#Retail & Brands

2014-09-09

M&S strikes landmark deal to buy biomethane gas certificates

Marks & Spencer (M&S) will go on with reducing its carbon footprint (c) 2014 M&S

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has agreed a landmark deal with Future Biogas for the purchase of 35,000 Mega-Watt hours of biomethane certificates, a move which will reduce its carbon footprint by over 6,400 tonnes and source the equivalent amount of energy to heat 15 M&S Simply Food stores all year round.

Biomethane gas is 50 per cent more carbon efficient than average gas supplies and is generated by anaerobic digestion, fuelled by farm waste. The biomethane gas will be produced at the Vulcan Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant near Doncaster using break crops (non-commercial crops used for soil regeneration) from farms across Yorkshire and the North East.

The gas is then pumped into the national grid. M&S’ deal with Future Biogas funds the production and M&S benefits from the carbon reduction through the certification scheme.

It also provides significant revenues for farmers, giving break crops a commercial route to market not previously available.

Gio Patellaro, M&S Head of Energy Supply & Risk said: “Over the past couple of years, M&S has worked tirelessly to improve its carbon efficiency and innovate in sustainability. As the first UK retailer to buy biomethane to use in this way, we are blazing a trail in the market place that we hope others will follow. With the help of Future Biogas, this deal takes us one step further in our commitment to ensure 50% of the energy used in M&S buildings comes from certified green biomethane sources by 2020.”

Since the inception of its “Plan A” programme, M&S has been a leader and innovator in supporting a renewable energy generation, including contracting directly with renewable generators under its award winning Price Guarantee Agreement structure.

Philipp Lukas, Future Biogas Managing Director said:“We are thrilled to be working with Marks & Spencer on this exciting and new venture. We look forward to supplying biomethane to M&S to help them deliver their market leading commitment to carbon reduction.”

M&S launches clothing repair service to give quality clothes ‘another life’ through plan a

Today, Marks & Spencer has announced it will offer a dedicated clothing repair service for the first time. With new insight from M&S* revealing only 10% of the population is confident enough to repair clothing themselves and 60% of consumers looking for retailers to offer more services which support them to lower their carbon footprint, M&S is partnering with clothing repair and alterations experts, SOJO.

Circ launches first denim collection with H&M featuring TENCEL™ | Circ® with REFIBRA™ technology

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Recover™ secures multi-year recycled cotton agreement with H&M

Recover™ has signed a multi-year agreement with H&M to support the integration of its recycled cotton fiber, RCotton, for use in H&M’s products. Since early 2024, H&M and Recover™ have collaborated on product development, which now enables scaled commercial introduction of Recover™ mechanically recycled cotton into H&M’s collections.

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SHIMA SEIKI brings new flat knitting technologies to FEBRATEX 2026

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Lenzing reports improved half-year results and advances strategic transformation

Despite a persistently challenging market environment in the first half of 2026, characterized by volatile energy and raw material prices, subdued global consumer demand and intensified competition from Asia, the Lenzing Group significantly improved its financial performance. Net result after tax more than doubled to EUR 35.6 million, compared with EUR 15.2 million in the first half of 2025. Free cash flow increased to EUR 45.8 million, while EBITDA amounted to EUR 239.2 million. Revenue totaled EUR 1.27 billion, compared with EUR 1.34 billion in the previous year.

Trützschler’s latest spinning and card clothing innovations at CAITME 2026

From September 8 to 10, 2026, Trützschler will present its latest innovations in spinning and card clothing for state-of-the-art fiber processing at CAITME in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Visitors are invited to meet the experts at Pavilion 2, Booth D50 and explore solutions designed to increase productivity, streamline processes, and ensure consistently high yarn quality. Key topics include the next-generation card TC 30i, the integrated draw frame IDF 3, the high-performance comber TCO 21XL as well as Trützschler Card Clothing’s new flat top series STEELTOP®.