Morrisons plays catch-up

UK supermarket chain Morrisons has started a campaign to communicate its corporate responsibility programme to customers.

Morrisons, the UK’s fourth largest food retailer, has engaged the marketing communications consultancy Billington Cartmell for its ‘straight-talking and down-to-earth’ campaign, which is built around the word ‘Today’.

Last month Morrisons gave away ten million reusable plastic bags carrying the phrase: ‘Today, I’m doing my bit for tomorrow with this reusable bag’. The supermarket is to increase the recycled content of its carrier bags to 25 per cent this year and 50 per cent by 2010.

Other promotions, which will continue throughout the year, will explain to customers the retailer’s efforts to reduce packaging and cut carbon emissions, and will publicize achievements such as the 110,000 staff trained in energy awareness.

The retailer’s efforts appear to have been at least partly inspired by Marks & Spencer’s successful Look Behind the Label campaign, which reveals how products are sourced and made.