M&S has created competitive advantage by offering exceptional quality products at remarkable value; products that are made and sourced with care so that they’re simply too good to go to waste. From the beginning, M&S has built trust by doing the right thing by our people and the communities we serve, and this remains one of the core values we live by today. When our colleagues, customers, partners or suppliers are in need, we’re there to help. For example, when the devastating earthquake hit our franchise partners and sourcing colleagues in Turkey, as well as Syria, earlier this year, we quickly mobilised funding to the British Red Cross appeal and sent practical product donations Read more on page 50. The unique relationship of trust between M&S and its customers runs much deeper than our community impact – it runs right through our entire value chain. Since I joined the business, I’ve talked about protecting the magic of M&S and for me that magic is summed up in the trusted value promise we make to our customers. Our founders knew that value means much more than price; it means giving customers assurance that raw materials are sourced responsibly to protect the planet for tomorrow, providing confidence that the people who make and sell our products are treated fairly, and it means setting the standards that others follow, whether that’s animal welfare or product traceability. n building our business in this way, M&S has created competitive advantage by offering exceptional quality products at remarkable value; products that are made and sourced with care so that they’re simply too good to go to waste. It’s why we sell more RSPCA Assured products and contribute more Fairtrade premium for tea and coffee than any other retailer and why, since 2019, we have responsibly sourced 100% of the cotton in our clothing through the Better Cotton or with organic and recycled certifications It’s also the reason that “Exceptional Product and Trusted Brand” is at the heart of our strategic priorities to reshape M&S. Over the years, this approach to doing business has been increasingly codified into what became one of the first fully integrated sustainability programmes, launched in 2007 as Plan A. Today, Plan A is not a separate programme but rather sits within the business, with accountability for its delivery devolved to each of the Managing Directors. While our approach to sustainability starts with our Exceptional Product and Trusted Brand, it runs through all our strategic priorities to provide the foundation for our plans to reshape M&S for growth that is sustainable in every sense.