waste

reduce, reuse and recycle – how we tackle waste

image of The Co-operative's recycling centre
The UK produces 70 million tonnes of Industrial and Commercial waste every year. The Co-operative Group’s approach to waste management focuses on:

waste reduction – both internally and in terms of packaging passed on to customers
increasing re-use and recycling rates
improving the degradability and biodegradability of waste
the provision of finance to more sustainable waste management options.

recycling

In 2007, we recycled or reused almost 40,000 tonnes of our waste. The majority of this was card and plastic waste from The Co-operative Food. Over 1,250 tonnes of The Group’s waste was learning to recycle at school dealt with by our own recycling centre in Manchester – the largest in-house recycling centre in the UK. This included our head office paper which is recycled into own-brand toilet tissue and kitchen towel sold in The Co-operative Food stores. Read about our inhouse recycling centre.

In September 2007, we opened Waste Works, an educational facility at the recycling centre, where young people can learn about sustainable living and see recycling in action. Find out more about Waste Works.

Technology is always changing, which is why we run the most widely available customer mobile phone recycling scheme in the UK. Our customers have already raised more than £260,000 for Oxfam by recycling their unwanted mobile phones and inkjet cartridges. Find out more about our mobile phone recycling scheme.

reducing

The Co-operative Group – like most large UK retailers – is a signatory of the Courtauld Commitment, which seeks to reduce packaging waste, and tackle the amount of food thrown away. By the end of 2010, we aim to be using 15% less packaging for our own-brand products.

We were proud to become the first retailer to run a successful packaging waste minimisation project with the Government’s Waste Resources Action Programme, whereby our own-brand tomato puree packaging was redesigned to save 8.5 tonnes of card per annum. Other packaging reduction initiatives include:

• the development of the UK’s lightest 70cl spirits bottle, saving 20 tonnes of glass per annum, which was the winner of the Sustainable Pack Award at the UK Packaging Awards 2007
• the reduction in weight of 26 own-brand wine bottles, projected to save 445 tonnes of glass per annum
• the reduction in weight of a selection of plastic milk bottles, projected to save 22 tonnes of plastic per annum
• ‘naked cucumbers’ which are expected to save eight tonnes of shrink wrap per annum.

reusing

We are committed to developing reusable packaging options, such as our plastic food transportation crates, which saved 2,835 tonnes of cardboard in 2007 alone. We also introduced the world’s first Fairtrade cotton carrier bag, and, where possible, ensure that IT equipment that we no longer need is reused, for example, by donating it to charities.

The Co-operative Financial Services

The Co-operative Bank’s customer-led Ethical Policy includes a commitment to support businesses involved in recycling and sustainable waste management. Find out more information on the Ethical Policies of The Co-operative Bank and The Co-operative Insurance.

We report on our ecological performance in our annual Sustainability Report. Read about ecological sustainability in our latest Sustainability Report.

Download a copy of The Co-operative Food Ethical Policy PDF [111KB] – which includes details of our food business’ commitment to waste reduction.

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