These images represent a snapshot of how packaging has developed at M&S. You can download the full timeline (in PDF format) using the links below.
1903 -1905 M&S Branded Paper Bag
Pre-1900 - M&S sold small, simply packaged items such as buttons in the Penny Bazaars.
1900s - First M&S branded carrier bags, the earliest had an illustration of the Head Office building in Manchester and listed all the stores in the country.
1930s - Luxury goods were sold alongside homewares, and paper bags featuring art deco designs projected a message of elegance and sophistication .
1930s M&S Branded Paper Bag with Art Deco Design
1959 - The St Michael brand name was featured extensively on packaging, with nearly 3,000 tons of paper being used for 410 million bags and carriers in this year alone.
1950s M&S Branded Paper Bag
1969 - Plastic was becoming more popular as a packaging material, and at the end of the 1960s the long-term plan was to stop using paper bags altogether and replace them with plastic carriers.
1970s M&S Plastic Bag
1972 - Sell-by dates first appeared on M&S packaging.
1980s - M&S started to recycle plastic clothes hangers, meaning that the company saved money and was also looking after the planet.
M&S Food packaging Showing Recycle Logos
1991 - People began to understand that plastic bags aren’t good for the environment, and so M&S created a strong re-usable carrier bag that cost 15p.
2008 - M&S introduced a 5p charge for large food carrier bags, profits from sales of the bags were donated to charity.
M&S 100% Recycled Plastic Bag
2015 - M&S continue to look for ways to improve packaging to help keep food fresh for longer and reduce food waste.
2025 - All men’s socks and woven pyjama sets, and almost 40% of men’s underwear lines, moved to FSC-approved paper packaging with paper hooks, which are easily recycled at home.
M&S Menswear Card Packaging
Glossary
Art Deco - a style in art that was popular in the 1920s and 1930s
Elegance - grace and beauty
Illustration - a picture or image; a drawing
Luxury - something that is not essential but that people like to have because it is special (can be expensive)
Sophistication - showing good taste and wisdom