Sustainability management

Our Sustainable Development Policy is implemented via an Ethical Operating Plan, and underpinned by a set of bespoke ethical polices and strategies that relate to our differing businesses. Oversight of sustainability rests with a committee made up almost entirely of elected members, an approach which is almost certainly unique among large UK businesses.

Sustainable Development Policy (425kb)

Sustainability management(539kb)

The Co-operative identifies and focuses activity on those issues that are of greatest significance to our business and stakeholders. Our Report is structured around 17 material issues which are grouped into the ‘triple bottom line’ of social, environmental, and economic impacts. Details of how materiality has been determined, and the supporting management strategy, are outlined in each Report section. Unless otherwise stated, performance relates to the calendar year of 2010.

Ethical Operating Plan

In 2011, we launched a new approach to managing sustainability: the Ethical Operating Plan. This three year rolling plan aligns, for the first time, long term sustainability investment priorities with the business’ forward looking commercial strategy. The plan’s ambitious targets are set across eight areas and listed throughout the Report.