Sustainability Report 2009 - The Co-operative

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Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals Biodiversity Waste and packaging Climate change Ecological sustainability Community involvement Waste Works In September 2007, The Co-operative Group opened Waste Works, an education facility based at The Co-operative Recycling Centre. The Waste Works facility is designed to be an exemplar of recycling in action, with tables made from recycled plastic bottles and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) plywood. It is heated by a biomass boiler run on FSC wood pellets. The centre is managed by the environmental charity, Waste Watch, and offers a curriculumlinked education programme to Key Stage 2 school pupils (aged 7–11) and community groups. As at January 2010, the facility has welcomed over 12,000 visitors. Children enjoying workshop activities at the Waste Works Education Centre. Read more in this Report • Support for Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) Love Food, Hate Waste campaign (page 38). • Energy use (page 58). Accompanying notes 1 In line with WRAP’s Courtauld II target and methodology. 2 www.defra.gov.uk/evidence/statistics/ environment/waste 3 Defra (2007) Waste Strategy for England, page 66. 4 Sustainable Development Commission (2008) Green, Healthy and Fair, page 48. 5 www.defra.gov.uk/evidence/statistics/ environment/waste/kf/wrkf19.htm 6 www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/ topics/index.htm 7 Materials Recycling Week, 13 November 2009, page 13. 8 www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/ about/index.htm 9 80% complete, with reliance on extrapolation at The Co-operative Pharmacy, The Co-operative Funeralcare and The Co-operative Travel. 10 Ibid. 11 85% complete, with reliance on extrapolation at The Co-operative Pharmacy and The Co-operative Travel. 12 Ibid. 13 Reduction in waste arisings is largely due to store disposals. 14 CFS total waste arisings in 2009: 2,378 tonnes (2008: 2,893 tonnes r ; 2007: 2,747 tonnes r and 2006: 2,598 tonnes r ). 15 Reduction in waste disposed is largely due to store disposals. 16 CFS general waste disposed in 2009: 777 tonnes (2008: 856 tonnes r ; 2007: 891 tonnes r and 2006: 826 tonnes r ). Excludes branch network waste to landfill data for the former CFS estate. 17 Reduction in waste recycled is largely due to store disposals. 18 CFS waste reused/recycled in 2009: 1,601 tonnes (2008: 2,037 tonnes r ; 2007: 1,906 r and 2006: 1,772 tonnes r ). 19 Includes The Co-operative and former United Co-operatives data, both before and after the 2007 merger. 20 Includes former United Co-operatives data, both before and after the 2007 merger. Former Britannia data is included; this proportion is not presented separately as the percentage is negligible. 21 The Co-operative has been a signatory to the Courtauld Commitment (since 2005), which seeks to ‘design-out’ packaging waste growth, deliver absolute reductions in packaging weight and tackle the amount of food that consumers throw away. 22 www.co-operative.coop/corporate/ sustainability/packagingpolicy 23 Based on 115,927 tonnes of primary packaging handled by The Co-operative Food in the baseline year 2006, of which it is estimated that 38,000 is own-brand packaging. 24 Packaging reduction figures are based on savings attributed to The Co-operative, not the wider Co-operative Retail Trading Group to which it supplies products. Further examples of packaging reduction projects are presented in Sustainability Reports 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09 www.co-operative.coop/corporate/ sustainability/overview/downloads-andarchives 25 In 2009, The Co-operative Food accounted for 98% of total packaging handled by The Co-operative. 26 Data includes tonnages from co-operative societies that merged with United Cooperatives prior to its merger with The Co-operative. These include Yorkshire Co-operative Society from 2002 and Leeds Co-operative Society and Sheffield Co-operative Society from 2006. 27 Includes the former Somerfield estate tonnages. Graph excludes wood and other packaging materials, such as cork, which account for very small tonnages. 28 www.wrap.org.uk/retail/case_studies_ research/report_the_food_we.html 29 Derived by assuming The Co-operative accounts for 77.6% of the Co-operative Retail Trading Group collections in 2009, based on the number of cases sent out through Regional Distribution Centres to each society. 30 www.tier1.com 31 31,666 tonnes of cardboard and 1,782 tonnes of polythene, derived by assuming The Co-operative accounts for 77.64% of the Co-operative Retail Trading Group collections in 2009, based on the number of cases sent out through Regional Distribution Centres to each society. 