June 2017

JUNE 2017
NATURE
news
Going beyond
CSR: Putting the
environment on
your agenda
Plus ... Suma’s 40 years ...
How to tell your story ... Inside
a £5bn industry ... The Beatles’
co-op connection ...
ISSN 0009-9821
01
9 770009 982010
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news
CONNECTING, CHAMPIONING AND
CHALLENGING THE GLOBAL CO-OP
MOVEMENT SINCE 1871
Holyoake House, Hanover Street,
Manchester M60 0AS
(00) 44 161 214 0870
www.thenews.coop
editorial@thenews.coop
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Anthony Murray
anthony@thenews.coop
DEPUTY EDITOR
Rebecca Harvey
rebecca@thenews.coop
EDITORIAL
Anca Voinea | anca@thenews.coop
Miles Hadfield | miles@thenews.coop
DIRECTORS
Elaine Dean (chair), David Paterson
(vice-chair), Richard Bickle, Sofygil
Crew, Gavin Ewing, Tim Hartley,
Erskine Holmes, Beverley Perkins and
Barbara Rainford.
Secretary: Ray Henderson
Established in 1871, Co-operative News
is published by Co-operative Press Ltd,
a registered society under the Cooperative
and Community Benefit Society
Act 2014. It is printed every month by
Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton,
Derbyshire SK17 6AE. Membership of
Co-operative Press is open to individual
readers as well as to other co-operatives,
corporate bodies and unincorporated
organisations.
The Co-operative News mission statement
is to connect, champion and challenge
the global co-operative movement,
through fair and objective journalism and
open and honest comment and debate.
Co-op News is, on occasion, supported by
co-operatives, but final editorial control
remains with Co-operative News unless
specifically labelled ‘advertorial’. The
information and views set out in opinion
articles and letters do not necessarily
reflect the opinion of Co-operative News.
Show election candidates the
co-op way
World Environment Day 2017 is asking us to remember the value
of nature.
Nature can only exist through the careful assessment of our impact on
the environment.
The environment is an area that co-operatives are conscious of.
Last year, the International Co-operative Alliance launched a
special website for co-ops to pledge support for the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals.
On that website, there are over 100 entries from co-ops around the
world pledging to protect the environment, such as sustainable
tourism co-op Costa Balenae in Italy, Australian agricultural co-op CBH
and the National Co-op Grocers Association in the United States.
These pledges talk about support for renewable energy, sustainability
reporting and awareness campaigns.
The pledges talk about the action we can do at home, where our cooperative
operates. But what about our wider impact, for example,
where we source ingredients from producers?
Looking specifically at the UN’s goals, the conservation and
sustainable use of lands, water and ecosystems is a top aim of the
organisation.
The wider impacts that our businesses have is the focus of our
interview with Dr Jeremy Haggar from Greenwich University. Along the
supply chain, businesses should be aware of the environmental needs
of producers. Without this focus on corporate social responsibility,
there is a threat to the sustainability of those producers, many of whom
are co-operatives.
By being co-operative, we are different. When looking at the larger
supply chain, there is an opportunity for co-ops to ensure corporate
social responsibility extends all the way from farm to fork.
ANTHONY MURRAY - EXECUTIVE EDITOR
@coopnews
cooperativenews
JUNE 2017 | 3

How to tell your story ... Inside
a £5bn industry ... The Beatles’
co-op connection ...
ISSN 0009-9821
01
9 770009 982010
THIS ISSUE
CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT
Liverpool’s co-operative connections (45-
47); The Co-op Group’s 2017 AGM (24-27);
Celebrating four decades of Suma (28-29);
and looking at the value of nature in the
context of co-op business (40-44)
news Issue #7284 JUNE 2017
Connecting, championing, challenging
news
JUNE 2017
NATURE
Going beyond
CSR: Putting the
environment on
your agenda
Plus ... Suma’s 40 years ...
COVER In the lead up to World
Environment Day, how are
co-ops approaching the business of
nature? And what about the co-ops
specifically working in this area?
Read more: pages 40-44
£4.20
www.thenews.coop
22-23 MEET… DAN McCALLUM
The project manager at Awel Aman Tawe,
in South Wales, discusses the challenges
of community energy
24-27 CO-OP GROUP AGM
Members hear about ‘meaningful
membership’ and a year of ‘growth and
progress’ at the society’s annual meeting
28-29 40 YEARS OF SUMA
A look back over the changes seen – and
the challenges faced – by the UK’s largest
workers co-operative
30-35 AGRICULTURE
With volatile prices in a globalised world,
there are challenges ahead ... How are
agricultural co-ops reacting?
36-39 TELLING YOUR CO-OP STORIES
How do different organisations use
stories to connect with their members?
We speak with three experts who share
their professional co-op views
40-44 WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
Remembering the value of nature in the
context of co-op business
45-47 LIVERPOOL’S CO-OP CONNECTIONS
The Beatles, the Liver Building and the
spirit of mutuality
REGULARS
6-13: UK updates
14-19: Global updates
20: Letters
48-49: Reviews
50: Diary
4 | JUNE 2017

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NEWS
RETAIL
2017 results: How did the UK’s retail co-ops perform in a challenging year?
UK co-operative societies have largely reported a rise in turnover
for the 2016-17 year, but the sector has seen a general fall in
retained profit.
In their annual results, several societies said the year had been
a challenging one, citing factors such as uncertainty over Brexit
and the weakened pound, and competition on the high street.
“Increased sales in our convenience stores and a good
performance in our funeral business were offset by the combined
impacts of food price deflation and continued pressure in our
large stores and supermarkets,” said Martyn Cheatle, chief
executive at Central England, which recorded a loss of £3.9m.
At Midcounties, where retained profits were £0.7m (2016:
£4.8m), chief executive Ben Reid said next year would be no less
challenging. 2017-18 “will also see additional costs to absorb such
as increases in the National Living Wage, business rates and the
introduction of the apprenticeship levy,” he said.
However the year was kinder to some of the smaller societies,
with Tamworth and Chelmsford Star both reporting an increase
in retained profit.
Chelmsford Star chief executive Barry Wood said: “As we
celebrate our 150th anniversary, it is especially pleasing to see so
many of our businesses and initiatives performing well.”
Tamworth reported its best results for a quarter of a century.
Chief executive Julian Coles said that while the food division was
mainly responsible for the rise, all the society’s trading areas
performed better, making it an “all round success story”.
CENTRAL ENGLAND
Central England lost £3.9m (2016: £3.1m
profit), with increased convenience sales
and a good Funerals performance offset
by “food price deflation and continued
pressure in [its] large stores”.
CHANNEL ISLANDS
Channel Islands announced increased
turnover, but retained profit was down to
£0.5m from £2.6m. The society said this
was because of revaluations and property
sales the previous year.
CHELMSFORD STAR
Chelmsford Star lifted its trading profit
by more than 16% as it celebrated its
150th anniversary. Core turnover within its
grocery convenience stores rose 3.8% on
a like-for-like basis.
LINCOLNSHIRE
Lincolnshire (which recorded its results
in September 2016) revealed an £8.6m
boost in sales, which reached a record
total of £301m. The retailer recorded a
trading surplus of £20m (up 4%).
MIDCOUNTIES
Midcounties’ retained profits fell to
£0.7m (2016: £4.8m). Operating profit
was also down despite higher turnover,
with chief executive Ben Reid warning of
a challenging year ahead for UK business.
RADSTOCK
Radstock saw retained profit down to
£147,722 (2016: £213,729); operating
profits also fell while turnover rose, and
the society said it was committed to a
growth strategy in “uncertain times”.
6 | JUNE 2017

Co-operative Turnover (2016-17) Operating profit 2016-17 (if stated,
otherwise trading profit (TP))
Retained profit (2016-2017)
Central England 805.8m (down from 806.8m) 11m (down from 19.8m) -3.9m (down from 3.08m)
Channel Islands 172.1m (up from 168.7m) 7.6m (down from 9.2m) 0.5m (down from 2.6m)
Chelmsford Star 73.3m (up from 70.8m) 1.5m (TP) (up from 1.3m (TP)) 0.6m (up from 0.5m)
East of England 347.7m (up from 338.5m) 4.4m (TP) (up from 4.1m (TP)) 1.9m (down from 4.1m)
Group 9,452m (up from 9,201) 148m (up from 112m) -134m (down from 15m)
Heart of England 70m (down from 82.7m) 1.7m (down from 4.6m) 1.3m (down from 3.1m)
Midcounties 979m (up from 926m) 8.2m (down from 15.6m) 0.7m (down from 4.8m)
Radstock 30m (up from 28.7m) 0.25m (down from 0.27m) 0.15m (down from 0.21m)
Scotmid 376m (up from 370.6m) 9.7m (up from 7.8m) 6.3m (up from 4.3m)
Southern 393.8m (up from 366.8m) 5.6m (up from 4.8m) 2.0m (down from 4.3m)
Tamworth 22.1m (up from 20.6m) 1.1m (TP) (up from 0.81m (TP)) 0.63m (up from 0.41m)
Lincolnshire (to 3
September 2016)
258m (up from 251m) 18.7m (up from 15.7m) 11.3m (up from 8.2m)
EAST OF ENGLAND
East of England saw retained profit for the
financial year down 54% to £1.9m (2016:
£4.2m), citing write-offs and the previous
year’s figure being lifted by disposal of
assets. Trading profits were up.
CO-OP GROUP
The Group lost £134m (2016: £15m profit)
despite increased retail sales after writing
down the value of its stake in the Co-op
Bank to nil. It reported an operating profit
of £148m (2015: £112m).
HEART OF ENGLAND
At Heart of England, retained profit fell
from £3.1m to £1.3m, with operating profit
also down, as the society pointed to
competition, low consumer confidence, and
uncertainties led by a weakening pound.
SCOTMID
Scotmid hailed a strong underlying
performance with an operating profit up
nearly by £2m – but warned of uncertainty
over wage increases, tough high street
competition and Brexit.
SOUTHERN
At Southern, retained profits fell to £2m
(2016: £4.3m) but turnover and operating
profit rose. It hailed a “milestone year”,
with its highest ever week’s sales and the
opening of its 200th store.
TAMWORTH
Tamworth recorded its best results in
25 years. The society recorded a trading
surplus of £1.1m for the year ended 28
January 2017, up 31.8%, or £257,000, on
the previous year. (Image: Enigma)
JUNE 2017 | 7

ELECTION 2017
What do the party manifestos mean for the
co-op movement? Some policies directly
support co-ops, while others could benefit
co-operatives and social enterprises
indirectly. The parties are also addressing
issues where the co-op movement has
been campaigning...
Read more online:
thenews.coop/election2017
Labour’s manifesto, which sets out its
vision of an economy that “really works
for the many, and not only for the few”,
includes a pledge to double the size of the
co-operative sector with support from new
regional development banks.
There are also commitments on issues
of concern to the movement, such as fair
tax, human rights in supply chains and
company pay ratios.
It is possible that the co-op movement
could benefit from other policies, from the
return of public transport and utilities to
public ownership to measures to support
small and medium sized enterprises
(SMEs) and protect community assets.
POLICIES TO SUPPORT CO-OPS
u A pledge for “legislation to create a
proper legal definition for co-operative
ownership”
u Support for businesses across the country
will come from a National Investment Bank
lending £250bn via network of regional
banks “charged with helping support our
co-operative sector”
u “Labour will aim to double the size of
the co-operative sector in the UK, putting it
on a par with those in leading economies
like Germany or the US”
u Widening ownership of economy to take
it out of hands of “a narrow elite” through
“more democratic ownership structures”
u Introducing a “right to own”, making
employees the buyer of first refusal when
the company they work for is up for sale
u Support for the creation of publicly
owned, locally accountable energy
companies and co-operatives
u Give football supporters the opportunity
to have a greater say in their clubs, and a
wider review of fan participation in sports
governance.
The Liberal Democrat manifesto sets its
sights on replacing Labour as the main
opposition party and its main focus is on
opposing Brexit, public service reform and
devolution.
POLICIES TO SUPPORT CO-OPS
u In health and care, support innovation
in how organisations can empower staff
and patients, including learning from
innovative social enterprises delivering
community and mental health services.
u Double the number of SMEs participating
in the digital economy by supporting ICT
capital expenditure by businesses in nondigital
sectors.
u Require the major banks to fund the
creation of a local banking sector dedicated
to meeting the needs of local SMEs.
u Expand renewable energy, aiming to
generate 60% of electricity from renewables
by 2030
u Support social investment, ensuring
charities and social enterprises can access
the support and finance they need to
strengthen their governance and deliver
innovative, sustainable solutions to
challenges in their communities
u Encourage employers to promote
employee ownership by giving staff in listed
companies with more than 250 employees a
right to request shares, to be held in trust.
u Strengthen worker participation,
including the right for employees to be
represented on the board.
May 2017 elections
A disastrous showing in the local elections
for the Labour Party in early May included
shock mayoral defeats for the Co-operative
Party – but Andy Burnham (left) took the
Manchester post by a comfortable margin.
Mr Burnham has pledged measures
to support co-operativism in the region,
including giving it a minister for cooperatives
and mutualism.
Nationally, the Conservatives gained 563
seats, and control of 11 councils. Labour
lost 382 seats, and control of five councils.
However, Labour/Co-op candidates in the
council elections bucked the trend, with
104 councillors elected across the UK –
up from 97 when these elections were last
contested in 2012 and 2013.
Its share of Labour councillors has gone
up to 9% from 6.3%; and nearly half of its
successful candidates are women (47%).
There are co-operative councillors on
42 of the 89 councils elected last (47.2%);
the councils with the biggest groups are in
Nottinghamshire (9) and Glasgow (9).
8 | JUNE 2017

