Fully recyclable takeaway cups introduced across all M&S Cafes in Northern Ireland

In October, M&S became the first major high street coffee retailer to offer coffee and all hot drinks in a paper fibre cup and lid, which is 100% recyclable in household and on the go recycling.

Having launched in 20 stores – from next month, the paper fibre coffee cups will be available in more than 300 M&S stores across the UK including M&S Cafés, vended coffee points and Marketplaces within its Foodhalls.

M&S currently has eleven cafes attached to stores in Northern Ireland, located in Newtownabbey, Ballymena, Bangor, Cookstown, Enniskillen, Foyleside, Lisburn, Newry, Omagh and two in Belfast.

Reducing plastic packaging is one of the key issues M&S customers care strongly about and the retailer has a leading track record of taking action. Last year, M&S met its Plan A target to remove 75 million units of plastic in 2023/24 and this roll out is expected to remove a further 20 million units of plastic packaging each year from M&S’ Food business. The expansion follows the introduction of new recyclable paper packaging across the range of sandwiches and toasties available in all M&S Cafes earlier this year, which removed 4.5 million units of plastic.

M&S currently offers a 50p discount on all hot drinks in its Cafes for customers who bring their own reusable cup which is the most sustainable option. However, when this isn’t possible M&S’ new cups are a planet friendly alternative.

Ryan Lemon, Regional Manager at M&S said: “Our goal is to offer customers the most sustainable cup of coffee on the high street. A takeaway coffee they can feel good about drinking because it comes in fully recyclable cups, uses delicious 100% Fairtrade coffee beans and is made with RSPCA Assured fresh milk. Our customers care strongly about reducing plastic and they’ve supported our move to paper fibre cups. With no impact to the taste or temperature of their hot drink - and now 100% recyclable - this is one of the ways we’re supporting our customers to make small changes in their everyday lives, which have a big impact on the environment.”

M&S Café has over 1000 trained master baristas ready to prepare delicious coffee. Last week, the retailer announced that customers will benefit from a change of espresso base recipe from 15g to 18g in each cup. This is alongside a reduction in water used to brew espresso from 60ml to 40ml creating overall a more intense espresso base for all coffees served in the M&S Cafés.

The brand has made these changes to improve the quality of its coffee drinks and bring its offer more in line with customer's expectations of speciality coffee shops. With more coffee and less water, the bolder brew will also benefit from utilising whole milk as standard, resulting in a much smoother and more flavourful coffee.

M&S uses only RSPCA-assured milk and 100% Fairtrade tea and coffee in every drink. This combined with “A Cup of Ambition” programme which donates 1p for every tea and coffee sold is reinvested in leadership and climate resilience training, empowering suppliers to create positive change for their businesses and communities.