The Co-operative Group has scooped a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its pioneering position on Fairtrade and its green credentials.
The group was honoured in the sustainable development category and the business will be able to use the award emblem for five years.
“The Co-operative Group receives the award for its outstanding advance in embedding sustainability across its group operations,” said a statement from Buckingham Palace.
“The business has implemented an impressive range of initiatives across all aspects of its activities, reflecting a commendable corporate sustainability ethos. Key amongst these initiatives is its suite of impressive ethical investments and its laudable leadership on Fairtrade issues.
“Innovative schemes to reduce its transport impacts, coupled with pioneering research to reduce the impact of its own-brand packaging and investment in projects to reduce energy consumption, also testify to the ambitious sustainability aims of the group.”
The Co-operative Group was also praised for its strong Co-operative Community Investment Foundation, which provides direct financial support, as well as volunteer support, to a number of community organizations, and for its social goals agenda.
Martin Beaumont, group chief executive, said: “I am absolutely delighted that the Group has been recognised by the Queen in this way for all the important work that we are doing in the area of sustainable development and Fairtrade.
“This is something we should all be very proud of and it is a great honour to receive this award on behalf of us all.”
The Co-op was the first UK supermarket to embrace Fairtrade when it began stocking Cafédirect in 1992 and, with more than 3,000 Co-op stores nationwide, it now sells Fairtrade products in more outlets than any other retailer, it claims.
Total sales of Fairtrade products through Co-op stores for 2006 exceeded £40 million - a 25 per cent share of the Fairtrade grocery market for last year.
No comments yet