The Co-op will stop sourcing from countries where there are internationally recognised human rights abuses and violations of international law – including Israel, Iran, Russia and Mali.
The retailer’s group board has officially approved the policy, weeks after its members voted to ban Israeli goods from shelves.
The Co-op had been reviewing its sourcing policy in response to members’ calls for the company to show “moral courage and leadership” and advocate for peace and justice by cutting ties with Israel in light of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The c-store giant said it took members’ concerns into consideration and developed a sourcing policy aligned with established co-operative values, upholding human rights and the rule of law to promote fair trading and peace.
Its new policy states that, wherever possible, it will not use ingredients in Co-op branded products or sell whole products from 17 ”countries of concern”, which have been identified by the international community. These are: Afghanistan, Belarus, Central African Republic, North Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Iran, Israel, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Products and ingredients on the prohibited list are ones “which are clearly and solely sourced from the country of origin and include Russian vodka, carrots from Israel and mangoes from Mali, and will be removed from Co-op shelves and products on a phased approach, starting from June 2025”, the company said.
Read more: Co-op members vote to ban Israeli goods from shelves
Affected suppliers have been contacted, and the Co-op will manage the end of contracts in line with GSCOP regulations and guidelines.
This means products and ingredients will start to be removed from this month on a phased basis, due to contract and seasonal crop commitments.
Debbie White, chair of the Co-op Group board, said: “This policy, which has been developed over the past year as a part of our ‘Hate Divides Communities, Co-operation Builds Them’ campaign, is a clear demonstration of our co-operative values in action, where the voices of our members have been listened to and then acted upon.
“We are committed, where we can, to removing products and ingredients from our shelves which are sourced from those countries where the international consensus demonstrates there is not alignment with what happens in those countries and our co-operative values and principles.
“As a business, we have a long-standing legacy of doing the right thing, supporting Fairtrade and championing ethical sourcing and this policy is a natural progression of this.”
The Co-op will stop sourcing products and services from specific countries based on these three criteria:
- Firstly, that there is agreement across respected assessments, such as by the UN and others, that there is consistent behaviour that would constitute community-wide human rights abuses or violations of international law.
- Secondly, that the actions Co-op can take would make a difference directly or indirectly to those affected and would alleviate suffering.
- Thirdly, that the actions Co-op can take would not negatively affect the Co-op’s integrity as a commercially successful co-operative business aligned with co-operative values and principles.
Source: The Co-op
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