Members tell Co-operative Group board to back Fairtrade

Co-operative Group members have asked the society’s board to ensure the retailer remained the UK’s leading supermarket supporter of Fairtrade. In a motion discussed at the Group’s annual...

Co-operative Group members have asked the society’s board to ensure the retailer remained the UK’s leading supermarket supporter of Fairtrade. In a motion discussed at the Group’s annual general meeting, they called on the board to increase the existing range and availability of Fairtrade products in store.

The meeting also requested the board to retain the long-term strategic objective that “if a co-operative product can be Fairtrade, it will be Fairtrade”.

Another issue touched upon in the motion was the conversion of own brand products to Fairtrade. The group should actively promote Fairtrade and Fairtrade products through advertising, promotion in stores and a programme of membership activity, it said.

The meeting requested that the board and executive maintain and develop the Group’s Beyond Fairtrade initiative and to prioritise Fairtrade Fortnight as part of the Co-operative Food’s annual promotional activity. The Beyond Fairtrade programme provides additional funding to producers through dedicated projects.

The motion also asked that the council monitor the board and the executive’s performance against these objectives. The council recommended that members supported the motion.

The board also supported the general principles of the motion in terms of leading the way on Fairtrade. However, it argued that some specific points in the motion could not be supported due to the Group’s current financial position and the austere market climate. In its response to this motion, the board said it would formulate a new Fairtrade policy, which will be shared with the council.

The policy will aim to address the issues raised by the motion. The board said it had sought to get the optimum range of products in their convenience stores, which led to a handful of Fairtrade de-lists by buyers, but that this should not be required going forward. In cases where demand was sufficient, the range of products could be extended, said the board in its response.

Regarding the strategic ambition that “if a co-operative product can be Fairtrade, it will be Fairtrade”, the board said that plans remained paused due to a combination of the Group’s current financial position, deflation threatening the retail market and the low levels of customer disposable income.

The new Fairtrade policy will recommit the group to maintaining a 100% Fairtrade own-label offer where already established, but, according to the board, there were no current plans to convert any further products or categories into Fairtrade.

The board said that higher prioritisation of Fairtrade Fortnight within the food trading plan would be ensured for future years.

According to the board, the funding for the Bayond Fairtrade projects came from members’ retained surpluses and the investment was paused as the business fell into rescue. Further availability of funding for this project is unlikely, said the board.

The meeting documents contained a comment from the Fairtrade Foundation supporting the Group’s commitment to Fairtrade. Commercial director Euan Venters said: “The Fairtrade Foundation is delighted to acknowledge the ongoing Fairtrade ambitions and leadership oftThe Co-operative despite the ongoing challenging trading climate and the fact that the business is recovering from an exceptionally difficult period in its history.

“As one of our longest-standing and most valued commercial partners, we thank the co-operative’s management team for its ongoing commitment to Fairtrade and we also express our gratitude to the active Co-operative members whose tireless campaigning has been instrumental in driving local and regional awareness and fuelling demand for product. We look forward to taking the next steps towards supporting Fairtrade communities together, through the principles outlined in The Co-operative’s draft new Fairtrade Policy.”

The Fairtrade policy will specifically address the points raised within the motion as follows:

  • To increase the existing range and availability of Fairtrade products in stores
  • To retain the long term strategic objective that “If a Co-operative product can be Fairtrade, it will be Fairtrade”
  • To have targets for the conversion of own brand products to Fairtrade
  • To ensure that stores carry at least one Fairtrade item within relevant categories once the True North range review has been completed
  • To actively promote Fairtrade and Fairtrade products through advertising and promotion in stores and a programme of membership activity
  • To ensure that Fairtrade Fortnight is prioritised as part of Co-operative Food’s annual promotional activity
  • To maintain and develop our Beyond Fairtrade initiative which provides a unique point of difference from our competitors through additional investment in Fairtrade producers and their communities.

The motion was carried with 96% of the vote (for: 96,161/against: 3,834/withheld: 13,174).

Following the meeting, Mr Venters said: “We are delighted that the Co-operative Group has re-confirmed its ambition to lead the way on Fairtrade. As well as being the world’s leading retailer of Fairtrade wines, the Co-operative has confirmed that it is committed to sourcing 100% of own-label products including tea, coffee, sugar, chocolate, bananas and roses on Fairtrade terms, and ensuring these products are available across its stores. It plans to increase promotion of Fairtrade, to build more direct links with Fairtrade producers, and look at the potential to convert more products to Fairtrade. We welcome all of these commitments.

“The Fairtrade Foundation, and the farmers and workers we represent, are hugely grateful to Co-operative members for their continued support and tireless campaigning over the last 20 years, which has been instrumental in driving awareness and sales of Fairtrade products across the UK. We look forward to working with the Co-operative Group and its members in the months and years ahead, as we work towards our shared vision of a world where more farmers and workers get a fair deal and can build a more sustainable future for themselves, their families and their communities.”

“We’re very supportive of [Fairtrade],” said the Group’s chair, Allan Leighton. “We used to have big shops and now we have small shops, a smaller range. If we don’t have big shops, we clearly can’t have as many products.” He added that the Co-operative remained the most supportive organisation of Fairtrade.

In this article

Join the Conversation