Our strategy

As a Swiss cooperative with a tradition stretching back more than 150 years, the Coop Group’s focus lies on its members and its customers. We firmly integrate sustainability into our core business and line responsibility. In 2021, we adopted our Sustainability Strategy 2022–2026 and anchored sustainability as an overarching theme for all business areas of the Coop Group: all subsidiaries address the issues defined by the strategy that are relevant to their business activities and set targets for these issues. An issue is relevant for a subsidiary if either the subsidiary offers products or services that contribute to the issue or if the impact of the subsidiary is large enough in relation to the entire Coop Group (for example, the energy consumption of a subsidiary in relation to the total energy consumption of the Coop Group). In the case of company expansions, for example through acquisitions of companies, their business activities are analysed with regard to the key issues and target agreements are introduced for the next possible calendar year. Whenever possible, the target agreements of all Coop Group companies relate to the same base year (2021). If this is not possible, we show and explain the deviation.

The focus of the 2022-2026 sustainability strategy is on sustainable products, the environment and climate protection as well as commitment to our employees and to society.

Our core business activities range from the purchasing and production of products in the food and non-food segment, to sales in our bricks-and-mortar and online channels along the entire value chain. We conducted a comprehensive, risk-based review to identify the positive and negative effects from a sustainability perspective on the various levels and assigned these to our areas for action and fields of activity.

DERIVATION OF KEY ISSUES

In the course of the new strategy period 2022–2026, we have completely reworked the key issues. The topics are derived from our business context as a large retailer in Switzerland and as an internationally active food producer and pan-European wholesaler. We have taken into account our complex supply chains that span the globe and present different challenges. Our statement on respecting, protecting and promoting human rights and our policy paper are at the root of the key topics we chose. The basic attitude anchored therein forms the foundation for measurable, integral objectives and flows into guidelines for our own business practices and those of our suppliers. As a cooperative, we attach importance to compliance with international regulations and derive our key issues from them – in particular from the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and the concept of planetary boundaries. This resulted in 26 key issues for the Coop Group. We conducted a survey of retail and wholesale customers, a supplier survey and a comprehensive stakeholder survey. As part of the stakeholder survey, we sought the opinions of more than 60 representatives from science and politics, NGOs from the fields of environmental protection, health and human rights and social engagement, consumer organizations, trade unions and public authorities. Based on the results of the survey, we then grouped and prioritized the key topics.

In 2024, a review of the key topics is planned as well as a subsequent review of the objectives and measures. Every five years, we set ourselves new ambitious and concrete sustainability targets for our three business areas Retail, Production and Wholesale, taking into account the respective market. We communicate our efforts, progress and challenges transparently every year in the Sustainability Progress Report in reference with international standard for sustainability communication of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

To ensure the effectiveness and credibility of our targets and measures, we are committed to implementing internationally recognized sustainability standards. We review the focal points annually and include newly identified and relevant topics in the next goal-setting process.

On this website you will find the first status report on target achievement for the target period 2022–2026. This report transparently compiles information on all 26 key topics and reports on our areas for action, our basic approach, the measurable goals we have set, the concrete measures, but also the existing potentials and changes in reporting. Significant changes in reporting on the 26 key topics can be found under the respective topic.

MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION OF SUSTAINABILITY

The Coop Group, which has a cooperative structure, is managed by a Board of Directors which has ten members. In 2022, four women and six men sat on the Coop Group Board of Directors. One member represents the concerns of Coop Group employees. The Coop Group’s operational management is undertaken by a seven-strong Executive Committee. Since May 2021, Joos Sutter has been Chairman of the Board of Directors and Philipp Wyss has been Chairman of the Executive Committee. The Chairman of the Board of Directors has no operational functions within the Coop Group.

Strategies, targets and missions are approved and reviewed at the Board of Directors or Executive Committee level. The Coop Group’s Board of Directors is also responsible for the annual review of the Sustainability Progress Report and for risk management with respect to economic, environmental and social risks. The materiality analysis also underwent a final review by the Board of Directors. Findings in the annual audit that lead to measures in subsequent years are finally approved by the Board of Directors and reviewed and continuously monitored by means of a follow-up report. In addition, in the area of risk management, we are in the process of setting up a due diligence process based on the OECD guidelines for the entire Coop Group. Coop’s sustainability team is responsible for reviewing target attainment and ensuring the necessary operational aspects are in place. They maintain regular dialogue with sustainability officers in the three business areas Retail, Production and Wholesale.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set global priorities and targets up to 2030 intended to get the world on course towards sustainability and tackle the current economic, social and environmental challenges. As an international company, through our key issues we incorporate these global goals in our strategies and spheres of action, contributing to their achievement in the private sector.

A major influence is given due to our business activities for targets related to our supply chains or consumption. A relevant influence is given due to our business activities for goals that are indirectly related to the use of natural resources or to social issues.