CONSERVATIVES
The Co-operative Party’s manifesto calls
for “a co-operative plan for Britain where
power and wealth are shared”.
The policy list includes proposals to
reform the housing, banking and energy
sectors by promoting community co-ops
and credit unions, with regulatory changes
to help co-ops in those sectors, and mutual
and multi-stakeholder options for transport
and public utilities.
The document says: “We urgently need
a more inclusive economy that distributes
rewards more fairly, successfully seizes
new opportunities, and effectively supports
communities through the inevitable
changes ahead. We are clear that the only
way to build this is to put co-operation at
its heart.”
POLICIES TO SUPPORT CO-OPS
u Doubling the size of the UK co-op
sector by creating a level playing field
for co-operative businesses providing
tailored support, and reducing tax and
regulatory burdens
u Increased incentives, support and
funding for employee ownership,
including tax relief and statutory “right
to request” legislation on business
succession
u Action to encourage responsible
business practice, including legislation
requiring profit sharing in firms with more
than 50 employees, board representation
for workers and stronger governance
u Stronger consumer rights, such as a
single consumer ombudsman and board
representation for consumers
Protection for workers in the gig economy,
including union representation
u Fair tax legislation to bring in greater
transparency and country-by-country
reporting
u There are also proposals to support
regional communities, through a network
of regional banks to support co-ops,
social enterprises and SMEs; improved
funding for local government; and the
development of local co-ops
u The Party would also like to see
more support for co-operative councils,
a stronger Localism Act to protect
community assets and the transfer of
power and assets to communities.
The manifesto contains few proposals for
the co-operative movement, with no actual
use of the word “co-operative”, although it
does express the need for a more inclusive
economy.
POLICIES THAT COULD BENEFIT CO-OPS
u To establish in law the freedom
for employees to mutualise, where
appropriate, within the public sector
u A requirement for public listed
companies to nominate director from
workforce, create a formal employee
advisory council or assign employee
representation to a designated non
executive director
u Support for SMEs – simplified taxes
for SMEs, a prompt payment code for
suppliers, and a commitment for 33%
of government purchasing to come from
SMEs by the end of the parliament
u Funding streams for business in
investment, R&D, education
u No mention of agricultural co-ops but
proposes an “agri environment plan” for
the UK farming system after Brexit
u A UK Shared Prosperity Fund to reduce
inequalities between across the nations
u Protections for workers in the gig
economy, pending a report
u Commitment to the UN Sustainable
Development Goals in the aid budget.
t Co-operative Party general secretary,
Claire McCarthy
May 2017 election
In the run-up to the general election,
the Social Economy Alliance (SEA) has
launched a manifesto for an inclusive
economy. The SEA, which includes cooperatives,
community groups, social
enterprises and charities, wants the next
government to release the potential of
businesses that embody social values.
The SEA wants to see laws on co-ops and
community benefit societies made more
user-friendly, allowing them to commit to
a social purpose and asset lock, as well as
prompting business founders more widely
to specify the purpose of their business with
Companies House.
OTHER POLICY SUGGESTIONS INCLUDE:
u Reward good business behaviour
through tax incentives, action on tax
avoidance, improved tax transparency
and socially responsible supply chains
u Reform state aid competition and
procurement law after Brexit, taking into
account the environmental and social
impacts of business
u A more ethical trade policy, with new
trade deals maximising the potential for
fair trade
u A meaningful engagement with
charities, social enterprises and co-ops
throughout the Brexit process
u Reinvest profits from outsourcing in a
way that benefits society
u Use more than a billion pounds of
unclaimed assets to help people take
local projects under community control
and build local economies – for instance,
through co-operative housing or co-op
supporter trusts
u Re-channeling tax breaks to
entrepreneurs, workers and people
investing in good causes
u An inclusive industrial strategy
inspired by the social economy.
JUNE 2017 | 9

SUSTAINABILITY
Co-ops recognised for
sustainability work
The Midcounties, Central England
and Southern co-operatives have been
recognised by Business in the Community
for their work in sustainability and
community action.
Responsible Business Week (24-
28 April), hosted by Business in the
Community (BITC), is an annual initiative
aimed at increasing awareness of the
positive contribution of businesses to
society. The Responsible Business Awards
champion the most inspiring businesses
taking action to build more inclusive
workplaces, stronger communities and
tackle environmental challenges.
In an announcement during the week,
Midcounties was reaccredited in the
Sustainable Products and Services, and
Building Stronger Communities categories
of the Awards, and is on the 2017 shortlist
in the Education category.
Central England has been reaccredited
in the Inspiring Young Talent category
and Southern in the Building Stronger
Communities category.
The Co-op Group has also been
shortlisted for the 2017 Experian Award
for Building Stronger Communities.
Mike Pickering, community and
sustainability manager at Midcounties,
p Food and drink consortium Made In Scotland have their eyes on overseas markets
said: “The BITC Responsible Business
Awards are nationally acclaimed for
recognising businesses that drive
sustainable and social change, both
nationally and abroad.
“To be reaccredited is a great
achievement and reflective of our
commitment to reducing energy, preserving
the environment and providing a positive
impact to those who live and work in the
areas we serve.”
Judges praised the society for reducing
its energy usage by a further 3%, saving
over 1,000 tonnes of CO2 and increasing its
recycling levels to 91%.
The organisation was commended for
its commitment to the local communities it
serves as part of its Regional Communities
programme, which sees members and
colleagues come together to provide support
for local community groups through
volunteering and fundraising initiatives.
The strategy has seen Midcounties donate
more than £11m to local charities and
organisations over the past 10 years.
Chief executive of Business in the
Community, Amanda Mackenzie, said: “We
want all businesses to be a force for good
in the community, and being reaccredited
means that these organisations can inspire
many more companies to be part of the
responsible business movement, so that
together we can work for a fairer society
and a more sustainable future.”
HEALTH
Plunkett to tackle rural community care
The Plunkett Foundation is launching
a project looking at ways to help keep
people healthy, cared for and connected
to their communities.
The organisation, which helps
communities take control of their
challenges and overcome them through
co-operation, aims to build on the
community strengths in rural areas to
focus on wellbeing and prevention, with
strong links to local care and medical
health services.
“The project came about because of
Plunkett’s real passion to help people
develop co-operative solutions to the
needs of today,” said Dr Kathrin Luddecke,
who is leading the project.
Plunkett is working with Wave on a
set of tools and ideas that will act as
‘stimulus materials’ for discussions and
explorations with potential pioneers.
These materials will be reviewed and
finalised at a workshop with experts
from the co-operative, health, social care
and community sectors in London in
May and then shared online and at three
regional events for interested community
entrepreneurs and groups across England
in June and July 2017.
They will be supplemented by free
specialist advice and / or study visits for
10 pioneer groups who want to develop
their ideas further.
10 | JUNE 2017

Co-op College receives grant from Unicorn 4% fund
The Co-operative College has received a
£5,000 grant from worker co-op Unicorn
Grocery’s 4% Fund, building on the
support it received in 2015. The College
will use the money to support the
development of co-operatives in Malawi,
whose agrarian economy is vulnerable to
climate shocks and high inflation.
McColl’s trials Co-op Group own-brand products
From June, 25 McColl’s stores in England
and Wales will stock Co-op own-label
products for a three-month trial. McColl’s
is currently supplied by Nisa and Palmer &
Harvey; the three-month pilot will replace
Nisa’s own-label brand Heritage and the
brand supplied by Palmer & Harvey with
over 900 Co-op Group products.
HISTORY
The sale of an icon
A Grade II listed building, the Co-operative
Insurance Society tower was inspired by
the Inland Steel Building, built in Chicago
in the 1950s. The architects and engineers
working on the project travelled to the USA
to draw their inspiration for the building.
Constructed between 1959 and 1962,
the CIS tower was, at the time, the UK’s
tallest office building, rising to 387 ft (118
m) with 28 floors offering 388,000 sq ft
of office space. It was also one of the first
large commercial buildings in England to
be air-conditioned.
Its site, on Miller Street, had been hit
by heavy bombing during World War II
and had to be cleared; but a huge glacial
boulder which was too heavy to remove
remains in place beneath the building.
The interior was designed by Professor
Misha Black and Alexander Gibson from
the Design Research Unit, one of the most
significant post-war design practices in
Europe.
It features artwork designed by notable
artists from the mid 20th century,
including a large, brightly coloured
plastic laminate mural by Barry Daniels of
DANAD Design Associates, and a 30ft by
12ft abstract sculptured fibreglass mural
by the renowned artist and sculptor,
William G. Mitchell.
John Lewis revises profit after payroll rule breach
A payroll error that breached national
minimum wage rules could cost employeeowned
John Lewis Partnership (JLP)
£36m. The exceptional charge is related
to JLP’s practice of pay averaging. Due to
this error, in its latest annual report JLP
has revised down its annual gross profit
by £36m to £452.2m.
Central England launches its first Dementia Friendly store
Central England’s Ripley food store has
become the society’s first to be officially
designated as Dementia Friendly.
Colleagues were joined by representatives
from the Amber Valley Dementia Action
Alliance to mark the occasion, which took
place during Dementia Awareness Week
2017 (14-20 May).
Scotmid wins ‘Most Trusted & Ethical’ award
Scotmid Co-operative has been recognised
as The Shopper’s Most Trusted & Ethical
Convenience Retailer for 2017 at the CTP
Awards. The award is based on shopper
ratings on how well they believe a store is
engaging with local community initiatives
and to what extent it is actively trying to
reduce food wastage.
JUNE 2017 | 11

HISTORY
Heritage grant will preserve valuable records of the worker co-op movement
p The National Co-operative Archive is also home to the Robert Owen Collection, an archive
of 3,000 manuscript letters
The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded
the Co-operative Heritage Trust £43,000 to
track down and preserve key documents
from the worker co-op movement.
The Co-operative Heritage Trust has also
secured donations of more than £16,000
from current worker co-ops and other
organisations in the movement, for the
long-planned Working Together initiative.
The project aims to identify, preserve
and make accessible for the first time
records from some of the major workers’
co-operatives of the 1970s, 80s and 90s,
when a rapid upsurge in the idea of
working co-operatively led to a new wave
of worker co-ops.
These worker co-ops played a significant
role in their local communities but also
had national significance, says the Trust.
They aimed to create jobs where
people were important, with an emphasis
on sharing work, ownership, profits,
responsibilities and decisions. The legacy
from those years remains an important
one for the wider co-operative movement
as a whole.
A trained archivist will be employed
for a 12-month period to find the material
and, where possible, deposit it either
at the National Co-operative Archive or
the relevant local county record office or
public archive. An oral history element to
the project will mean that recordings will
also be made of the memories of some
of those most involved in co-operatives
during this period.
Gillian Lonergan, librarian for the
Trust, said: “We know that already some
important records from workers’ co-ops
have ended up in skips, and much other
material is now stored away in individual
people’s attics and cupboards. Now is
absolutely the time to ensure that these
records are saved.”
The project will be based at the National
Co-operative Archive in Manchester, with
separate measures to ensure the heritage
of worker co-operatives in Scotland and
Wales are saved and made available in
appropriate archives.
Ian Snaith, chair of the Trust, said:
“We are delighted that we now have the
resources we need to ensure that the
records of this important part of our recent
history are preserved.”
TECHNOLOGY
New website to help co-ops and charities understand social investment
A new website has been set up to help
charities, co-ops, social enterprises and
community groups navigate the complex
world of social investment.
A year of research and co-design has
gone into the Good Finance website (www.
goodfinance.org.uk), which has a tool
to help users assess if social investment
is right for them. It also includes case
studies and the first ever directory of
social investors and advisers.
These features are as a result of research
and user-focused design workshops
with a wide range of charities and social
enterprises across the UK.
Good Finance is funded by Big Society
Capital, Access and the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport. There was support
from sector partners including the National
Council for Voluntary Organisations, Social
Enterprise UK, Locality, the creative agency
Matter & Co, and the social investment
organisation Flip Finance.
Kieran Whiteside, project manager for
Good Finance, said: “While the social
investment market has continued to grow,
charities and social enterprises have often
struggled to navigate this challenging and
complex world.
“Our hope is that this new website
will help charities and social enterprises
feel empowered to make informed and
educated investment decisions that are
right for them.”
12 | JUNE 2017

AWARDS
Voting opens for the 2017 Co-operative of the Year awards
Co-operatives UK has announced the
shortlist for the 2017 Co-operative of the
Year Awards – and voting is now open.
The awards, organised annually by
the sector body, celebrate the UK’s co-op
sector across three categories: Leading
Co-operative of the Year; Growing Cooperative
of the Year; and Inspiring Cooperative
of the Year. Anyone can vote
online for their favourite co-ops from the
shortlist, with each person getting three
votes in total, one for each category.
Online voting for the Co-operative of
the Year Awards will run from 8 May to 25
June, with the winner being announced
at the Co-operative Congress in Wakefield
on 30 June. You can vote online now at
s.coop/25uik
LEADING CO-OPERATIVE OF THE YEAR:
u Chelmsford Star Co-operative, an
Essex-based customer owned retailer
HOUSING
UK’s newest student housing co-op calls for
members and begins property hunt
u Suma Wholefoods, a wholesaler and
the UK’s largest worker co-operative
u South Caernarfon Creameries, a co-op
owned by 110 Welsh dairy producers
GROWING CO-OPERATIVE OF THE YEAR:
u Daily Bread Co-operative, a workerowned
wholefood retailer
u Dulas, a renewable energy enterprise
run by its employees
u Outlandish, a web developers’ co-op
INSPIRING CO-OPERATIVE OF THE YEAR:
Students are being invited to join the
newly formed Glasgow Student Housing
Co-op, established to offer quality
housing and fair rents in the city.
The GSHC, formed by a dozen students
at the University of Glasgow and Glasgow
School of Art, held its first meeting in
November after being inspired by a visit
to Edinburgh Student Housing Co-op.
So far the students have received
support from Glasgow City Council’s
co-operative development unit and
successfully won funding from the
Co-operative Glasgow Business
Development Fund, which paid
for training by Co-operatives UK in
governance and financial management.
They also getting business advice from
Jobs and Business Glasgow.
The co-op carried out a survey of 155
students at the University of Glasgow
and found 71% were interested in living
in a co-op, and 27% may be interested.
They are now looking for a building, with
options ranging from a commercial lease
to purchase via a mortgage.
Member Kirstie McLean told Scottish
Housing News: “It can be difficult for
students to find suitable housing –
rents can be high and some students
experience problems getting repairs done
which is frustrating.
“A community-based co-op allows
students to take control of their living
situation, democratically make decisions
about how their accommodation is run,
and develop skills and build sustainable
communities.”
u Balsall Heath Housing Co-operative, a
housing co-op in Birmingham
q The co-op includes students from the University of Glasgow
u The Developer Society, a web
developers’ co-op
u Naked Lunch Café, a co-op café
in Liverpool
u New Leaf Co-op, a worker owned
wholefood store in Edinburgh
JUNE 2017 | 13

