'Marks & Start' is an initiative focusing on promoting persons with disabilities in the community providing greater opportunies for integration into mainstream work environment.
Marks and Spencer as a major global retailer of garments lends credibility and legitimacy to ‘Marks & Start’ that is otherwise extremely hard for small organizations to generate. Through the consolidation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies internally and the dissemination of those policies, their objectives and business value through the supply chain, Marks and Spencer is using its market position and influence to positively change attitudes in business.
This process facilitates equal employment opportunities, subsequently breaking down obstacles hindering the integration of disabled people into their communities.
Potential employees are trained at Disabled People’s Organisations (DPO) that specialise in giving industrial training to persons with disabilities, prior to being employed.

Motivation, Marks & Spencer and Marks & Spencer suppliers have therefore successfully ventured into seeking sustainable programs through Marks & Start, to enable people with disabilities to have access to employment opportunities in their localities.

Furthermore, disabled persons are given an opportunity to be integrated into a normal working environment helping them contribute towards their families economic well being and not become a burden to society.

Significant achievements include:

- Successful design and implementation of training course in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India

- High conversion into full-time employment for nearly 100 disabled people in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh

- Increased motivation of supplier “buddies” and M&S Buying office team involved

- Improved management skills and experience of M&S and supplier teams

- Improved performance in factories

- Increased awareness and understanding of issues faced by disabled people

- Slimline, a Strategic Business Unit of MAS Holdings in Sri Lanka was awarded the Sara Lee award for Community Involvement; international recognition for the project and a financial reward for Rehab Lanka the DPO where the training facility is established.

- Plans to construct a state of the art training facility at Rehab Lanka. This would enable an even greater number of trainees to go through the Marks & Start programme.