Resource use

We’ve made great strides in recyclability; increasing our easy-to-recycle food packaging from 46% in 2015 to 100% in 2021 – through kerbside collection or our closed loop system in store for soft film.

100% of our Co-op branded packaging is easy to recycle - via kerbside collection or through our own in-house closed-loop system

All our Co-op stores have sold BS EN 13432 certified compostable carrier bags at 10p each, from April 2021 these replaced conventional single-use plastic bags which we phased out during 2021. ‘Bags for Life’ have been removed from the range.

Our analysis has shown that, in stores that have removed single-use bags from sale, many customers use a ‘Bag for Life’ once, which wastes much more plastic than using a single-use bag once.

20% reduction in our plastic footprint per 1% market share since 2018

In tackling food waste, our priority is to prevent food surplus being created in the first place; where this is unavoidable, we ensure that as much of this as possible is redistributed to local food charities with the remainder being used to make green energy.

60% increase in surplus food redistributed to local community groups by our Foodshare programme compared to 2020