GLOBAL UPDATES
GLOBAL
B20 final recommendations highlight co-ops’
potential in employment, SMEs growth and education
p Monique Leroux (centre) with co-operative
representatives at the B20 summit
p B20 chair, Jürgen Heraeus, hands over the B20 Policy Recommendations to German
chancellor Angela Merkel
The final set of policy recommendations
of the B20 Summit under the German
presidency to the G20 includes mentions
of the role co-operatives have in
employment generation, fostering smalland
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and
promoting entrepreneurship.
The aim of the B20 Germany summit
was to identify and then recommend
elements that could help innovation,
economic growth and job creation.
Throughout the year, representatives
from the co-operative and mutual sector,
including the International Co-operative
Alliance, took part in B20 meetings
presenting views and examples from the
co-op movement.
The final summit took place in Berlin
on 2-3 May under the motto “Resilience,
Responsibility, Responsiveness –
Towards a Future-oriented, Sustainable
World Economy”. The B20 included five
taskforces, which focused on: Trade
and Investment; Energy, Climate and
Resource Efficiency; Financing Growth
and Infrastructure; Digitization; and
Employment and Education.
Co-ops were represented at various
meetings by Alliance president, Monique
Leroux, who was a co-chair of the B20
Cross-Thematic Group for Small- and
Medium- Enterprises and a member of
the Financing Growth and Infrastructure
Group. Alliance director general, Charles
Gould, was a member of the Responsible
Businesses Group, and policy director
Rodrigo Gouveia was on the B20’s
Coordination Group. Andrew Crane,
from CBH co-operative in Australia, was
a member of the SME group, and ICMIF
chief executive, Shaun Tarbuck, was a
member of the Financing Growth and
Infrastructure Group.
The policy paper on SMEs underlines
that SMEs can help each other by
combining their market power in jointly
owned and managed structures – such
as co-operatives. “Commonly owned
structures like co-operatives might allow
SMEs to maintain their independence and
identity while at the same time delegating
certain business functions (e.g. sourcing,
marketing) to a larger entity that can
negotiate better market conditions
through the power of the collective,”
reads the paper, which also calls on G20
governments to take into consideration
the differences of these structures and
adapt regulations accordingly.
The employment and education paper
also refers to co-operative models,
asking G20 governments to promote
entrepreneurship as a way to boost selfemployment
by reducing red tape related
to business and promoting a diversity of
business models, including co-ops and
other social enterprises. “These allow
people to mutualise risks, offering a
good alternative for women, youth and
other disadvantaged groups to access
entrepreneurship,” reads the paper.
Commenting on the final
recommendations, Monique Leroux said:
“The hard work of the Alliance’s policy
team has paid off. We have increased the
profile of co-operatives in global policymaking
groups. I’m proud to have joined
them in representing co-operatives as
a co-chair of the SME group, where I
witnessed first hand the influence our
model has.”
14 | JUNE 2017

UKRAINE
WOCCU project aims to develop Ukraine’s credit
unions as agriculture lenders
A four-year project funded by the
United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) is seeking
to increase credit union lending to
agriculture in Ukraine.
Launched in April, the Credit for
Agriculture Producers (CAP) Project is
implemented by the World Council of
Credit Unions (Woccu), with support
from the Volunteers for Economic Growth
Alliance (Vega), a network of 29 member
NGOs and organisations, including
Woccu. The project was designed to
strengthen the credit union sector in
Ukraine in order to improve the quality of
the financial services and products offered
to farmers and other agribusinesses in
rural areas.
p Senior policy advisor Pawel Grzesik and Ewa Sierzynska, CAP chief of party, at the launch
As part of this, the CAP Project
contributed to the development of the
updated draft law on credit unions of
Ukraine, working with the Ukrainian
National Association of Savings and Credit
Unions, the All-Ukrainian Credit Union
Association, the National Commission on
Regulation of Financial Services Markets
and other bodies.
The draft law aims to make it easier
for credit unions to co-operate, and for
them to reach their potential. This in turn
could create more opportunities for small
and medium sized producers’ to access
financial resources.
In addition, the CAP Project will
facilitate a mentorship programme
featuring 64 volunteers from the USA and
Poland – including Ukrainian diaspora –
which will provide high-level expertise.
Speaking at the launch, chief of party
for the CAP Project, Ewa Sierzynska,
highlighted the importance of the adoption
of new updated legal standards governing
credit unions’ operations, which will
encourage a greater contribution to the
development of rural agriculture.
SPAIN
New Economy and Social Innovation Forum
pledges to build a values-led system
p The Forum took place in Málaga in April
Over 900 new economy actors gathered
in Málaga in April for the Global Forum
on New Economy and Social Innovation.
The event concluded with the
launch of the New Economy and Social
Innovation Charter, which calls for a
“values-led system” based on justice,
solidarity, sustainability, equality,
autonomy and collaboration.
The charter proposes greater cooperation
and social innovation for
the transition towards a new economic
system to serve people and the planet.
It has been co-written and signed
by representatives from new economy
movements worldwide and is based on
international research conducted by
D-Lab, the University of Barcelona and
NESI Forum.
Diego Isabel La Moneda, director
of NESI Forum, said: “This is a key
milestone for the economy.
“This is the first time that all economic
movements joined with the public
administration, companies and NGOs to
show that people should not serve the
economy but that the economy should
be at the service of the people and the
planet.”
The signatories of the charter commit
to the co-creation of a new economy that
integrates social purpose, ecological
sustainability, collaboration, openness
and justice and localisation.
JUNE 2017 | 15

EUROPE
Jean-Louis Bancel elected president of Cooperatives Europe
p Jeal-Louis Bancel was elected unanimously
Co-operatives Europe, the European
regional office of the International Cooperative
Alliance, has elected Jean-Louis
Bancel as president.
Mr Bancel, who was elected unanimously,
is also president of Coop FR, the national
apex body for co-ops in France and Crédit
Cooperatif, a French co-op bank.
Since 2006 he has been the chair of
the Alliance’s International Cooperative
Banks Association, which is involved in
international matters linked with micro-,
solidarity- and impact-financing.
Mr Bancel is succeeding Dirk H Lehnhoff,
who has led Cooperatives Europe for the
past four years.
“For co-operatives, legitimacy is
membership,” he said upon his election.
“Co-operatives are not only businesses.
The women and men, members of our
co-operatives, are at the heart of all
Cooperatives Europe’s actions. My objective
during this mandate is to raise co-operative
pride in Europe.”
Mr Bancel added that he would be
focusing on three main objectives.
“In working actively with the new elected
board, which is strictly balanced in gender
(seven women / seven men), we would
first like Cooperatives Europe to be a real
common house for national apexes and
for sectoral federations.” He hopes that
by working together, the knowledge and
recognition of the model can be enhanced.
“Secondly, we shall work to make
proposals for European institutions
(parliament, commission and governments)
to help to set out a new future for Europe,
which is going through a hard time,
especially due to a lack of trust, determined
by a declining room given to democratic
processes,” he said.
“The third topic we will focus on will
be to keep the high involvement of the
European co-operative movement in the
global process for building a better world
that was fostered by the International Year
of Co-operatives.”
FRANCE
Emmanuel Macron pledges support for co-ops and the social economy
French president-elect Emmanuel Macron
has committed to growing the social and
solidarity economy. Mr Macron, who at 39
will be the youngest president in France’s
history, took 66% of the vote, defeating
far-right candidate Marine Le Pen from the
Front National.
In the run-up to the election Mr Macron,
an independent centrist, published a letter
pledging support for the social and solidarity
economy, including co-operatives.
The open letter highlighted the social,
demographic, environmental, and
democratic and technological challenges
facing France. The country’s 165,000 social
and solidarity economy enterprises help
to address these challenges, argued Mr
Macron, a former investment banker who
pledged to support and help grow the sector
and enable more co-operatives to emerge.
France is home to 21,000 co-ops, with
one million workers and a turnover of
€300m. The social and solidarity economy
contributes 10% of the country’s GDP,
employing 2.45 million people.
According to Mr Macron, over the last 10
years the sector has grown the number of
employees by 24%, compared to 7% in the
private sector.
Mr Macron promised a series of measures
to help the sector, including a national social
innovation accelerator, an organisation to
support innovation projects. He also wants
a public policy to promote and support
social innovation.
The president elect said he will also call
for a relaunch of a European agenda to
promote the social and solidarity economy
across the EU.
A former economy minister, Emmanuel
Macron quit François Hollande’s
government last year to launch his bid for
presidency. He set up his own political
movement, En Marche! (On Our Way) and
ran without the backing of one of the main
political parties.
While minister of the economy, he
attended the annual congress of the
agricultural and retail co-ops, which he
praised as institutions that have “a soul”.
p Emmanuel Macron
(image: Claude Truong-Ngoc)
16 | JUNE 2017

CECOP calls for an end to austerity measures
p Melina Morrison
AUSTRALIA
Apex body
encourages federal
government to take
co-ops into account
The Australian Business Council for
Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) has
responded to the federal budget announced
by the government. The apex body is
calling on the executive to consider the
role co-operatives and mutuals can play in
delivering services more efficiently.
“For the last 35 years, the co-operative
business model has been sidelined by
bureaucracies and policies designed to
entrench the company business model as
the ‘mature’ option. Yet co-operatives and
mutuals are still a fundamental part of
the Australian economy,” said BCCM chief
executive, Melina Morrison.
“Seventy-nine per cent of the Australian
population are member shareholders,
compared with 36% of Australians that own
listed investments on the Australian Stock
Exchange. With some minor changes in
government thinking, the inherent stability
and customer-focused nature of the cooperative/mutual
model can continue to
deliver services cost effectively and with
tremendous community benefits.”
BCCM praised some measures mentioned
in the budget that could make it easier
to register a co-operative or mutual in
Australia – and also welcomed the
announcement of a $472 million investment
in regional infrastructure projects via the
Regional Growth Fund, which, it argues,
could provide opportunities for regionallybased
co-operatives and community-owned
infrastructure projects.
However, the apex body believes the
government failed in its approach to
banking competition.
The European Confederation of worker,
social and producers’ co-operatives
active in industry and services, CECOP,
argues that investment is crucial for the
implementation of the European Pillar
of Social Rights. The body believes that
austerity programmes directly contradict
the pillar.
Asia-Pacific co-operative ministers commit to SDGs
More than 200 participants met in Hanoi
in April for the annual Asia-Pacific
Cooperative Ministers’ Conference,
where they pledged their support for
the Sustainable Development Goals.
The conference was organised by the
International Co-operative Alliance’s
office for Asia-Pacific.
Credit unions help Canadian Red Cross during floods
Desjardins and other credit unions in
Canada have raised funds after the
country suffered its worst flooding in
50 years, with a state of emergency
declared in two cities. Desjardins Group
has donated US$100,00 to the Canadian
Red Cross to help relief work, and raised
another US$220,000 through its network.
Eroski invests €300m in revamping 79 supermarkets
Basque retailer Eroski aims to refurbish
79 supermarkets and open four new
ones in 2017. Over the last four years the
retailer, which forms part of Mondragon
Co-operative, has invested €300m in the
transformation of the shops into modern
stores, which aim to reduce their impact
on the environment.
Dairy co-op Murray Goulburn to axe jobs and plants
Problems at Australian dairy co-op
Murray Goulburn have taken another
turn as it announced plans axe up to 360
jobs. It is also preparing to lose AU$410m
in writedowns and restructuring, close
three processing facilities and suspend
dividend payments.
u Read more on the state of the agriculture
co-op sector from page 30
JUNE 2017 | 17

FRANCE
French ethical search engine investing profits in
social projects and co-ops
A search engine that finances social and
environmental projects, including cooperatives,
has reached 30 million searches
per month.
Set up in 2015, Lilo is a French search
engine looking to take on giants like Google
and Yahoo – and it has grown to 700,000
users per month and a total number of
searches of half a billion. It is available in
English, Portuguese, German, Spanish and
Italian, as well as French.
It invests 50% of its total revenue in
social and environmental projects and has
so far distributed €220,000 to 50 projects,
including social enterprises, charitable
organisations and co-ops.
Each time users search on Lilo they earn
a symbolic drop of water, which represents
the money gained from advertising linked to
the web page. They are then asked to choose
a project they want to support and the drop
of water gets converted into money.
One of Lilo’s key objectives is to address
the issue of CO2 emissions. In 2007 the
information and technology system’s
global CO2 footprint accounted for 2% of
all emissions, the equivalent of 830 metric
tons of CO2. The figure, comparable to
the emissions of the aviation industry, is
expected to double by 2020. Lilo is looking
to compensate by funding projects such
which specialise in Co2 capture and storage.
Other funding has gone to co-ops,
including la Coopérative citoyenne pour
des énergies renouvelables, which develops
local renewable energy projects encouraging
residents, activists, associations and
enterprises to join efforts.
Its collaboration with Lilo started two
years ago when one of the members came
across the search engine and realised the
co-op could have qualified for funding. It
has so far received over €2,100 from Lilo by
receiving 993,960 drops of water.
Similarly, Les Cooperatives Jeunesse de
Services, a group of young people’s co-ops,
has so far raised €35 from 16,511 drops. The
co-op is made up of teenagers who work
together to provide various services, from
cleaning, distributing and IT support to
cooking or manufacturing artisan products.
The co-op will receive the donation from
Lilo once it reaches €100.
Another co-op adding drops to
receive a donation from Lilo is La
Chouette, a Toulouse-based supermarket
democratically controlled by its members.
The co-op has so far raised the equivalent of
€90, through 41,659 drops donated. It plans
to allocate any funding received through
the search engine to buying required
technologies such as bar-code scanners.
Marc Haussaire, engineer and co-founder
of Lilo explained: “We aim to empower
internet users by proposing a quality
alternative to Google.”
La Coopérative citoyenne pour des
énergies renouvelables project was
started in 2008 by a group of 45 people
in the town of Loubeyrat, 80 miles west
of Lyon. Their main aim was to involve
locals in renewable energy projects.
After being officially set up in 2009,
the co-op opened the first photovoltaic
central in 2010, which includes 4,000 sq
ft photovoltaic panels. Locals invested
a total of €67,000 in the project, which
is now also developing wind energy
projects.
“We chose the co-op model because
it corresponded with our collaborative
working patterns and was more
democratic. It was closer to out ideas,”
explained member Stéphane Lobrégat.
The co-op has grown to include 301
members with a board of 10 directors and
one employee. Asked what were their
plans for the future, Mr Lobrégat said the
co-op aimed to remain local but was keen
to help people in other areas start off
similar projects. All profits are reinvested
in the project to help it grow even more.
18 | JUNE 2017