32 Ultimately derived from the European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste. 33 As is any retailer that handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging and has a turnover in excess of £2m per annum. The Co-operative Group and former Somerfield are obligated as ‘sellers’ at 48%, pack/ fillers at 37% and importers at 100%. The 2009 targets for materials were: glass (80%), paper (68.5%), aluminium (38%), steel (68.5%), plastics (27%) and wood (21%). Overall recovery (which includes energy recovery and composting) is set at 73%, of which a minimum of 92% must be achieved via recycling. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007, Defra. 34 Under the Regulations, obligations are calculated on the packaging handled in the previous year. The obligation in 2009 was, therefore, based on 134,798 tonnes of packaging handled by The Co-operative and 131,708 tonnes of packaging handled by the former Somerfield estate in 2008. 35 www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2006/ uksi_20063315_en.pdf 36 The Co-operative producer obligation based on 2,876 items and distributor obligation based on 224,045 items of electrical and electronic equipment produced/sold in 2009. The former Somerfield estate distributor obligation based on 55,703 items of electrical and electronic equipment sold in 2009. 37 As defined in The Animal By-Products Regulations 2005. 38 2009 figure includes various recyclates from CFS’ main offices (537 tonnes) and the Manchester head office complex centre (249 tonnes). 39 Excludes former Britannia. 40 Envirowise 2008, GG256 Green Officiency: running a cost-effective environmentally aware office. www.envirowise.gov.uk/uk/ Our-Services/Publications/GG256-Green- Officiency-Running-a-cost-effectiveenvironmentally-aware-office.html. CFS re-use/recycling rate: 2009: 76% (2008: 82%). 41 Further details were reported in The Co-operative Group Sustainability Report 2008/09, page 82. 42 Sanderson, P (2008) Recycling Logo aims to cut confusion, Materials Recycling Week, 11 April 2008, page 6. 43 Including 29,056 tonnes of waste from Food stores and 2,353 tonnes of waste from Regional Distribution Centres, extrapolated from 97% and 40% samples respectively. It is estimated that 10,000 tonnes of The Co-operative Food’s waste to landfill is food waste. This figure does not take into account food waste that is thrown away but not logged as being disposed of. 44 From investigating a sample of former Somerfield bins, it has been estimated that 9,539 tonnes of the former Somerfield estates waste was food waste. 45 Extrapolated from a 72% sample. 46 Extrapolated from a 65% sample. 47 Extrapolated from a 77% sample. 48 Extrapolated from data for 50 weeks of 2009 from a 61% sample. 49 Excludes bank branches. 50 Extrapolated from data for 50 weeks of 2009 for a 57% sample. 51 Extrapolated from data for 50 weeks of 2009. 52 This represents the 5% of animal by-product waste (mainly contaminated packaging) that cannot be recovered/recycled. 53 Defra (2010) Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Oxo-degradable Plastics Across Their Life Cycle http://randd.defra.gov.uk/ Default.aspxMenu=Menu&Module=More &Location=None&Completed=0&ProjectID =16263#Description 74 The Co-operative Group Sustainability Report 2009
Biodiversity Indicators MSC-certified fish species sold MCS ‘Fish to Avoid’ species sold FSC-certified timber products sold Use of palm oil in own-brand products Peat content of growing media sold Biodiversity initiatives Biodiversity enhancement Targets 2009 Progress the sourcing of sustainable palm oil within The Co-operative Food (page 77). Increase the number of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified fish products sold by The Co-operative Food (page 75). Agree funding for four UK fisheries to progress MSC certification (page 75). Achieve FSC certification for The Co-operative Food’s greaseproof paper by 2010 (page 77). Raise, through the RSPB credit card, £400,000 for Britain’s threatened wetlands during 2009 (page 79). Progress wildflower seed trials on The Co-operative Farms’ sites as part of Plan Bee, during 2009 (page 78). Ensure 50% of The Co-operative Travel’s point-of-sale material is FSC-certified by end 2009 (page 77). target achieved on track Targets 2010 close to target behind schedule target not achieved • Ensure all own-brand fish products are labelled as ‘Responsibly Sourced’. • Ensure no own-brand products contain fish from the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS’s) ‘Fish to Avoid’ list. • Ensure palm oil used in all own-brand products is 100% certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) by 2015. • Complete the conversion of at least 15 own-brand products to CSPO during 2010. • Progress wildflower seed trials on The Co-operative Farms’ sites, as part of Plan Bee, during 2010. • Pursue ‘Graduate Status’ for The Co-operative Food within the WWF-FTN in 2010. • Raise, through the RSPB credit card, £400,000 for Britain’s threatened wetlands during 2010. • Ensure 90% or more of The Co-operative Travel’s pointof-sale material remains FSC-certified during 2010. • Achieve FSC certification for The Co-operative Food’s greaseproof paper during 