12 September, 2025

Given the headwinds sustainability has faced this year, we’ve been delighted to see companies putting renewed emphasis on ethics and sustainability and using them to seek competitive advantage.  

See the latest battle in the supermarket wars for a great example. On the one side we have Marks & Spencer (M&S) putting Plan A for Farming at the centre of its messaging. The plan is designed to strengthen British farming while pressing the government to adopt long-term policies that protect the food system. ‘Plan A for Farming’ also contains a legally binding target to increase the proportion of food consumed in Britain that is grown and reared domestically. This connects food security with sustainability, offering farmers certainty while tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, and economic pressures. M&S is also advocating for simpler government incentives to replace today’s complex grant system, ensuring support reaches farmers more directly. 

It’s a well put together plan, and it’s being supported by an equally well put together marketing strategy. M&S is looking to engage customers across TV, YouTube, and social media and it’s going beyond the plan itself to highlight farmer stories and product quality.  

One the other side, we have Waitrose, which is also using its agriculture related initiatives to cut through to consumers, in this case with a focus on its “better chicken” standards. Waitrose is the first supermarket to meet the Better Chicken Commitment for its entire own-label range, and it’s using this as the central message of a multi-channel campaign focusing on the number of products it applies to. This includes TV spots and a special outdoor build featuring a poster spilling out of the bottom of the site onto the pavement because the list of products is so long. 

We say bring it all on! The more consumers know about what retailers are doing on sustainability the more informed the choice they can make. And the more their choices reward the sustainable option the greater the driver for ongoing future change. 

By Emma Alajarin