SWEDEN
Sweden launches
national apex body for
co-operatives
A national apex federation has been created
for Sweden’s co-ops to “modernise” the
image of the business model there.
Co-operatives Sweden, launched on
11 May, was set up by the Federation of
Swedish Farmers (LRF), the Swedish
Co-operative Union (KF), the HSB cooperative
housing association and the KFO
Employers’ association. It brings together
for the first time consumer, producer,
worker and housing co-ops.
Sweden’s top 100 co-operatives employ
100,000 people and have an annual
turnover of SEK 400bn and the new
organisation’s chair, Anders Källström,
wants the movement to grow beyond this.
DENMARK
Coop Denmark using mobile app to reduce
food waste
Coop Denmark is taking the campaign
against food waste online via a mobile app.
The retailer, a co-op owned by 1.4 million
members, use the online platform Too Good
to Go to enable customers to purchase items
that would otherwise be thrown out, for a
very low price.
Coop Denmark will initially roll out the
scheme in 40 Kvickly, SuperBrugsen and
Daglibrugsen stores, with another 60 to
follow by the end of the year.
Bread, pastries and other food products
that are not too old are sold at up to 75%
below normal price.
“Over the last three years we have
been working to reduce our food waste,
and reduced the price of items when
approaching the expiration date,” said
Coop Denmark CSR director Signe Frese.
“We can still do a lot and would therefore
like to work together to help both ourselves
and our customers to reduce food waste. Too
Good To Go is a great sympathetic concept
that we believe many of our customers also
think about.”
Henrik Stampe, chief sales officer at Too
Good To Go, added: “We are very pleased
to strengthen our partnership with Coop,
thereby contributing to the efforts to combat
food waste in Denmark. We are confident
that this co-operation will be very positive
for Coop and its customers.”
Too Good to Go was set up as a social
enterprise in Denmark at the end of 2015 by a
group of friends, and has already expanded
to five other countries, including the UK.
Since setting up, the platform has helped
to redistribute one million meals and saved
1,200 tonnes of food from retailers and
restaurants from being wasted.
In the UK, over 6,000 tonnes of edible
food is wasted by restaurants annually.
To tackle this, the app has been launched
in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester
and Brighton. Customers can buy a full meal
from restaurants for just £2 through the app
and collect it from the eatery around closing
time. The app has already prevented more
than 14,000 meals in the UK from being
thrown away.
INDIA
Dairy co-op Amul
sponsors New Zealand
cricket squad
Indian co-op dairy giant Amul is to be the
prime sponsor of the New Zealand cricket
team in the ICC Champions Trophy, which
starts on 1 June in England.
This is the latest in a string of international
sporting sponsorships for the Indian dairy
– the largest milk brand in Asia – which
associated itself with the ICC Cricket World
Cup, Formula 1, and the Olympic Games in
London and Rio.
The Black Caps will wear the Amul logo
on the sleeve of their playing jerseys and
training kits, starting with a warm-up match
against the dairy’s home team India.
JUNE 2017 | 19

YOUR VIEWS
ALTERNATIVES TO THE GIG ECONOMY
Responding to: How should co-ops respond
to global employment trends?
We should be making [alternative models
such as platform co-ops] more clear to
everyone – more publicity, more press
releases. The potential in the UK is
enormous. Young people are looking
for the alternative to capitalism, but the
schools and colleges do not include it in
their teaching. The mega-rich minority do
everything they can to keep it secret. It’s not
included in education, and it’s much more
diffficult to start a Co-op. Every effort to
teach just capitalism and encouragement
to start capitalist-type firms only.
John Harrington
Via Facebook
NORTHERN IRELAND ELECTION QUESTION
Responding to: Co-op Party launches
consultation on Northern Ireland
Your article on the Co-op Party’s
consultation on the right of Northern
Ireland members to stand for election
as Councillors, Assembly or MPs omits
to mention that the Party EC in Northern
Ireland called on the NEC to support the
right to stand for elections.
This was endorsed unanimously by a
special general meeting of members and
we asked all for their views in writing.
The Co-op Party has chosen to bypass
normal representative channels.
For information: our past chair was SDLP,
our secretary is Labour UK & SDLP, our
chair is Irish Labour: most of our members
are UK Labour. We have only one member
a SDLP councillor. Contrary to your article
we have no paid-up SDLP members of the
NI Assembly.
I would call on all co-operators to
support the right to stand.
Erskine Holmes
Treasurer, NI Co-op Party (CG)
MOVEMENT UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
This year marks the 50th anniversary
of the formation of the UK Society for
Co-operative Studies.
We exist to provide an independent
voluntary space where members facilitate
and share critical practice and engaged
research on co-operatives and co-operation,
and have an exciting line-up of events this
year to do just that.
We started this year with a first: a
seminar on co-operative and community
benefit society law.
Working with Anthony Collins Solicitors
we have developed a one-day seminar on
society law, aimed at legal practitioners,
those working in the movement, and
anyone else who is interested. Based on
the excellent feedback from the first event
we are planning to deliver more of these
seminars across the year.
Each year we put on our annual lecture.
This year we are pleased to announce Prof
Stephen Yeo as our lecturer. This year
Have your say
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Co-operative News
marks the 200th anniversary of the birth
of George Jacob Holyoake, so it is fitting
that Prof Yeo’s lecture in Birmingham is
titled “George Jacob Holyoake (1817-1906):
a usable figure from a usable past”. The
event takes place on Friday 23 June at
7pmin Birmingham, with details available
on our website for those who want to book
their place.
Our annual conference takes place on
1-3 September at Northumbria University in
Newcastle. Building on the success of last
year’s event, we are pleased to announce
that with the help of Midcounties
Co-operative we have been able to secure
an international speaker. Arjen van
Nuland, CEO of the Co-operative Council
of the Netherlands, will be headlining our
conference. Visit our website for further
information and to book your place.
Over our 50-year history, the Journal
of Co-operative Studies has been the
bedrock of our activity. This year we plan
to look back over previous editions, pulling
together a collection of the best work
through the decades.
Moving from the past, to the present
and the future, the Journal team have been
working hard pulling together a number of
issues of the Journal, now available online
for everyone to view.
We hope people can join us in
celebrating our 50th anniversary, and in
building for the years ahead.
p Co-ops can offer alternative models of employment in the digital economy
Ian Adderley
Chair, UKSCS
20 | JUNE 2017

GREENBELT 2017
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ARTISTRY
ACTIVISM
GBF Coop News Full Page Ad 8.5.17 PN.indd 1 11/05/2017 21:57

MEET...
... Dan McCallum, community
energy expert
Project manager Dan McCallum is in charge of day-to-day operations at Awel
Aman Tawe, a community energy charity based in South Wales since 1998.
AAT has many years’ experience of developing renewable energy schemes
including wind, solar, biomass and hydro; and implementing energy efficiency
measures across thousands of homes and community centres in south Wales.
It set up a solar power co-operative, EGNI, and has also pioneered an £8m
community wind farm project, Awel Co-op, which is backed by over 800 people
via a community share offer.
q The turbine blades
arriving in the village;
and Dan during the
construction
WHY DID YOU TAKE ON THE ROLE?
I have been in the job 18 years and was one of
the founding members of AAT. We started in
1998 following a Local Agenda 21 meeting about
sustainable development projects – and wind energy
was suggested. At that time it was a very new idea,
so we started to look at funding and consulted with
the community. We asked 8,000 homes in a local
referendum, secured more funding from the EU and
carried out an impact assessment on the wind farm.
We applied for planning permission for five turbines
and eventually got consent for two, but they have
only been constructed this year. It’s been a long time
but I have always been committed and determined.
In the meantime we developed other renewable
energy projects, set up EGNI and installed solar PV
panels on seven different community buildings.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY?
At the moment, because we are doing the community
share offer for the wind farm, we are publicising that
and learning more about things like social media.
Over the last year it’s been more about managing
construction as the turbines have been getting built.
It’s my job to make the project happen, co-ordinate
everything and make sure everyone is doing their
jobs, so I’ve been liaising with the engineers,
technical consultants, community funders and
lawyers. It’s been really hectic, a massive job.
WHAT’S YOUR CO-OP’S DIFFERENCE?
The idea was born right here in the Swansea Valley
where the coal mining industry was around for
hundreds of years. A lot of people supported the
project because they knew what devastation the
mining industry brought here through diseases
like silicosis. We are still surrounded by slag heaps.
AAT is a community benefit society so profits are
spent on local environmental projects, renewable
energy schemes and promoting cycling walking and
running. Another difference is our commitment to
the project – given the length of time it has taken,
most commercial developers would have walked
away. It is the largest community share offer ever
done in Wales, in one of the most deprived parts of
the UK . In addition to developing practical solutions,
we are also committed to raising awareness of
climate change through a sustained programme of
information, communication and consultation with
hundreds of schools and community groups.
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT THE JOB?
The support we have had through the community
share offer – and the excitement when the turbines
22 | JUNE 2017

got delivered! People are really pleased to see the
wind farm project happening.
AND THE HARDEST?
The hardest thing has been the length of time it has
taken. My daughters have now left home and are 19
and 21. They were babies when we started. I joke
that we have replaced them with wind turbines...
join our journey
be a member
WHAT ACHIEVEMENT ARE YOU PROUDEST OF?
Getting local support for the wind farm, which
manifested itself in people becoming interested
in the share offer – and raising the amount of
money we did in a former coal mining community.
Over the course of construction there were some
40 jobs on site and there are going to be four jobs
directly maintained by the wind farm with over 800
members of the co-op and some charities that have
joined as well, so that is pretty positive.
IF YOU COULD SET UP A BRAND-NEW CO-OPERATIVE
TOMORROW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I would like to expand the work we do with EGNI
and try to find more sites for solar panels, working
with the Wales Co-operative Centre. I am also
interested in housing co-operatives so that is
something I might look at in the future. A lot of the
housing round here is not very good quality and we
need more affordable homes.
WHAT DO YOU NOW KNOW ABOUT CO-OPS THAT
YOU WISH YOU KNEW ON YOUR FIRST DAY?
It’s been a most dynamic structure and given us
a lot of members who are very knowledgeable. It
would have been good if we had set up the co-op
sooner so we could have had more expertise drawn
in earlier on. We had to learn everything as we went
along, from legal speak to contracts. It’s been very
challenging learning about different aspects of the
wind project, so it would have been good to get
advice earlier.
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AAT IN THE NEXT
FIVE YEARS?
I am speaking to you from my house, where I can
see the turbines turning. I would like to see another
10 turbines up on the hill! There has been more and
more support for the project since we started and
there is plenty of space. There are some people who
have not joined the community share offer this time
and I would like to build more local confidence in
the project.
news
We’ve relaunched our membership,
offering member-owners more opportunity to
help us plot the future of our independent coverage
of the co-operative movement.
Find out more at:
thenews.coop/join
JUNE 2017 | 23

CO-OP GROUP AGM
ANTHONY MURRAY,
REBECCA HARVEY and
MILES HADFIELD report
from the 2017 Co-op
Group annual meeting
p This year’s AGM
highlighted the Group’s
commitment to sourcing
100% British meat in its
products, with farmyard
seating, food stalls and
a bandstand
‘Together we can create a strong
and much-loved co-op’
Opening his first annual meeting as chief executive,
Steve Murrells said the Co-op Group has “made
membership meaningful again”.
“Last year we announced that our Co-op was
back to being Co-op,” he said. “We are back to
putting our members and communities first. It’s
important to understand that we’re strong again.
We brought back an iconic look from our past last
year, but the change in our new-look was not just
a high street makeover, we’ve done this to bring
attention to our membership awards.”
The membership scheme gives 5% back to
members on own-brand products, and 1% to local
causes. At the time of the AGM, the Group had given
back £37m to members and more than £9m to local
causes. Mr Murrells highlighted how the Group
has raised £6m for the British Red Cross and has
launched ‘community recovery vehicles’, which
responds to natural disasters in communities.
Looking ahead, Mr Murrells said that now the
Co-op’s businesses are profitable, it’s not just about
fixing the basics any more. And he warned that
there are cost challenges due to rising inflation and
the potential impact of Brexit.
On his long-term vision, he said: “I want to
encourage young people to shop with us. I want
our Co-op to be a great place to work that celebrates
the diversity. I want to find new ways to create coop
value for you, our members. I want us to show
leadership in the movement and around the world.
We are here to make things better for our members
and communities. Together we can create a strong
and much-loved co-op.”
Nick Crofts, president of the members’ council,
praised the collective knowledge of council
members, who together have more than 1,000 years
of membership experience.
“This has been a year of growth and progress,” he
said. “The council has offered a robust challenge,
setting a new benchmark for how members can
make decisions.”
Mr Crofts announced that the board has agreed
to recruit 1,500 Member Pioneers, who will make
connections in the communities around food stores
and funeral branches.
Author and broadcaster Lemn Sissay has been
recruited as a member pioneer ambassador. He
said: “The nature of the co-operative is a family,
with all the arguments, resolution and making up. I
was getting emotional when I was hearing the chief
executive speak. It has to come from inside your
heart. I believe in the nature of the co-operative.
I’m really honoured to be here today.”
Stevie Spring, director and chair of the
remuneration committee, provided an overview of
the Group’s pay policies over the past year.
24 | JUNE 2017

