Many companies find the need to innovate challenging and the prospect of embedding sustainability into innovation even more so.

But it doesn't have to be that way as executives from Marks & Spencer, Carlsberg and Genencor showed at BSR's 2011 Conference by sharing their companies' experiences in making sustainability central to innovation.

Louise Nicholls, the head of responsible sourcing at Marks & Spencer, fascinated an audience with examples of products that were developed under Plan A, the company's ambitious roadmap for integrating sustainability throughout the business. She cited three: a carbon-neutral brassiere, a high-protein, low-cal diet meal and healthier milk.

The Marks & Spencer Carbon Neutral Bra

The green brassiere grew out of several M&S sustainability initiatives involving apparel, including work to make their content, the factories producing garments, their washing and their post-consumer life less of a strain on the environment. The product's development also spoke to the challenge of making sustainability targets and goals relevant to employees and their work.

"We were really struggling with carbon footprint and trying to relate the number to our teams," Nicholls said.

The relationship became clearer as the objective to reduce the footprint was viewed in context with the need to develop greener products in markets of opportunity and with the company's efforts in more responsible sourcing and manufacturing. From that thinking came the carbon-neutral bra, which is sewn in an energy efficient Sri Lankan factory that M&S built following its Plan A guidelines. The firm has offset the manufacturing process and shipping by planting 6,000 lime, mango and other trees in Sri Lanka (see Senior Writer Marc Gunther's article here).

"It's a very sexy product, it looks good, it's something people can get excited about," Nicholls said.

The bra, selling for £20 (about $32), has boosted sales for M&S, which had a 40 percent share of the brassiere market before introducing the green product, she said. The bra that was unveiled last spring is now part of a green lingerie line that includes carbon-neutral panties and a garter belt.

M&S and Greener Food

The retailer's Simply Fuller Longer line of high-protein, low-cal meals and its work to develop healthier milk emerged from Plan A efforts related to improving the nutritional value of food products. Simply Fuller Longer capitalizes on the fact that the meals laden with lean protein make people feel fuller longer and can help them lose weight. The meals also help consumers meet nutritional daily requirements for vegetables and whole grains.

Launched in January 2010, Simply Fuller Longer is now one of the two top-selling diet meal lines in the United Kingdom and people who follow the meal plan typically lose about 5 percent of their weight in a four-week period, Nicholls said.

Next Page: Innovation at Carlsberg and Genencor