Change to Co-op Principle referred back to ICA Board

A motion to amend the Seventh Co-operative Principle has been referred back to the ICA board. The revised Principle was set to encourage co-operatives to expand on the environmental aspect of their business. Proposed by Ramon Imperial, ICA Americas President, he said: "We believe we need to adapt our principles for the challenges that face us. We are not trying to change the essence, but expand it. We would like to give it further scope so co-operatives can deal with the issues." The Seventh Principle reads: "Co-operatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies approved by their members." The proposed Seventh Principle read: "Concern for community and environmental sustainability Co-operatives work for the sustainable development of their communities including the protection of the environment through policies approved by their members, promoting the responsible management of natural resources to ensure ecological balance." David Button, Chair of Co-operatives UK, who propsed the additional motion to refer the original proposal, said: "We agree entirely with the spirit of the resolution. We have difficulty in voting for the resolution because we have not had the time to discuss this with our members. "They are sacrosanct and precious, so we should ensure that any changes are well thought out. We are fully supportive of the sentiments, but we propose that the issue is referred to the ICA board. And for the ICA board to come back in future with a proposed method for making these changes." David Rodgers, Executive Director of the UK-based CDS Co-operatives, said: "The first time I heard about this was when I received the agenda for this assembly. The Co-operative Principles have only been amended three times. The last time in Manchester in 2002, it took eight years of careful deliberation. "It needs to be subject to a special process. I'm a committed environmentalist, but I recommend that this gets referred back to the Board." The proposal has been referred back to the ICA Board.