The motions
u 1. Received annual report and accounts for the
year ended 31 December 2016.
Carried by 98%
u 2. Approved Directors’ Remuneration Report.
Carried by 93%
u 3. Authorised the Remuneration Committee to
simplify executive pay.
Carried by 94%
u 4. Elected Steve Murrells as an executive director.
Carried by 96%
u 5. Elected Allan Leighton as an independent nonexecutive
director.
Carried by 95%
“Executive pay is still very much in the
headlines,” she said, “especially in what has
become the growing gap between the highest and
lowest paid.”
Ms Spring added there was no executive pay
increase in the last year, but major changes
were made to some packages, which included a
reduction in pension contributions from 40% to
10%. People who replaced executives did not take
their pay.
On staff in stores, Ms Spring said workers have
received an equivalent rise of 10.5% and that the
Co-op pays above the £7.50 minimum wage. It also
pays the same rate for all staff members, regardless
of their age or whether they are an apprentice.
The Group is looking at how it can pay the
Living Wage Foundation’s rate of £8.45 (and £9.75
in London) she added, but warned: “We’d love to
be the first retailer to do that. But we have to be
realistic. By raising pay to that level we’d need to
find another £45m for each of the next three years.
It’s hugely ambitious in a cut-throat market. It’s a
big hairy audacious goal, but we want to find a way
to get there.”
Looking ahead, Ms Spring said it is conducting
a full review of how the Group rewards executives
and will start reporting on pay by gender in 2018. u
“”
THE NATURE OF THE
CO-OPERATIVE IS A FAMILY,
WITH ALL THE ARGUMENTS,
RESOLUTION AND MAKING UP
u 6. Elected Sir Christopher Kelly as an independent
non-executive director.
Carried by 96%
u 7. Re-appointed Ernst & Young LLP as auditors.
Carried by 95%
u 8. Approved political expenditure to political
parties not exceeding £750,000 for the year
commencing January 2018. The Group will continue
to be a subscribing member of the Co-op Party.
Carried by 78%
u 9. Ordered a review of the pay ratio and a strategy
to narrow this, including progress towards a real
living monthly wage for the lowest paid staff.
Carried by 97%
u 10. Welcomed the Group’s support for Fairtrade
but called on it to “provide an assurance of stability
to its Fairtrade suppliers and to explore additional
ways of supporting them”.
Carried by 98%
u 11. Support for extending the Bright Future
partnership with City Hearts to other organisations
who support victims of modern slavery; agrees the
Co-op should raise awareness; and encourages
the Co-op to campaign with members for greater
support and opportunities for victims.
Carried by 97%
u 12. Supported the Co-op’s aim to make 100% of
its packaging easy to recycle, with an interim target
of 80% by 2020; encouraged it to work with the
industry to seek better ways to package food and
maximise recycling; and agreed the Co-op should
inform and guide shoppers.
Carried by 99%
JUNE 2017 | 25

What were members looking forward to?
Cindy (Co-op Group Member Pioneer):
“I’ve never been to a Co-op AGM before – there’s
a real buzz in the room already! I’m really looking
forward to visiting the stalls and finding out more
about the Co-op and meeting members.”
Louise (Co-op Group Member Pioneer):
“I’ve just become one of the Co-op’s Member
Pioneers after being involved in a lot of community
work at home. I’ve never been to an AGM before so
I’m looking forward to seeing how it all works. So
far it looks amazing!”
Fighting the
scourge of
water poverty
Gareth (Co-operative and Mutual Solutions):
“I’ve been a Co-op member for many, many years
and I’m looking forward to taking part. The last
AGM I was at was the year before last, when things
were a bit difficult – this time there’s a real sense
of renewal.”
Where should the Group
place its press ads?
In response to a campaign by Stop Funding Hate (SFH) calling on the Group
to rethink its advertising in the Daily Express, which the SFH campaign says
is “notorious for its relentless campaign against minority groups”, the Group
hosted a fringe event chaired by Hazel Blears, member-nominated director.
The panel comprised Lord Victor Adebowale (Co-op Group director), Richard
Brooks (vice-president, National Union of Students), Helen Carroll (Co-op
Group director of brand) and Phil Smith (director general of ISBA, the Voice of
British Advertisers).
“We’re a broad church,” said Lord Adebowale. “I know of members who
have voted Conservative. I know of members who have voted UKIP. Yes, we’ve
met with the Sun and the Mail about some of their content – but we’re not
going to change the editorial views of the press by withdrawing adverts.”
Mr Smith highlighted how advertisers never want to be seen to influencing
editorial. “At the same time they have always said ‘we retain the right to decide
who we advertise with’,” he said.
Vivian Woodell, chief executive of the Phone Co-op, said: “It is right for an
organisation to not want to be associated with a publication that is associated
with hate crimes. We can discriminate about who we advertise with.”
Helen Carroll highlighted that the Sun and Daily Mail are the newspapers
with the highest circulation among Co-op Group shoppers. She said: “Because
we are a co-operative, we don’t have the luxury of thinking whether something
will make our brand look good or not. The fact that we are having this debate
makes it an important difference.”
Mr Smith believes that if the Group really wants to make a difference, it
needs to thrive as a business. “To deny ourselves use of such a broad platform
is potentially a problem for the viability of the business.”
p Fairbourne Springs, the Group’s charity water brand
The Co-op Group is stepping up its efforts to tackle
global water poverty.
The Group has been working with the One
Foundation for more than ten years to champion
the need to invest in water sanitation and hygiene
projects in countries such as Kenya and Malawi.
The programme already sees the Group donate
3p from every bottle of its own-brand Fairbourne
Spring Water. Head of food policy Cathryn Higgs
told members at an AGM fringe event that this
would now apply to flavoured waters – and that 1p
will be donated to clean water projects from every
litre of non-own brand of bottled water it sells.
“If we can give one person access to clean water,
that has to be worth it,” said Ms Higgs.
Figures from the United Nations show that 663
million people do not have access to clean drinking
water and more than 2.4 billion lack access to a
basic, hygienic toilet.
Nicky Armstrong, from the One Foundation, told
the fringe event that the number of people without
access to water had been cut from 1 billion to 663
million thanks to development work.
But the situation still means two million people
die a year from water-borne diseases, mostly
children under five. Families forced to spend four
hours a day collecting water, walking miles - and
the burden of this falls on women and children.
“Water is life, water is fundamental to everything
you need,” said Ms Armstrong.
“We want to see a world where everyone has
access to clean water forever.”
26 | JUNE 2017

Hope for modern slaves
A fringe meeting updated members on the Group’s efforts against modern
slavery, which have seen it monitor supply chains and join Bright Futures, a
partnership with charity City Hearts which offers work placements to survivors
of modern slavery, with the possibility of a job at the end of it.
Anne Reid, from the Salvation Army, the government’s contractor for helping
victims of slavery, said safe houses are operated around the country, where
survivors stay an average of 93 days. After that time, the support runs out.
“What the Co-op are doing as a member of Bright Futures is providing a path
into employment, without that you cannot survive,” said Phil Clayton, from
City Hearts. He called on Group members to lobby the government to do more
to help slavery survivors – and said they could also volunteer to help.
Paul Gerrard said the task now was to lobby other businesses and the
government to do more. “The Co-op can only do so much,” he said. “The test of
our success is what do other businesses do.” He added: “Our ambition should
be that the co-op sector is the most hostile to slavery.”
Increasing the
Fairtrade factor
The Co-op Group is a recognised leader in Fairtrade,
and its retail sales of Fairtrade products increased
by 18.4% in 2016 against a national figure of 7.6%.
At the AGM, the Group reconfirmed its
commitment to Fairtrade, saying its focus would
remain on “the seven core Fairtrade categories
where we can make the biggest difference”.
The Group’s Cocoa for Change report made a
commitment that 100% of the cocoa it buys for its
all of its own-brand products will be Fairtrade. It
switched its entire own-brand chocolate bar range
to Fairtrade in 2002, but the new commitment
means that over 200 Co-op products will use
Fairtrade cocoa, from the chocolate chips in its
cookies to the cocoa used in cooking sauces – and
will increase Fairtrade cocoa purchases five-fold.
The next stage is to extend this 100% Fairtrade
ingredient approach to bananas, tea and coffee.
What did members think?
Commitment
to recycling
One million tonnes of recyclable plastic packaging
goes to landfill or incineration every year, and by
2050 there will be more plastic than fish in our
seas. According to the Co-op Group, this is because
consumers don’t understand what they can and
can’t recycle and because some local authorities are
unable to process it.
The Group plans to change this, aiming for all
packaging to be recyclable, with an interim target
of 80% by 2020.
A fringe event which explored the wider
recyclability issue, the recycling journey and the
issue of recyclability vs convenience. “We want
you to help find ways to encourage more members
and communities to recycle waste,” says the Group.
“By telling us what matters to you most and giving
us feedback on our plans you can help shape the
role that the Co-op plays in tackling the problem of
recycling in the UK.”
Nick Matthews, chair of Co-operatives UK:
“Today has been encouraging. The business is
in the best place it has been for a long time and
we can see the fruits of some of the decisions we
took earlier. The executive is taking the values and
principles and turning them into concrete actions.”
Vivian Woodell, director or Midcounties Co-op:
“The Group has come a huge way. The fact they
are putting campaigning – on subjects that are not
necessarily fashionable – at the centre of their work
is inspiring. Using their economic muscle in this way
is exactly what a co-op should be doing.”
Elaine Dean, president of Central England:
“The AGM was well produced - I’m pleased that
people got to have their say. The presentations on
modern slavery and Fairtrade were excellent… but
I’m very disappointed that the motion on modern
slavery didn’t carry with 100% of votes!”
JUNE 2017 | 27

40 YEARS OF
SUMA WHOLEFOODS
ANNIVERSARIES
BY REBECCA HARVEY
Suma is the largest independent wholefood
wholesaler in the UK. It is also the country’s largest
workers co-operative, with 166 members and a
turnover of £48m – £12m of which is own-brand
products.
It was started in 1975 by Reg Taylor, who saw a
gap in the market and started selling pulses and
rice, allowing small independent health food shops
in the area to be able to buy together in bulk. Two
years later, he sold the business to seven employees,
who decided to run it as a workers co-op.
2017 marks the organisation’s 40th anniversary.
So what changes have members seen over the last
four decades? And what have been the biggest
challenges?
A WHOLEFOOD PIONEER
Suma was one of the pioneers of organic foods,
and has benefited from growing consumer interest.
It started with items that were harder to get hold
of – brown rice, dried fruit, lentils, chickpeas, figs,
walnuts, as well as porridge, oat flakes and muesli
mixing ingredients.
Today the range has expanded to include a lot
of free-from, gluten-free and vegan produce – and
Suma also works with co-operatives, Fairtrade, and
organic sources.
One of the most popular products is vegetarian
beans and sausage in a tin. “People had this when
they were kids – now we do a vegan option and
it’s one of our most popular items!” says Emma
Robinson, worker member at Suma. Suma has
adapted and stayed at the forefront by innovating
more and keeping on top of food trends – and
tinned beans and sausages are just one of over
7,000 different products now stocked.
Suma was the first to bring organic canned
tomatoes and organic canned beans to the UK
market, and was also the first to bring in 100%
recycled toilet roll and kitchen paper. In the 1980s,
it launched the UK’s first vegan sunflower spread.
“Originally, our core market was a network of
co-operatively run wholefood shops,” says Geoff
Price, who joined Suma 35 years ago, making him
the current longest-serving member.
“We also sold to food groups – people and
communities who wanted to eat healthily but
couldn’t find what they wanted in the main stores,
so clubbed together with friends to get a delivery.
We still service those groups, but have also evolved
into serving ex-pats, we’ve dabbled with the
multiples, we have a presence in the Co-op.”
GROWTH AND CHANGES
As the business has grown, Suma has moved site
several times. “Keeping up with the level of growth,
keeping on top of a rapidly expanding market,
looking at new routes to delivery and adapting the
co-op to keep the same co-operative model and
principles have all been challenging,” says Emma.
“Originally our structure was based on total
consensus,” adds Geoff. “Every Wednesday
28 | JUNE 2017

afternoon we would shut down and have a meeting.
I remember one particularly heated discussion
about the price of flour!”
While this system worked for a group of 8-20
people, 150+ members meant that things have had
to change. Now there is a management committee
who work on a business plan, and department coordinators
who re-apply every three years – and
work for consensus with colleagues.
But importantly there is still no ultimate authority
figure, and everyone is still paid exactly the same
(£15.60 an hour). Suma has a rigorous selection
process, with a six-month trial membership before
you can become a full member.
The original seven members were a number
of like-minded, politically minded people who
wanted to change the world. “It was people
taking control of their own lives, managing and
owning collectively,” says Geoff. “This still isn’t a
conventional workspace, and there is no restraint
on personalities, but we are bound together by
political and social aims.
“When there’s a crisis, this set-up works well.
We had a flood in our last premises and lost half
a million pounds worth of stock, but because
everyone could work together we were up and
running within 10 days!”
A few years ago, Suma opened a hub just outside
London, and this has also proved a new challenge.
“Now we’re recruiting members in London, another
issue is making sure the trial membership is fair
compared with headquarters,” says Emma.
Communication is also monitored closely. Suma
is testing Loomio and looking at other different
options and has quarterly meetings for the whole
co-ops – and making sure everyone has chance to
participate is more difficult as Suma has grown.
But, adds Emma, all of this has meant the
organisation has enjoyed a period of intense
learning as the co-op is forced to look at the best
ways to adapt and grown.
“Being involved with Co-operatives UK and
working with other co-ops has been a great way
to share and learn about different models and
communication styles, for example,” she says.
In 2014 Suma was named Co-operative of the
Year by Co-operatives UK (they are shortlisted
again for 2017) – and earlier this year it gained the
Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International
Trade category.
A BIRTHDAY YEAR
To mark its 40th birthday, Suma is having a year
of celebration. It is partnering with a local school,
setting up an allotment and other food links, while
members are volunteering in the local community
during Suma time. As part of the celebrations, Suma
is investing in coffee producers in Peru, supporting
the building of a wet mill and drying patio that will
increase efficiency and reduce crop diseases for six
small producers.
A collaborative book looking at its history, as
well as recipes and anecdotes, is launching in
September, and throughout the year the co-op is
selling its special anniversary beer.
“We’re proud of our beer range anyway,” says
Emma, “but we’ve not had an IPA before. It’s brewed
by Little Valley Brewery, who we have strong links
with anyway, and has a real celebratory feel.”
Suma’s limited edition birthday
beer is the ‘77 Strength in
Numbers organic IPA, brewed in
Yorkshire by Little Valley Brewery
to celebrate its 40th birthday.
Suma describes the strawcoloured
IPA as “robust, enduring
and perfectly blended; the liquid
embodiment of our co-operative
heritage. It’s our way of raising a
glass to the many who help to make
us who we are; a unique, quirky and
pioneering collective.”
JUNE 2017 | 29

