Marks & Spencer

Valpak, a Reconomy specialist brand, partnered with Marks & Spencer to ensure its new flagship store in France was fully compliant with environmental legislation from the moment it launched.

By producing a clear action plan and then taking on compliance end to end, Valpak removed the administrative burden of navigating unfamiliar overseas regulations, letting M&S focus on delivering a high-quality experience to its French customers, and on meeting its Plan A commitments.

The challenge

The Packaging Waste, WEEE, and Waste Batteries Regulations differ in each country, which means organisations must take time to research and understand their requirements market by market. They also need to account for language barriers, currency differences, and additional pieces of environmental legislation.

Understanding all of the requirements under these laws is essential. If certain requirements are overlooked, it could result in loss of brand reputation through prosecution and bad publicity.

Marks & Spencer faced these challenges when opening a new flagship store in France. Having placed significant investment into its award-winning Plan A commitments, being fully compliant in France was a must.

The solution

Marks & Spencer commissioned Valpak’s International Compliance Service to ensure its flagship store in France was fully compliant by the time of its launch.

Valpak produced a comprehensive action plan for Marks & Spencer, detailing:

• The obligations it had in France.
• The data required.
• The regulatory timescales for providing data submissions.
• The costs of becoming compliant in France.

Following the production of this action plan, Marks & Spencer took the decision to fully outsource its compliance in France to Valpak. This included:

• Registering Marks & Spencer with the appropriate French authorities and compliance scheme.
• Collating data submissions for Marks & Spencer and submitting them to the appropriate authority within the required regulatory timescales.

The results

Outsourcing the administrative burden of international compliance to Valpak allowed Marks & Spencer to focus on delivering a high-quality experience to its customers in France. It also provided peace of mind that the business was fully compliant in France, and therefore meeting its Plan A commitments.

With plans to expand its services and serve loyal customers seeking M&S products and services in their own countries, Marks & Spencer continues to work with Valpak to identify its obligations in other countries across the EU and further afield, helping ensure full compliance with international environmental legislation.