Our people
Creating conditions where every colleague is proud of their Co-op
Our vision and purpose
Co-operative values and principles are as relevant today as they were when we were founded in 1844 and they’re at the heart of our approach to addressing the challenges that our Co-op and society as a whole face today.
Our vision is "Co-operating for a Fairer World".
Our purpose is championing a better way of doing business for you and your community.
Our long-term commitment to our co-operative values and principles, as well as our insights into the needs of our people, communities and members, have helped us to shape the commitments that will deliver our vision.
All underpinned by our commitment to delivering a diverse and inclusive culture throughout everything that we do.
Our report
This is the 16th year we’ve provided members with an open and honest report on our responsible business performance to help them understand how we’re doing on the issues that matter to them.
For more detail you can download our full report.
"This report outlines the progressive actions we are taking to deliver against our vision. It is a critical and transparent account of our commitment to ethical, responsible and, above all else, co-operative business."
Steve Murrells, Co-op Group CEO
Since 1844 we've made it our mission to
ensure our members and communities are
seen heard and helped where they're
needed most. From tackling inequality and
empowering communities to finding solutions
to the climate crisis.
Our vision is to cooperate for a fairer
world. Fairer for our colleagues, fairer for
our members and communities and fairer
for our planet, delivering a diverse and
inclusive culture in all that we do.
Our cooperate report shows the targets
and progress we're making towards
delivering our vision. It's an open and
honest account of our commitment to
being an ethical responsible and above
all else cooperative business.
In 2021 to make things fairer for our
colleagues, we supported hundreds of
apprenticeships by launching Co-op
Levy Share, bringing together over seven
million pounds. We've also aligned pay
rates with the real living wage.
To make things fairer for our communities
and members, we launched our partnership
with Hubbub, helping to double the size of
the UK's community fridge network.
Together we've raised 100 million pounds to
support local communities across the UK.
To make things fairer for our planet, we hit our
target to half the carbon emissions from
running our business three years early.
We've also made 100 per cent of our own brand
food packaging easy to recycle.
We're clear that at the heart of our operation
is cooperation and without the help of
our members, colleagues and customers
none of these achievements would have
been possible. So thank you. For the full
story please read our cooperate report.
The issues that matter most
We’re a diverse group of businesses which means that our impacts are extensive and varied, and we know that we can’t lead on every aspect of sustainable development.
So we focus on our most significant social, environmental and economic impacts and the issues that matter most to our stakeholders.
Our approach has been shaped by a materiality review that we carried out in 2021. You can read more about this process here, and read more on these issues below.
Fairer for our people
Our reporting
For 16 years, our reporting has set out how we’re addressing sustainability, ethics and community.
The process of accounting, assurance and reporting is important to drive performance against our vision of Co-operating for a Fairer World, as well as providing crucial information to our stakeholders.