the community plan
What could be more co-operative than including our members in a review of our community investment priorities? In 2008, The Co-operative gave £11.5m to the community, a 9.5% increase on the previous year and equivalent to nearly 10% of our pre-tax profits. We also undertook the largest ever community consultation by a UK business, giving our three million members the opportunity to inform The Co-operative’s community investment programme in 2009 and beyond.
Members’ views
The Co-operative’s consultation with members, colleagues and customers was designed to explore their views on the issues they really care about - locally, nationally and globally. In total, over 50,000 questionnaires were returned.
The Community Plan
Following the consultation, we’re delighted to announce our new Community Plan,
which will help shape our future community and campaigning activity, both in the UK and globally. The Community Plan will focus on:
Left unchecked, climate change is the greatest threat we face, and has the potential to wreck livelihoods and ecosystems. The Co-operative is recognised as a leader in the fight against climate change; we're working hard to reduce our emissions, help communities to reduce theirs, and campaigning to get the right laws in place to speed up the transition to a low carbon economy. Our projects, on
Walking Buses and
Green Energy for Schools, highlight our work in local communities, and
Toxic Fuels illustrates our active campaigning for change.
In recent years, slow but significant progress has been made to reduce the proportion of people living in extreme poverty. However, the financial downturn and impacts of climate change are serious threats to this progress. The Co-operative is actively stepping-up its international development commitment, supporting additional overseas development projects to its existing commitments that include pioneering
Fairtrade, providing
microfinance loans to the working poor and supporting improved access to clean water.
Supporting them to make a positive contribution in their communities. Our From Farm to Fork initiative invites children to The Co-operative Farms to learn more about where their food comes from, and The Co-operative Streetgames Young Volunteers gives young people from disadvantaged areas the chance to become actively involved in their communities.
Our Ethics in Action website carries features on all our community programmes and campaigns.