Farmers face the
AGRICULTURE
BY MILES HADFIELD
The UK’s leading players
INTRODUCING THE AGRI-CO-OP SECTOR
According to Co-operatives UK’s figures for 2016,
the UK has 416 co-ops in agriculture, with 134,566
members and a collective turnover of £5.8bn.
As a whole, agriculture is facing difficult times,
with farmers struggling to cope with the uncertainty
of Brexit, volatile commodity prices, regulation and
increasing costs of employment.
Co-operative Members Turnover
1 Openfield Group Ltd 2,693 £743,751,000
2 Fane Valley Co-op Society 2,020 £553,888,000
3 First Milk Limited 1,317 £460,087,000
4 Arla Foods UK 3,200 £454,263,000
5 United Dairy Farmer Ltd 1,619 £421,482,000
6 Mole Valley Farmers Ltd 8,000 £407,793,000
7 Anglia Farmers Ltd 3,500 £247,446,783
8 Berry Garden Growers Ltd 59 £212,851,452
9 Fram Farmers Ltd 1,126 £184,536,378
10 GrainCo Ltd 1** £165,587,658
Co-operatives UK, 2015
“In certain sectors, the most prominent of which
is the dairy industry, this is having a devastating
effect on farmers,” warns Co-operatives UK, the
umbrella body for the country’s co-op sector.
This uncertainty has sparked a crisis in the global
dairy industry, which is also facing a changeable
market marked by globalisation and innovation.
In the UK, this led to a restructure at First Milk Cooperative,
which was forced to make redundancies
and reduce payments to farmer members after
hitting trouble in 2015.
There have also been governance reviews at New
Zealand dairy Fonterra and Australia’s CBH and
Murray Goulburn (see box, facing page).
And in Argentina, SanCor dairy co-op has
been working with the government to develop
a new device, the credit invoice, and set up a
countercyclical fund of 800m pesos to help farmers
weather price volatility.
But there is still expansion in the dairy sector.
Ireland’s Glanbia Co-op voted last month to
establish a joint venture with a plc to expand its
global reach. The co-op has agreed to pay €112m
to acquire a 60% shareholding in Glanbia plc’s
30 | JUNE 2017

WITH VOLATILE PRICES IN A
GLOBALISED WORLD, THE FARMING
INDUSTRY FACES CHALLENGING TIMES.
HOW ARE AGRI CO-OPS REACTING?
future
Dairy Ireland division, which consists of Glanbia
Consumer Products and Glanbia Agribusiness. The
joint venture, Glanbia Ireland, will offer a diverse
portfolio of ingredients, leading agri and consumer
brands, in a global market.
It will operate a 2.4 billion litre milk pool, with
revenue of €1.5bn, 11 processing plants, 54 agri
branches and over 1,800 employees.
And it will own a range of leading consumer
and agri brands such as Avonmore, GAIN Animal
Nutrition, Kilmeaden Cheese, Premier Milk,
mymilkman.ie and Wexford.
There is also positive news outside the dairy
sector, with co-ops in arable farming enjoying an
upturn. GrainCo, East of Scotland Growers and
United Oil Seeds have all enjoyed standout years,
says Co-operatives UK, with the latter growing by a
third and now turning over £165m a year.
The other main sectors are agricultural suppliers,
such as Mole Valley Farmers and Fram Farmers,
and horticulture. Produce-marketing co-ops and
producer organisations play an important role in the
fresh produce sector, with co-op businesses such
as Berry Garden Growers turning over £212m. u
Troubled times at Murray Goulburn
Australian dairy co-op Murray Goulburn is to axe 360 jobs, lose AU$410m in
writedowns, close three processing plants and suspend dividends.
Last April, the co-op, hit by market volatility, announced a price cut to
suppliers under its Milk Supply Support Package, which made payments
above the farmgate price but required farmers to repay the difference from
future milk payments.
Murray Goulburn now says it will forgive these debts – and although the
forecast farmgate milk price for 2017 has been downgraded from $4.70 per
kilogram of milk solids to $4.60, it is committed to paying the average of
$4.95 which it promised in October 2016.
About 360 jobs at its Edith Creek facility in Tasmania, and its Rochester and
Kiewa facilities in Victoria, will be affected by the closures over the next two
years, saving $40-50m a year.
Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews pledged to work with the company to
save jobs but said workers had been treated poorly.
He said: “I’ll work with the company, absolutely, but I will call it as I see it.
I just don’t think our dairy farmers have been treated particularly well by this
company for quite some time.”
He added: “MG have to have a fresh look at this. If that means the
Government needs to get involved to facilitate that or support it I stand ready
to do that. I think our dairy farmers were very, very badly treated.”
JUNE 2017 | 31

u Another important player, the Green Pea
Company, was created in 2006 from a merger of
five smaller growers to supply Birds Eye. Its 240
members annually harvest 5,000 tonnes peas over
approximately 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) in
East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.
Co-operatives UK sums up the benefits of the
co-op model to agriculture as:
• Control over crucial parts of the supply chain
• Cost savings through economies of scale
• Tax efficiency through ‘mutual trading status’
• Sharing knowledge and best practice
“Joint ventures, share/contract farming and
producer organisations (POs) are all different forms
of co-operation and will offer opportunities and
benefits to different owners,” it says.
James Graham, chief executive of the Scottish
Agricultural Association (SAOS), the umbrella body
for Scottish agri-food co-ops, agrees.
“Farmers co-operate to gain scale advantages not
available to an individual farmer – be that buying,
selling, or taking a stake or ownership in other parts
of the supply chain to cut out intermediaries – and
co-operate to pool resources and risks,” he said.
“The more concentrated supply chains become,
the more necessary it is for farmers to react to
strengthen their position to satisfy markets and
retain some negotiating leverage. The more volatile
the world market becomes, the more farmers need
to act to increase their resilience.”
And the sector will have to remain dynamic.
Co-operatives UK predicts more consolidation for the
industry, as changes to markets, climate, regulation
and institutions call for better understanding of
supply chains, export opportunities, marketing and
how to add value to products and services.
“Globally, agricultural co-ops account for 32% of
the top 300 co-ops and are the second largest subsector
behind insurance ... this part of the industry
has plenty of scope for the future,” it adds.
James Graham’s governance
u Common goals and united commitment among
members, requiring sound strategy and two-way
communication between board and members
u Ambition and leadership among members and
directors, and a concern for the future
u Active participation in democracy and
accountability
u High standards of governance, and professional
management that understands the primary purpose
of members in co-operating
u Commercial success, satisfying members’ needs
of their co-op, and rewarding them in proportion to
their participation.
28 | APRIL 2017

In focus: Openfield Group
The UK’s biggest agricultural co-op with
a turnover of more than £7m, Openfield
offers services in seed, fertiliser, grain
and storage.
Launched in 2008 following the merger
of Centaur Grain and Grainfarmers,
the co-op can trace its history back to
1907 with the formation of the Southern
Counties Agricultural Trading Society.
The most recent development in its
history came in 2015 when it acquired
Countrywide Farmers. It is now owned by
around 3,500 arable farmer shareholders
and markets 4.6 million tonnes of grain
each year, exporting 1.2 million tonnes.
It operates from eight office locations,
ranging from Bridgwater, Somerset
in the south-west to Montrose in
Angus, Scotland.
Openfield recently voted non-executive
director Philip Moody as group chair,
following the retirement of Richard
Beldam after nearly 20 years.
Mr Moody helped set up Openfield’s
ongoing grain supply arrangement with
breadmaker Warburtons.
p Openfield is the UK’s biggest agri co-op
GOVERNANCE REFORM
Crucial to agri-co-ops’ ability to meet
any challenges is governance. The SAOS
produced a governance code for agri
co-ops with Co-operatives UK and James
Graham says: “Effective governance is the
number one critical success factor for an
agricultural co-op. The components are
easy to identify, but know-how is required
to put all these in place and maintain their
performance.
“Directors must learn their role and
understand and occasionally learn the
behaviours that contribute to a functional
board, and be prepared to permit external
independent governance evaluation
from time to time. The most effective
co-op leaders understand this, and lead
accordingly.”
Looking at recent restructures in the
global dairy sector, he says: “With the
governance reviews at Fonterra, Murray
Goulburn and CBH, capital is a central
issue – how to raise sufficient to maintain
their position as milk-based product
manufacturers in a rapidly concentrating
and innovating industry that is becoming
more global every year.
“Each has been innovative and taken
risk in addressing capitalisation needs, out
of necessity. They are to be congratulated
on their leadership in attempting to come
up with durable solutions. Members were
consulted and supported their boards.
“First Milk is a different scenario, where
an independent governance review found
insufficient expertise on the board, and
made recommendations to remedy the
situation very quickly as the business was
in some difficulty. That difficult moment
has now passed, and the members adopted
a two-tier model.”
Pekka Pesonen, secretary general Copa-
Cogeca, the umbrella body for farmers
and agri-co-operatives in the EU, agrees
governance is crucial.
“When coping with their capital and
innovation in co-op ownership, agri
co-ops shall not expose the key elements
of their model, which is characterised as
a ‘member-owned’, ‘member-controlled’
and ‘member-benefit’ business,” he says.
“Moreover, new business models, the
innovative ways to use information and
computer technologies, as well as new
analytical capabilities enabling agri
co-ops to maximise performance, could
be the new drivers towards an improved
proximity to members’ needs and more
efficient governance.”
Relations with stakeholders and
national administrations are also crucial,
adds Mr Pesonen.
“Several cases, around the globe and
in different co-operative sectors, have
indicated that we must be more resilient
when defending the co-operative model
of enterprise,” he warns. “Regulatory or
political interventions can indeed easily
jeopardise democratic structures built
and developed over a long period of time,
p Pekka Pesonen of Copa-Cogeca
which have benefited their members as
well as local and rural economies.”
WEIGHING UP THE BREXIT FACTOR
Added to the uncertainties facing farmers
is the UK’s decision to withdraw from the
EU. Mr Pesonen warns there are “serious
concerns about the potential trade and
budget impact” of Brexit.
He adds: “The UK is well integrated into
the EU single market, is a net importer u
“”
JUNE 2017 | 33
POLITICAL INTERVENTIONS CAN EASILY
JEOPARDISE DEMOCRATIC STRUCTURES

u of agri-food products to the extent of
€57bn. Furthermore, 60% of UK agri-food
exports (beef, lamb, poultry, dairy, cereals)
worth £11bn are traded with the other EU-27.
“We believe farmers and agribusinesses
on both sides will be hit hard. Consumers
who have up until now enjoyed a good
choice of quality produce from across the
EU will also feel the impact.”
He says there are also complications
for several transnational European agrico-ops
which have farmer members in the
UK, who will face economic, commercial
and legal implications.
“Finally, the UK is also a net contributor
to the EU budget,” he adds. “Ways to
maintain the current budget for the
Common Agricultural Policy must be
found. Any disruption to agricultural
trade should also be avoided. Otherwise,
farmers and their co-operatives, both in
the UK and in the EU-27, will end up paying
twice for Brexit.”
But one alternative path agriculture
could take after Brexit is liberalisation – a
path taken by New Zealand in the 1980s.
The country suffered after the UK – its
main market for dairy exports – joined the
Common Market in 1972.
At first, New Zealand opted for
protectionism, with subsidies and a
controlled economy, but in 1984 the
government moved to deregulation, the
removal subsidies and free trade.
Critics of this policy have pointed
to immediate effects of job losses and
hardship but supporters say it eventually
revived the country’s economy.
Now, Dr Francis Reid, trade strategy and
stakeholder affairs manager at Fonterra,
says his country’s example could point the
way for Britain once it leaves the EU.
Speaking to the Semex Dairy Conference
in Glasgow, he said Fonterra and New
Zealand had shown how successful open
markets could be, offering a lesson for
post-Brexit Britain.
If New Zealand and the UK could
establish an open trading and economic
relationship post-Brexit, he argued, they
could build on their strengths, including
their proximity to markets in the Asia-
Pacific region and the EU.
For the SAOS, James Graham has been
in “ongoing discussion” with the Scottish
and Westminster governments. He predicts
a move away from continuous subsidy but
hopes for measures to help farmers, and
says he has received “recognition of the
more challenging circumstances of hill
farmers and remote area farmers”.
“My reading of [the two governments’]
position is that in their future policies,
In focus: Fonterra goes global and shakes up its structure
New Zealand dairy Fonterra is working to
expand its co-operative structure abroad
under its Dairy Partners America venture,
in a bid to secure milk supplies from
South America.
Chair John Wilson has told the press
he would like to see “some sort of
sub-co-operative structure”, tailored to the
needs of each country.
“It’s not something that is going to
happen over the next few days,” he said,
“but we certainly believe in the importance
of Fonterra being able to secure globally
from farmers who feel part of the wider
co-operative.”
Any changes would maintain the rights
of New Zealand farmers who have an
average of NZ$900,000 invested in
Fonterra, he added.
Fonterra has reported a 2% lift in its net
profit after tax to NZ$418m for the half year
to January 31, with director John Monaghan
sounding a confident note despite the
turbulent market. “We talk now about
volatility in global milk prices being the
new normal,” he told reporters, “But this
means opportunity for Fonterra.
“China is our largest market. The
countries that don’t have enough milk will
always look to the countries that have more
milk than they need to close the gap.”
The co-op – owned by
13,000 farmers and the
world’s largest exporter
of dairy products – is
innovating in a bid to
take advantage of these
opportunities.
It has invested in
efficient new plants;
moved to flexible
production to match
changes in demand
and fluctuating costs;
switched production
from low-margin to
high-value products;
and is aiming for $35bn
revenue in 2025.
The company is also working to innovate
new products, and is currently a finalist in
the Ingredient of the Year – Infant Nutrition
category at the NutraIngredients Awards
in Geneva for its work. It developed a milk
lipid ingredient which replicates some of
the benefits of breastfeeding in cow’s milk.
Last year, the dairy received a food and
beverage innovation award at the New
Zealand Innovation Awards for its research
in infant nutrition.
Fonterra has also changed its
governance after a nine-month review,
p Fonterra’s Kauri plant in Northland
reducing the size of its board and bringing
in a new election process for farmer
directors. Candidates are now selected
by an independent selection panel and
approved by the board’s nominations
committee and Fonterra’s Shareholders’
Council before they are put forward to
shareholders for their vote.
Candidates can also stand outside
this process and be self-nominated as
long as they are supported by 35 other
shareholders. A first past the post majority
voting system means all candidates now
need at least 50% farmer support.
34 | JUNE 2017

