M&S faces backlash over plan to release 30m honeybees Phoebe Weston
An attempt by Marks & Spencer to “do good for the environment” by releasing 30 million honeybees into the British countryside has backfired, with conservationists warning the initiative could damage ecosystems and deprive wild pollinators of valuable food sources.
The UK retailer has placed up to 1,000 beehives on 25 farms to produce single-estate honey for customers as part of its five-year Farming with Nature programme. The bees are in cedar beehives, many made in the 1930s, with plenty of nectar nearby, according to a company blog.
But the announcement has been met with dismay by some bee experts and conservationists. “Such and [sic] opportunity missed M&S, this is greenwashing or beewashing at its most blatant,” tweeted Gill Perkins, chief executive of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
M&S faces backlash over plan to release 30m honeybees theguardian.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theguardian.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Steve Farrell2021-04-09T11:51:00+01:00
The Fresh Market Update campaign promotes the quality of the retailer’s ‘Select Farms’ and its commitments to sustainability
M&S is relaunching its ‘Fresh Market Update’ TV and online ad campaign, showcasing the retailer’s farming partners.
Nineteen ads are to air over four months across ITV, Channel 4 and YouTube, each introduced by ITV weather presenter Lucy Verasamy.
The Fresh Market Update campaign, which first ran last year, promotes the quality of the retailer’s ‘Select Farms’ and its commitments to sustainability, featuring interviews with farmers.
The latest campaign will see M&S introducing 30 million bees to 28 partner farms this summer to boost pollination, “improve product quality and produce delicious British honey”. It’s part of a new five-year programme M&S is embarking on to support Select Farmers in responding to environmental challenges, it said.
Marks and Spencer: Fresh Market Update by ITV Creative thedrum.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thedrum.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.