2010. Background The 2008 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Living Planet Index study showed that between a quarter and a third of the world’s wildlife has been lost since 1970. Furthermore, it suggested that humans are responsible for wiping out around 1% of all other species every year, with one of the ‘great extinction episodes’ in the earth’s history currently underway 1 . A recent Natural England report identified nearly 500 plants and animals that have become extinct in England, virtually all in the last two centuries. Nearly 1,000 native species have also been given conservation priority status because of the severity of the threats facing them 2 . President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has emphasised the importance of biodiversity preservation for economic development within the EU: “Biodiversity is integral to sustainable development, underpins competitiveness, growth and employment and improves livelihoods. Biodiversity loss, and the consequent decline of ecosystem services, is a grave threat to our societies and economies” 3 . Materiality and strategy In the most recent ethical policy consultations undertaken for the food, banking and investments businesses, members and customers indicated their wish for The Co-operative to pursue measures to protect and promote biodiversity. As one of the country’s largest farmers, The Co-operative has a direct impact on the UK’s biodiversity. In total, over 20,000 hectares of land are farmed at 13 farm units in England and Scotland (of which over 10,000 hectares are owned by The Co-operative). Furthermore, implementation of a far-reaching Pesticides Policy, which has significant implications for biodiversity, is described on page 83. The business also exerts a significant impact on biodiversity via the products offered by The Co-operative Food, CFS’ provision or non-provision of finance to businesses and its engagement with businesses to promote sustainability. Marine stewardship Globally, three-quarters of commercial fish stocks are fully or over-exploited, and nearly 90% of stocks of large, predatory fish have already disappeared. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, ocean fisheries appeared to reach maximum productivity limits in the late 1980s, and strong regional fishery management is now required to rebuild depleted stocks and prevent the collapse of other stocks. Since 1998, The Co-operative Food has been a supporter of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) – an independent, global, non-profit organisation that uses a marketbased approach to help improve the management practices of fisheries. During 2009, the number of Co-operative Food own-brand products containing MSC-certified fish increased from 14 to 18 4 . The four MSC-certified products launched during 2009 were: Alaskan pollock fishcakes, hoki in parsley sauce, fresh hake Provençal and hake fillets. In 2008, The Co-operative ring-fenced £200,000 to support the certification of UK fisheries to the MSC standard. Over half of this was committed in 2009 to support six fisheries through full MSC assessment, and the pre-assessment of a further one. Support has been provided to fisheries throughout England and Scotland, which include a wide variety of commercially valuable fish and shellfish species. Additional candidates for certification will be sought during 2010. The Co-operative Group Sustainability Report 2009 75 Ecological sustainability Climate change Waste and packaging Biodiversity Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals
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Sustainability Report 2009 Focus on
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prioritising community investment a
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“There is a tide in the affairs o
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About this Report Target attainment
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Mechanisms that influence materiali
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distinct team within The Co-operati
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• the organisation includes the p
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Community investment Indicators Com
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Employee volunteering 14 Number of
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International development and human
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000 400000 500000 The Co-operative
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Page 31 and 32: Read more in this Report • The Co
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Page 59 and 60: Climate change Indicators Energy: c
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Page 73 and 74: 2007 2008 2009 140,766 r 134,798 r
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Page 83 and 84: Yes 88% No 12% InSight customer fee
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