbon-reduction learning resources
Host regional market briefings and webinars
Provide advisory support to help facilities assess and implement renewable power solutions
Enable suppliers to aggregate demand for power purchase agreements (PPAs)
The programme will initially focus on high-impact regions within M&S’s fashion supply chain, with plans to scale up over the next three years. RE:Spark builds on M&S’s long-standing work to strengthen environmental performance across its manufacturing network. The retailer has expanded the use of the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) across Tier 1 and Tier 2 sites to improve emissions data and support targeted Scope 3 reductions. M&S also sponsors suppliers through the Apparel Impact Institute’s Carbon Leadership Programme, equipping them with the knowledge to analyse energy use, improve efficiency and transition to lower-carbon fuels.
The launch follows recent progress under Another Life, M&S’s platform for activating circularity across fashion, home and beauty through initiatives in Rewear, Repair, Recycle and Resale. This includes partnerships with eBay and Reskinned for the retailer’s first online takeback scheme, which enables customers to trade in pre-loved items for refurbishment and resale, with profits supporting Oxfam.
Together, these initiatives form a core part of M&S’s ambition to deliver sustainable, profitable growth and become a net-zero business by 2040.