p Technology is increasingly important to agri-businesses working in a volatile industry
they want to support farmers to help
themselves rather than provide support
through continuous direct subsidy type
payments,” he adds.
“They want to support developments
that will strengthen farmers’ position in
supply chains and increase transparency
of markets, and they want to support the
adoption of agritech that enables farming
to be competitively productive, and
efficient in use of resources. These will
increase farmers’ resilience to shocks.”
He says the governments are also
researching schemes, such as insurance, to
help farmers manage extreme downturns
in market prices.
“SAOS proposals are getting a positive
hearing because we appealed to all these
drivers in the measures we suggested.”
But he warns: “It’s early days in the
policy formulation process, and both EU
market access and WTO regulations may
limit what is feasible.”
As for what agri-co-ops themselves can
do to cope with the transition, he says:
“Co-ops are already responding to intense
change drivers through their governance
processes, regardless of Brexit. Change is
a normal state.
“But with respect to Brexit in particular,
I suggest boards should be looking at new
scenarios and opportunities, and all the
time be identifying how to strengthen
the resilience of their farmer members’
businesses and their co-op.
“I predict that farmers will need to cooperate
more through their co-ops in
future, and they will need their co-ops to
provide the leadership.”
NEW TECHNOLOGY
One area where co-ops can show such
leadership after Brexit, argues Mr Graham,
is in technology.
“At SAOS,” he says, “we are pursuing
opportunities for co-op ownership and
management of data related to members’
farm production via agritech, and
using this in connecting with market
requirements and opportunities. There is
new potential for competitive advantage
in which co-ops are essential, and through
which farmers retain ownership and
control of their data.”
One UK organisation looking at agritech
innovation is farmer-owned grain
processing network Camgrain, which
recently held a masterclass on how to
trade in a changing global market.
The session revealed how global events
can shake the market: a drought in the US
in 2012 saw a sharp rise in wheat prices as
supply dropped – but the westernisation
of the Chinese diet has seen record levels
of production and wheat prices fell.
Technology also moves to the fore as a
growing population and environmental
changes force farmers to increase
production while reducing their footprint.
Speakers told co-ops to provide good
apprenticeships to create a workforce
which could use this new technology.
Echoing James Graham’s view on the
importance of data, in the US a new co-op
is being created to give farmers a neutral
space to safely store and share their
information.
AgXchange is the brainchild of Grower
Information Services Co-operative (GISC)
and the Agricultural Data Coalition, a nonprofit
formed by a group of universities
and farm businesses.
GISC founder Billy Tiller says the new
system fills “a need many growers may not
have recognised yet – neutral and secure
data storage”.
He said many growers were failing
to make best use of their data or were
unknowingly signing away the rights to
third-party providers.
Chief executive Jason Ward said:
“When a grower gains complete control
of their data, the grower will then be able
to maintain complete control of their
operation from the present to the future.”
GISC – which is rebranding as Growers
Agricultural Data Co-operative under the
new project – is governed by a board of
directors composed of the growers’ peers,
to ensure data rights are protected and the
information is safely stored.
It’s a sign that even as technology
changes, basics such as good co-op
governance remain as important as ever. •
JUNE 2017 | 35

Telling your
co-operative story
Expert views:
How do you use stories to
connect with your members?
CONNECTING WITH MEMBERS: HOW DO YOU
DO IT?
Sarah: We use a variety of methods to engage
with customers and members. A mix of expertise
in journalism, marketing and PR are used to find
out exciting and interesting stories which are
then used in a variety of methods from traditional
press releases to bespoke films. Our engagement is
amplified with our use of social media platforms
such as Facebook and Twitter, which includes
everything from offering customer competitions to
hosting native video based on a variety of subjects
from recipes to the community. We also continue
this journey by talking about our stories in and
around our stores, funeral homes and travel shops
via posters and with our members’ newspaper and
also by communicating via targeted emails.
Katie: We connect with our members at our nearly
300 branches around the globe, online, on the
phone via our 24/7 contact centre, and through our
mobile app and social media channels. We listen to
our members’ stories and provide them financial
help and guidance to meet their unique needs.
“” BLOGS AND SOCIAL MEDIA.
WE CONNECT WITH CUSTOMERS
THROUGH OUR WEBSITES,
WE ENCOURAGE MEMBERS
TO SHARE THEIR LOCAL STORY
THROUGH THESE AVENUES TOO
Howard: We connect with customers through our
websites, blogs and social media. We encourage our
members to share their local story through these
avenues as well. We know through research that
consumers respond to stories 40 times more than to
facts. With that in mind, we aim to connect through
inspiring stories. We connect with our customers
through everything from engaging social content
to stellar charitable programs that create a sense of
community and really make a difference.
GOALS: WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ACHIEVE
WHEN YOU SPEAK TO MEMBERS?
Sarah: We are trying to educate about co-op values
and principles and how our aims and objectives
align with them. We also aim to encourage our
membership to take an active part in the many
benefits the society offers to members and the wider
community, whether that be by highlighting the
products we have for sale, new or refitted stores or
the activities and events we are hosting to support
or boost the area.
Howard: Our number one goal is to help them
be as successful as possible. Helping the member
understand the ‘why’ behind our recommendations
is essential so that they’re not only benefiting from
the co-operative’s programs but understanding the
benefits. As we speak with members, we want to
make a lasting connection with them and help in
any way that we can.
Katie: Our goal is to make sure we provide the best
member service, experience, and the best financial
products to fit our members’ needs. That way they
can go about their busy lives knowing their finances
are being taken care of by a financial institution
they can trust.
36 | JUNE 2017

For Co-operatives Fortnight 2017 (17 June to 1 July), Co-operatives UK is encouraging people to
share stories of how working together has made a difference. Connecting with members is one of
the most important tasks of a co-operative. Our panel of experts, who connect with members each
day, share their ideas on how co-ops can reach out to stakeholders...
Howard Brodsky, chair and chief executive
of CCA Global Partners: More than 3,500
locations in North America and abroad
benefit from CCA’s 14 purchasing co-ops,
which sell flooring, lighting products,
biking and more.
Katie Miller, senior vice president of
membership at Navy Federal, the biggest
credit union in the world: Since 1933, Navy
Federal has grown from seven members to
over seven million members and operates
over 300 branches globally.
Sarah Ashton, PR manager at Central
England Co-operative: One of the largest
retail co-ops in the UK, with over 400
trading outlets, a family of around 8,600
colleagues and more than 330,000 regular
trading members.
SHARING: HOW CAN MEMBERS SHARE THEIR
STORIES? OR HOW DO YOU COLLECT MEMBER
STORIES?
Howard: We find that having members share
their stories at conventions and through other
communications is the best way to communicate
so we encourage this any time it is possible.
Our members participate on panels, share best
practices and help each other through networking
opportunities available through the co-operative.
We actively reach out to members to collect stories
and encourage them to share during networking
events and through social networking.
Katie: We encourage our members to share their
stories with us and other members. For example,
many of our members share their stories through
social media channels. Our members share
everything from why they’re proud to serve, to how
Navy Federal helped them get their first car or buy
their dream home.
Sarah: We regularly interact with members via
a variety of methods. We regularly survey our
customers and members in order to ensure we
are always listening to their feedback and provide
a relevant membership offering to all areas
of the society. This activity has recently been
supplemented by our new customer feedback
platform, My Co-op Voice, which allows for instant
feedback and reaction from colleagues, customers
and members of new products, new concepts and
decisions by the society. This is supported by social
media to gauge opinion, reaction and interaction,
in-store POS and till receipt footers.
HOW DO YOU TALK TO MEMBERS?
Katie: Knowing our members better than anyone
enables us to connect with our members. We’ve
served military families for over 80 years and many
of our employees have also served. As a result, we
truly understand our members, and we’re able to
form a partnership with them based on shared
values and experiences. When speaking with
members, we’re able to understand their challenges
as a military family, and their distinct approach to
financial planning and decision making.
Sarah: Keeping it simple. If you are trying to
inform people about membership benefits, then
the message has to be clear about benefits and
value – segmentation of your audience is key, as is
understanding the needs and aspirations of your
communities. The same methods can also be u
JUNE 2017 | 37

whereas if you are speaking to existing members
they will most likely know of the benefits and are
more interested in what is happening within the
society and how it impacts them as a member.
p Co-operatives UK’s
Co-operative Fortnight
campaign is encouraging
organisations to share
their stories of cooperation
using the
hashtag #coopstories
u Navy Federal’s
#proudtoservechallenge
campaign on Instagram
u Opposite page:
CCA’s Design for a
Difference campaign; a
#ProudToServeChallenge
submission; and the
story of Central England
member Mary Norton
u applied when encouraging members to take a
more active role in their communities. You need to
find out what really matters to people locally and
find ways to build co-operative links and networks
for members to join and thrive within. This is why,
when it comes to community, the best way to
encourage participation and inspire membership is
through the use of real life human interest stories,
featuring relatable people and backed up with
strong imagery, video and promotion.
Howard: It has to be a combination – members
take in information differently. In most instances,
we are not their number one priority so we must
hit them with a combination of communication
vehicles to get the most engagement. We find that
bringing our members together to support a cause
is also very compelling. By sharing stories of those
in need that we as a group are able to help, we find
that our members are more passionate and driven
to work together and help.
WHAT DOESN’T WORK?
Howard: Live webinars are hard to get our
members to attend because they all have different
schedules and don’t want to take time away from
their business during working hours.
Sarah: There is no right and wrong when it comes
to stories that illustrate your membership message,
but it is important to keep your messaging clear,
timely, relevant and emotive. So, for example, if
you are talking about membership who are you
aiming at – are you looking to recruit new members
or speak to existing members? An approach for
new members would be to provide more context,
YOUR BOARD GIVES YOU AN UNLIMITED BUDGET
TO CONNECT WITH MEMBERS.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
Sarah: With an unlimited budget, it would be great
to showcase the excellent films we put together
on everything from community dividend to our
funeral business on a wider scale via mainstream
television and social media and showcase us as a
co-operative and what we do in the very best light.
Howard: We would encourage more face-toface
interactions between members and with
the management team. To reach our customers
with the co-operative message, a full awareness
campaign with media support would certainly be
beneficial and help our customers understand our
business. We would also highlight each and every
member of our co-op. Our members all have such
inspiring stories and we’d like to tell them. Their
lives and legacies deserve to be shared with the
world especially in their surrounding communities.
We would create more video stories of our members
and know that by hearing how other members have
been successful, the entire membership would
benefit. We would also create a dedicated app for
our members to share stories and best practices.
38 | JUNE 2017

SHARING BEST PRACTICE: HOW HAVE YOU
CONNECTED WITH MEMBERS?
Howard: One of our most successful initiatives is
Design for a Difference. This one really hits home
in our members’ local communities. Design for
a Difference is the first-ever community-driven
designer movement that brings our socially
conscious showrooms together with interior
designers and other businesses to makeover
spaces at local charities. The makeovers have been
performed in well over 20 local communities – and
this number is growing.
Katie: We’re currently celebrating Military
Appreciation Month with a special social media
challenge. Members and prospective members are
sharing videos with us on Instagram for a chance to
win up to $5,000. It’s our #ProudToServeChallenge,
and we’re receiving creative submissions sharing
stories of service and thanking those who serve.
Sarah: The story that has had the most impact
and reaches for the society recently involved our
member Mary Norton. Mrs Norton has been visiting
the same food store in Leicester every day for 80
years. She spoke to us about her story and we used
a press release, media pitching and social media
to talk about her story. The story was picked up
by regional and national print media, radio and
television. The story also resonated with our online
audience as over 10,000 people reacted to the story
via Facebook and Twitter from just one post. Mrs
Norton’s family were the ones to contact us via our
enquiries team to tell us her story, as they wanted
to show their appreciation for the store colleagues
who interact with her every day and make her
membership meaningful. It was a great way of
interacting with a long-standing member to hear
their story and then using that message to showcase
our co-operative values and the importance of
membership to people.
WRAP-UP:
EXPERT
TIPS
Talking to your members
u Make sure you know and understand your membership – what matters to them?
u Keep it simple. Talk about your co-op’s benefits and value
u Tailor your message based on their knowledge – are they an active or passive member?
What gets members talking?
u Share timely and emotive stories that connect with your membership message
u Get members to come together to support a cause
Getting member stories
u Collect member stories from social media or events
u Provide ways for members to contact your co-op
JUNE 2017 | 39

ENVIRONMENT
BY SUSAN PRESS
The co-operative business of nature
World Environment Day – held each year on 5
June – aims to raise worldwide awareness of the
challenges we face in ensuring the future of the
planet. Organised by the United Nations since
1972, its theme in 2017 is ‘Connecting People to
Nature – in the city and on the land, from the poles
to the equator’.
Leading academic Dr Jeremy Haggar, head of the
department of agriculture, health and environment
at Greenwich University’s Natural Resources
Institute, is the author of a recent study into smallscale
farmers and climate change. The report was
backed by TWIN, which works with 43 producer
organisations representing over 300,000 coffee,
cocoa and nut smallholders in 17 countries across
Latin America, Africa and Asia. It evaluated ways
in which major players in the Fairtrade market not
only guarantee livelihoods in developing countries
but are enabling producers to protect their local
environments.
“The initiatives reviewed for this study mostly
started out as corporate social responsibility
programmes that supported general social and
environmental projects,” says Dr Haggar. “Now,
ensuring the sustainability of the ecosystems their
businesses depend on is part of their business
plan. Taylors of Harrogate is an organisation
taking a lot forward – and the TWIN climate
change programme is working with co-ops
and the Solidaridad development agency
in the Netherlands to bring together
best practice for businesses wishing
to engage with the producer base
and make it become more
resilient and resistant to
climate change.”
Taylors of Harrogate, a family business based in
Yorkshire, deals directly with coffee co-operatives
in South America and Kenya. Its projects have
directly enhanced local environments by reducing
soil erosion and flooding and improving water
conservation.
It has also played a key role in combating climate
change; supporting families and communities
by providing food and enhancing livelihoods;
and promoting environmental education. Taylors
also runs a small grants scheme to suppliers to
support the costs of Fairtrade certification, which
is essential to long-term sustainability.
Cafédirect, which brought the first Fairtrade
coffee to the UK, works with more than 40
producer organisations in 14 countries and reinvests
a third of its products with producer communities.
In northern Peru it has helped coffee suppliers in
small villages lessen the impact of deforestation
by investing in tree planting and other community
projects.
In other developing countries, producers are
learning how co-operative ways of working can
help both them and their local environment.
Dr Haggar has recently been working with coffee
farmers and community organisations in Sierra
Leone, where Fairtrade is still developing. “They
are still learning about farming as a social business
and it is a skill set change,” he says.
“Once you start getting bigger, informal
communication does not work so well and the
opportunities for misunderstanding increase.
It can happen because there are very
few with the skills to run the
organisation. The Fairtrade
labelling and certification
process helps with a
40 | JUNE 2017

