One condoms
The Co-operative Group is selling a new range of condoms to help fund HIV and Aids awareness projects in Africa.
The Co-operative, the UK’s most ethical brand*, is the first high-street retailer to sell the ethical One condoms, which are the first of their kind in the UK.
The condoms will be available at 2,200 Co-operative Food stores throughout the UK, as well as 790 Co-operative Pharmacy outlets. Priced £3.29 for a pack of three, 30p per pack will fund testing for HIV and Aids in rural communities in Africa**.
Money raised from the sale of One condoms will fund a programme for outreach teams of doctors, nurses and councillors to visit rural communities to help educate and raise awareness of HIV and HIV-related issues, as well as testing.
According to the United Nations, currently 1,400 African children under the age of 15 die of an Aids-related illness every single day, and more than 15 million children under 18 worldwide have been orphaned as a result of Aids***.
One condoms are produced by Global Ethics, the organisation behind the ethical water brand, One water, which funds the installation of unique PlayPump® water systems in Africa. The PlayPump roundabouts pump much-needed clean drinking water from deep underground to local communities as children play on them.
The Co-operative already sells One water and also makes a contribution to the “water for water” project from sales of its own-brand Fairbourne Springs Mineral Water****. Thanks to the continued support of its customers, The Co-operative has so far funded 124 PlayPumps through sales in its stores.
Debbie Robinson, Director of Food Retail Marketing at The Co-operative Group, has just returned from a fact-finding trip to South Africa, where she travelled with a team of nurses and councillors testing for HIV and Aids in rural communities.
She said: “One condoms is another great initiative from Global Ethics and we’re proud to be supporting it to help overcome the problems associated with HIV and Aids in Africa, which are truly devastating. The principle behind One condoms makes it an ideal choice for us as a responsible retailer and customers who shop with us because of our strong ethical positioning."
Duncan Goose, founder of Global Ethics, said: “We are simply urging current users of condoms to make an educated purchase and choose ‘One’ over other brands, in the knowledge that they are helping to address the HIV and Aids issues in Africa, too.”
- ends -
Notes to Editors:
* The Co-operative was voted the UK’s most ethical brand for two years’ running, according to independent consumer surveys carried out in 2007 and 2008 by Gfk NOP.
** Other retailers include the online Ethical Superstore (www.ethicalsuperstore.com) and, to capture the student market, NUS stores.
*** According to Avert.
**** All profits Global Ethics makes from the sale of One water go towards funding water projects in Africa and all its profits from the sale of One condoms goes towards raising awareness of HIV and Aids and the funding of testing in rural communities in Africa. Retailers selling One products make a contribution to Global Ethics for each product sold.
- ends -