Foreword by Philipp Wyss and Joos Sutter
Dear Readers
Sustainability is a part of everyday life throughout the Coop Group. It is integral to our business activities and, since 1973, has been strategically enshrined in our Articles of Association and Corporate Profile. This 2022 Progress Report illustrates how the Coop Group has developed in regard to sustainability over the 2022 financial year (01.01.2022 to 31.12.2022). In it, you will find detailed information about our progress towards our goals and about projects undertaken in the three pillars that are: Sustainable product ranges, Environment and climate protection and Employees and social commitment. Some examples from 2022 are the introduction of the eco-score for transparency in our retail range, the construction of photovoltaic units to produce solar power and reduce operational emissions, and our commitment, as a progressive employer, to providing our apprentices with high-quality training.
As a cooperative, respecting, protecting and promoting human rights is both a central value and a self-evident core element of corporate responsibility. We have always been committed to implementing socially responsible working conditions in value chains and are keen to continuously improve social conditions within our global supply chains. In doing so, we take our lead from the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as well as the relevant conventions and principles issued by the United Nations (UN), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
With binding guidelines and directives for our employees and our business partners, we embed compliance with and implementation of human rights and set clear requirements for socially responsible production. Through supply chain risk mapping, we locate the relevant production stages and countries where compliance with socially responsible working conditions is at risk. We safeguard compliance and implementation with training courses and audits, with international standards, by supporting local flagship projects and by annually surveying targets on the implementation of social standards.
We take a clear stance on current sustainability issues that are relevant to society and explain our stance in transparent terms in our Policy Papers on various issues in the three pillars of sustainability.
With a view to the new 2022–2026 strategy period, we identified 26 key sustainability issues for the Coop Group which we then grouped and prioritized. In so doing, we took account of the expectations of our customers and other stakeholders as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the concept of planetary boundaries.
For the 26 key issues, we specified targets and measures for all business areas that are reviewed annually by the Coop Group Board of Directors in order to identify any follow-up measures.
As a sustainability pioneer, going forward this means we will continue taking responsibility for the three pillars in a consistent manner throughout the Group. The same goes for those issues that present a major challenge, such as climate. In this regard, we are working with our suppliers to tackle the high percentage of emissions created upstream in our supply chains. We also remain committed to transitioning to rail freight, which has already saved over 16 million road kilometres. At nearly 40%, we transport more goods by rail than any other Swiss retailer.
We already boast the widest sustainable product range and increased our sales of sustainable products in the Coop Group to 6.4 billion Swiss francs in 2022. One particular highlight of the last year was the 30th anniversary of our partnership with Fairtrade Max Havelaar and the growth in our sales of fairtrade products to 830 million Swiss francs, meaning we are still the undisputed number 1 in Switzerland for sustainability. This benefits everyone: people, animals and nature, and we continue to forge ahead with a strong inner drive!
Sustainability is a part of everyday life throughout the Coop Group. It is integral to our business activities and, since 1973, has been strategically enshrined in our Articles of Association and Corporate Profile. This 2022 Progress Report illustrates how the Coop Group has developed in regard to sustainability over the 2022 financial year (01.01.2022 to 31.12.2022). In it, you will find detailed information about our progress towards our goals and about projects undertaken in the three pillars that are: Sustainable product ranges, Environment and climate protection and Employees and social commitment. Some examples from 2022 are the introduction of the eco-score for transparency in our retail range, the construction of photovoltaic units to produce solar power and reduce operational emissions, and our commitment, as a progressive employer, to providing our apprentices with high-quality training.
As a cooperative, respecting, protecting and promoting human rights is both a central value and a self-evident core element of corporate responsibility. We have always been committed to implementing socially responsible working conditions in value chains and are keen to continuously improve social conditions within our global supply chains. In doing so, we take our lead from the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as well as the relevant conventions and principles issued by the United Nations (UN), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
With binding guidelines and directives for our employees and our business partners, we embed compliance with and implementation of human rights and set clear requirements for socially responsible production. Through supply chain risk mapping, we locate the relevant production stages and countries where compliance with socially responsible working conditions is at risk. We safeguard compliance and implementation with training courses and audits, with international standards, by supporting local flagship projects and by annually surveying targets on the implementation of social standards.
We take a clear stance on current sustainability issues that are relevant to society and explain our stance in transparent terms in our Policy Papers on various issues in the three pillars of sustainability.
With a view to the new 2022–2026 strategy period, we identified 26 key sustainability issues for the Coop Group which we then grouped and prioritized. In so doing, we took account of the expectations of our customers and other stakeholders as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the concept of planetary boundaries.
For the 26 key issues, we specified targets and measures for all business areas that are reviewed annually by the Coop Group Board of Directors in order to identify any follow-up measures.
As a sustainability pioneer, going forward this means we will continue taking responsibility for the three pillars in a consistent manner throughout the Group. The same goes for those issues that present a major challenge, such as climate. In this regard, we are working with our suppliers to tackle the high percentage of emissions created upstream in our supply chains. We also remain committed to transitioning to rail freight, which has already saved over 16 million road kilometres. At nearly 40%, we transport more goods by rail than any other Swiss retailer.
We already boast the widest sustainable product range and increased our sales of sustainable products in the Coop Group to 6.4 billion Swiss francs in 2022. One particular highlight of the last year was the 30th anniversary of our partnership with Fairtrade Max Havelaar and the growth in our sales of fairtrade products to 830 million Swiss francs, meaning we are still the undisputed number 1 in Switzerland for sustainability. This benefits everyone: people, animals and nature, and we continue to forge ahead with a strong inner drive!
Joos Sutter
Chairman of the Coop Group Board of Directors
Philipp Wyss
Chairman of the Coop Group Executive Committee
