Talk Session by TG Ganesh – Department of Fashion Design

JD Institute of Fashion Technology has been a staunch believer in acknowledging industry counterparts for their extensive industry knowledge pool. While it is integral to keep up with various segments of Fashion, it is also essential to understand the ethics and policies followed by brands to maintain sustainability. A recent talk session with an industry leader: TG Ganesh, Head of Sustainability, Marks & Spencer, was held at the JD Campus, Bangalore. Mr. Ganesh has been working with Marks & Spencer for almost 2 decades now. He started out his career with involvement mainly in store operations and business expansion. Over the years, he held various roles in Retail Operations and was instrumental in opening many new stores during the rapid expansion phase. In his current role, he is responsible to drive the sustainability program of M&S UK called Plan A\2025 in India and works with the internal teams and external stakeholders to drive the set objectives all the way to year 2025. The session encapsulated salient features of the retail sector in India, how sustainability has been a core factor in the practices adopted by M&S UK and how the focus has shifted to India. The brand has launched Plan A which is considered their way to help build a sustainable future by being a business that enables their customers to have a positive impact on wellbeing, communities and the planet through all that they do. The Plan A – India Project has similar objectives of community engagement, employing sustainable resources and increasing employability. Mr. Ganesh discussed the objectives in depth and the roadmap for the successful accomplishment of the objectives by 2025. Ms. Mehal, the Store Manager of M&S Bangalore(Phoenix Marketcity) was also present at the session and shared valuable information on how M&S is ensuring their compliance with BCI(Better Cotton Initiative) and utilizing materials such as hemp, jute, recycled polyester, etc. They also shed light on Eco factories and Ethical Excellence Factories where they use eco-dyeing and recycled packaging. M&S currently has 58 stores in 26 cities with a retail footprint of 640k sq ft in India and sells Womenswear, Lingerie, Menswear, Kidswear and Beauty.

The talk was highly interactive and informative and raised tons of questions from the student brigade.