As political and public debate grows around the need to rebuild social cohesion and restore fairness in the UK’s most deprived communities, Co-op has today announced a new strategy to deliver social value across every part of its business.
The move reaffirms the group’s commitment to “speaking up and speaking out on the issues that matter most to its members and communities – from climate change and sustainability to social mobility and diversity and inclusion”.
A survey into the issues facing people and society today, carried out with over 37,000 Co-op members, found that more than three-quarters (78%) feel many people don’t have equal access to the resources they need to thrive. Over four-fifths (83%) agreed that the gap between rich and poor is growing, and a similar number (79%) believe that society is more divided than 10 years ago. Only a minority of members (19%) felt optimistic about the future of the country.
Top 10 Co-op Member Concerns
- Cost of Living
- Healthcare
- Environment & Climate
- Global Conflict
- Cuts to local services
- Social care
- Prospects for the younger generation
- Political instability and extremism
- Economic instability
- Rising cost of renting
Co-op stated that this insight helped shape the focus of its strategy in three key areas – access to opportunity, access to a sustainable future and access to peace of mind and wellbeing.
Shirine Khoury-Haq, Co-op Group CEO, said: “We’re living in a world where powerful voices are actively encouraging businesses to row back on their social value commitments. In the pursuit of short-term profit opportunities, some other businesses are choosing to scale back or water down their social value work, shutting the door on progress for the future. As a co-operative, owned by our members, we’re choosing to step further forwards, choosing to speak up and speak out, to be a voice for positive change when it matters most.
“As debates grow around how to strengthen the social fabric of the UK, this strategy shows how Co-op is playing its part. It is grounded in what our members told us – to focus on opportunity, sustainability and community cohesion. That’s exactly what we’re going to do.
“As a member-owned business, we’re here to act. Whether it’s helping young people into work, backing grassroots projects, or tackling root causes of harm like cybercrime, this is about long-term impact. It will shape how we grow, how we lead, and how we deliver value for our members every day.”
Access to opportunity means helping more people into education, skills and good work – especially where chances are hardest to find. Co-op is strengthening its long-term diversity and inclusion goals and backing new routes into ethical work, including a partnership with The Hacking Games to identify young cyber talent and channel it into positive futures.
The society said that access to a sustainable future is about staying the course on net zero, even as others pull back. Co-op is continuing to back science-based targets and long-term action, supporting members and communities to reduce their impact and making progress in a way that’s practical, fair and transparent.
Meanwhile, access to peace of mind and wellbeing is about “building stronger, safer communities – locally and globally.” From investing in community resilience to taking a stand on human rights, including a new sourcing policy that cuts ties with countries linked to major human rights abuses, Co-op stated that it is focused on driving fairness and cohesion where it’s needed most.
NAM Implications:
- Co-op has long had a reputation for “speaking up and speaking out on the issues that matter most to its members and communities”
- An inspiration for all…
- Unfortunately, post-Lockdown, many of these issues and concerns represent a number of fault lines in radical changes in society.
- The issues have become very divisive, even among groups of like-minded people.
- The key for Co-op is not to be over-distracted from its main mission of optimising retail to provide for the fundamental needs of its community…
