The Co-operative Group and Fairtrade

The Co-operative Group is the largest consumer owned business in the world, owned by over six million members. Its family of businesses operate in a diverse range of sectors including food, travel, funeralcare, pharmacy and financial services. 

Fairtrade pioneers

Like all co-operatives, The Co-operative Group’s business practice is guided by the Values and Principles of the Co-operative Movement and it has been the leading supermarket supporter of ethical trading for over 165 years. It has pioneered the sale of fairly traded goods since before the FAIRTRADE Mark was even introduced and has had many Fairtrade ‘firsts’ – including introducing the UK's first Fairtrade bananas in 2000, converting all its own brand chocolate to Fairtrade in 2002, and converting its entire own-brand hot beverage category to Fairtrade in 2008.

The Co-operative Group has also been a strong supporter of the Fairtrade Towns movement over the years. The Co-operative Food store in Garstang was part of their campaign to become the worlds’ first Fairtrade Town. Following Garstangs declaration, the Fairtrade Foundation developed a set of five goals through which any community could make a collective commitment to fairtrade and become a Fairtrade Town. And to date, over 500 communities in the UK have done just that! Along the way, The Co-operative Group supported Manchester and Salford’s joint bid to become the 100th Fairtrade Towns in 2004, and also helped London to become the worlds’ largest Fairtrade City in 2008.   

Find out more about Fairtrade Towns in the UK at www.fairtrade.org.uk/towns  

Continuing to push the boundaries

This pack is one of the many initiatives delivered through The Co-operative Group’s Tackling Global Poverty programme. This programme supports over a million people in the developing world each year, through leadership in Fairtrade, support for overseas co-operatives and campaigns to raise awareness of global poverty issues, amongst other activities. In its Ethical Operating Plan (see below), The Co-operative Group set a number of ambitious goals to help tackle global poverty including to invest £7m each year through co-operative support initiatives, and to undertake the most radical Fairtrade conversion ever seen. The launch of this pack supports these commitments and continues The Co-operative Group’s tireless championing of the benefits of Fairtrade and co-operation in helping the world’s poorest people lift themselves out of poverty – with over 75% of Fairtrade products sourced from producer co-operatives. 

Who is this resource for?

The Co-operative Group has developed this resource to demonstrate how Fairtrade Towns can strengthen their groups and activities by working more closely with co operatives and their members.We hope it will inspire more co-operative members and other co-operators to get active on Fairtrade in their local community by joining – or starting – a Fairtrade Town campaign!    

The Co-operative College

The Co-operative Group has worked with The Co-operative College to produce this exciting new resource.

The Co-operative College is an educational charity which works from its home in Manchester with learners and co-operatives all over the world, from schoolchildren to African producer co-operatives.

The Co-operative College is dedicated to the promotion of co-operative values, ideas and principles within co-operatives, communities and society, from managing the Rochdale Pioneers Museum, birthplace of the modern co-operative movement, to pioneering work with schools and young people.