set of rules to manage the relationship between
membership and hierarchy. It’s the only structure
trying to address that, and the link between
membership and organisation ensures the supply
market with the quality of product it demands. It’s
a big learning curve for farmers and organisations.
“Consistency of supply means you can see who
is paying more for social value. This is particularly
true in the UK which is the biggest Fairtrade
market in world. The Fairtrade Foundation has
done a good marketing job and is very effective in
selling content to big retailers, but co-ops develop
awareness themselves. In the beginning all the
consciousness was developed by NGOs working
with producer groups, but it is now an inherent
part of the philosophy Within Latin America there
is a strong environmental movement – and also to
a degree in Africa.”
More than 80% of Fairtrade goods are provided
by small-scale farmers whose contribution has
been key to the phenomenal rise of the Fairtrade
market – most significantly in the UK where its
market value is heading for £2bn every year. The
bigger the market, the more which can be done to
protect the environment.
“Growing the market is the most fundamental
thing that’s been substantially advanced in the UK,”
says Dr Haggar. “If it could be replicated in Europe
and North America that would be transformational.
It’s already starting in places like Mexico, Brazil
and South Africa. It’s about building from success
in a broader range of countries to develop.”
He believes future initiatives should be closely
aligned with the environmental needs of producer
organisations, with a long-term commitment
from the alliance of companies and producer
organisations. And he says greater impact can be
achieved through alliances between organisations
who recognise the threat to the supply chain from
environmental degradation – and the steps they
must take to address that.
“Corporate Social Responsibility is about doing
the right thing, but increasingly it is part of a central
business plan because of concerns about supply
– and the realisation that climate change and
degradation of the environment affects consistency
of supply. Companies see sustainability as part of
ensuring supply of cocoa and coffee into the future.
Climate change, for example, is very difficult to
slow down per se, but it is one area where action
could improve and protect local environments.”
Much of the focus on protecting the environment
may be in developing countries, but closer to
home there are initiatives like the Ecological Land
Co-operative. Based in Sussex, it was set up to
address the lack of affordable sites for ecological
land-based livelihoods in England – and bridge
the disconnect between the combined cost of land
and rural housing, and the income that is usually
derived from sustainable rural livelihoods. In the
past few years it has carried out research into the
future of eco-agriculture in the UK and purchased
sites in East Sussex and Devon with plans for
several more by 2020. u
p The Ecological Land
Co-operative tackles the
lack of affordable sites
for ecological land-based
livelihoods in England
“”
INCREASINGLY, CSR IS PART OF
A BUSINESS PLAN BECAUSE OF
CONCERNS ABOUT SUPPLY
JUNE 2017 | 41

q The open-burning of
wood, coal or animal
dung is a pollution
issue in Kenya
“Sustainable rural livelihoods – such as smallscale
ecological food production – protect the
environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by reducing fossil fuel use,” says operations
manager Sonia Sinanan. “Such businesses help
build a vibrant, living countryside in which people
flourish alongside our cherished landscapes and
natural biodiversity, and have a important role to
play in ensuring food and energy security. They
also provide employment, access to local food and
crafts, and educational opportunities for urban
visitors, helping to maintain rural skills and to
improve ecological literacy.”
The ELC’s mission, she says, is to increase access
to land for such livelihoods.
“As well as land, we provide smallholders with
permission to build their own sustainable home,
and help with utilities and road access,” she adds.
“Our model allows us to keep costs low, both
through buying larger sites at a lower price per acre,
and through distributing the cost of infrastructure,
planning applications and subsequent site
monitoring across a number of smallholdings.”
Not everyone can live close to the land, but urban
consumers are also being encouraged to do their
bit for climate change. Co-op Insurance recently
announced a new carbon offset programme, which
means for each motor policy it will offset 10% of
CO2 emissions in the first year by supporting the
provision of cookstoves in Ghana that are up to
50% more efficient.
The cookstoves replace less efficient cooking
methods such as the open-burning of wood, coal
or animal dung which cause more indoor pollution
and release more greenhouse gases such as carbon
dioxide and methane, as well as contributing to
deforestation through the need for higher levels of
wood for charcoal fuel.
Since 2006 it has been offsetting customer
emissions through its specific ‘Ecoinsurance’ motor
policy, through which Co-op customers have offset
more than a million tonnes of CO2 to date.
For each home policy, Co-op Insurance is also
offsetting 10% of customers’ home energy CO2
emissions in the first year by helping to fund
LifeStraw water filters that provide safe drinking
water to families in Kenya, require no electricity,
and mean there is no need to boil water to purify
it. This protects families from waterborne diseases
like typhoid, cholera and diarrhoea – the third
leading cause of death among children and adults
in Kenya.
The Co-op also sources 99% its electricity from
renewable sources (including its own wind farms)
and has reduced its direct carbon footprint by 43%
since 2006.
“We were one of the first businesses to recognise
and respond to the impacts of climate change,”
says Mark Summerfield, chief executive of
Co-op Insurance. “Since then we have reduced
our greenhouse gas emissions from our
operations and purchased renewable electricity.
We are now offering a carbon offset as standard on
all home and motor policies in the first year, at no
extra cost to our customers. We are also making
sure to choose offset projects that are checked to a
stringent standard and have added benefits in the
developing world, whether that’s contributing to
the local economy, protecting people’s health, or
reducing deforestation.”
42 | JUNE 2017

10 CO-OPERATIVES
THAT CONNECT US WITH THE PLANET
From green tourism leaders to urban farms and eco-friendly housing
schemes, there are may co-ops looking for a healthier relationship
with nature. We take a look at some examples.
FARMER PIRATES
This US urban farming co-op was
established in New York state in 2008,
buying 30 vacant lots – about three
acres – on the east side of the city of
Buffalo. It runs the land as a community
trust to keep it safe from speculators
and developers. Membership is open to
anyone in the city who wants to farm. Workers are paid in portions of the day’s harvest,
and only surplus food is sold. The Pirates offer services to
people who grow food in the city, whether it’s in their backyard
or a community garden, sharing resources and information
and supplying compost, and every October they host a harvest
celebration to celebrate the natural food they grow.
ROUND THE BEND
uwww.farmerpirates.com
p Members of the co-op at work composting onions
t Farmer Pirates hoist the flag for urban farming
Established in 1971 in Kangaroo Ground,
near Melbourne, Australia, this residential
co-op works to preserve 132 hectares of
native Australian forest. It is owned by
32 shareholders with a membership of
about 50 adults and their children, living
in 22 houses on the site. Residents work at
managing the land, listing and protecting
a wealth of flora and fauna, including the
brush-tailed phascogale – an endangered p A forest work team takes a break
marsupial – the powerful owl, koalas and
flying foxes. Duties include weed control, track repairs, surveying and planting. All members
are also members the Bend of Islands Conservation Association, which works to preserve the
wildlife and natural beauty of the area.
uwww.roundthebend.org.au
p Visitors taking a homestay with
Edge of India can work on local farms
EDGE OF INDIA
Based in two remote areas, Uttarakhand
and West Bengal, this eco-tourism coop
network of villages in India offers
homestays with an “extraordinary cultural
and natural heritage”. The network was
developed through a programme funded
by the Scottish government – because it is
based on the principles of Robert Owen’s
New Lanark community, and on practices
drawn up by Scottish environmental
tourism consultant Dunira. The co-op
works to ensure access to remote natural
environments in a non-damaging way.
u www.edgeofindia.com
p Clearing the Lea Valley allotment site
ORGANICLEA
Established in the Lea Valley, on the edge
of Epping Forest, in 2001, this workers’
co-op began with an organic allotment
farm. They rescued an acre of derelict
allotment, clearing bramble, building
raised beds and planting a forest garden
with apple trees, worcesterberries and
blackcurrant bushes, with a pond, willow
dome and compost toilet. Annual and
perennial veg were planted using organic
and permaculture principles, working
with nature to grow food in a sustainable
way. Volunteers were invited to work
on the farm, which now runs a food
distribution scheme and market stall, and
supports a cafe. Its vision is of “a socially
and environmentally just food system
where the means of production and
distribution are controlled not by markets
or corporations but by the people”.
uwww.organiclea.org.uk
JUNE 2017 | 43

UGANDAN CO-OP TREE-PLANTING INITIATIVE
Last July, Uganda’s co-op ministry launched a
tree-planting initiative to combat climate change,
reverse deforestation and provide income from
fruit, coffee and timber. Since then, co-ops
have planted trees in 87 districts. Then, in April
2017, the Plant A Co-op Tree competition was
launched to promote commercial forestry as a
viable investment option for co-ops. A total of
10,000 seedlings were planted and the trees
HAPPY GREEN CO-OPERATIVE
will be evaluated after one year. And in May, the
Uhuru Institute for Social Development signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with the National
Forest Authority, to strengthen collaboration
on forestry management. Co-ops in West Nile,
Acholi, Lango, and Karamoja have been allocated
60,000 seedlings for Community Tree Planting,
with more to be sent out in the next rain season.
u Tree-planting is key to sustainability projects
in Uganda (Photo: Laura Elizabeth Pohl)
EARTH HEART HOUSING CO-OPERATIVE
Established in Bhutan in 2013, Happy Green is owned and controlled by its members
and comprises 18 farming households (with 52 active farmers and 125 family members)
and 19 youth members. It is based on Gross National Happiness, a Bhutanese
development philosophy centred around
economic self reliance, environmental
conservation, cultural preservation
and good governance. Projects include
community forests to provide extra
income and a farming library to share
information on local soil conservation
methods with the world.
p Happy Green farmers in Drachuka
THE SEED CO-OPERATIVE
ECOSULIS
u home.happy.bt
Founded in 2014 and based
at Gosberton Bank Nursery,
near Boston, Lincs., this
co-op was created to protect
biodiversity. Now 250
members strong, it breeds of p Preparing the land at Seed Co-op’s nursery
“open-pollinated seeds that
everyone can grow, everyone can save for the next year, and everyone can afford”.
Warning of the takeover of seed production by agribusiness, it adds: “Our food
system depends on viable, living seeds, capable of reproducing themselves.”
u www.seedcooperative.org.uk
Established in 1997, Ecosulis has been employee-owned since 2006. With a head office
in Bath, and offices in London, Chester and Exeter, it offers ecological consultancy
and contracting on developments to benefit wildlife and people. Expertise includes
habitat surveys, protected species licensing and habitat creation and it has worked
q Ecosulis worked with Croydon
Council to create this pond habitat
on schools, hospitals, universities
and defence sites. For instance,
where protected species such as
bats or newts are found where a
development is planned, Ecosulis
can devise a way for work to
continue without causing harm.
uwww.ecosulis.co.uk
Established in 1997 near
Ashbourne, Derbyshire,
this co-housing
community is freeholder
of a Grade II listed
farmhouse and barns. It lives in an eco-friendly
manner, with a communal woodpellet boiler,
a reed bed waste-water treatment system and
a green electricity supplier. The surrounding
21 acres of organic land is managed for nature
conservation, with parkland, a brook, small
grazing pastures and woodland. The co-op runs
a community orchard and allotment, and offers
guided tours.
u s.coop/25v06
p Argyll Forest Park (Photo: AleGranholm)
ARGYLL AND THE ISLES TOURISM
COOPERATIVE
Established 2012, Scotland, this co-op brings
together local marketing and sectoral groups
to promote the region’s tourist industry on a
local and national level. It represents around
1,200 business interests, with a focus on the
area’s natural heritage. Initiatives include Wild
About Argyll which promotes nature tourism.
It also promotes nature tourism through its
Nature’s Paradise page. Supporters of the co-op
include Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry
Commission Scotland. To promote Wild
About Argyll, it filmed endurance adventurer
Mark Beaumont on a 12 day trek around the
mountains, waters and isles of the region.
42 | JUNE 2017

WITH A LITTLE
HELP FROM MY
FRIENDS...
The Beatles, the Liver Building
and the co-op spirit
This year marks the
50th anniversary of
the high water mark
of the Beatles’ career
– the release of their
era-defining Sgt.
Pepper’s Lonely Hearts
Club Band album
and equally revered double A-side Penny Lane/
Strawberry Fields Forever.
Those two songs saw the band memorialise the
Liverpool of their youth – and when Ringo Starr
sang, on Sgt Pepper, “I get by with a little help from
my friends,” I’m reminded of the Liver Building,
the city’s great symbol of co-operation, where the
young mop tops had been photographed a few
years earlier.
In 2015, a statue of the Beatles walking along
the Liverpool waterfront was unveiled close to the
Royal Liver Building – and now new generations
take photos of the Fab Four with the iconic building
in the background.
But little do most of them know that the Royal
Liver Building was a beloved mutual providing over
a century of help to millions of Liverpudlians.
The Royal Liver Building (pronounced Liever),
overlooking the Mersey, is among the most
recognisable in the country. It is crowned with two
Liver Birds, one facing out to sea watching over
every ship that sails in and out of the port. The
other watches inland over everybody in the city of
Liverpool and the land beyond.
YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE
The Liver Bird is also the emblem of Liverpool
Football Club. When 54,074 Liverpool fans sing
You’ll Never Walk Alone for a home game at
Anfield, there is no sound like it. The sound of the
crowd after a home goal being scored can be easily
CULTURE
BY DAVID THOMPSON
David is president of the
Twin Pines Cooperative
Foundation (www.
community.coop).
He emigrated from
Blackpool, England, to
the US in 1962. Both
his parents worked for
the Blackpool Industrial
Co-operative Society.
David has worked in the
co-operative sector in the
USA since the 1960s.
JUNE 2017 | 45

q In 2015, a statue
of the Fab Four was
unveiled close to the
Royal Liver Building,
which is topped with
statues of two 18 feet
high Liver Birds. Legend
has it that if they were
to fly away, Liverpool
would cease to exist. The
Liver Birds are therefore
ceremoniously chained
tightly to the domes on
which they stand
heard from the roof of the Royal Liver Building.
The building was also home to the Royal Liver
Assurance Company which, as a mutual, never let
any of its members “walk alone”.
One of the crown jewels of mutualism, the Royal
Liver Building was a palace of the people – built by
the nine Liverpool members who established the
mutual and the million poor Liverpool families who
joined as members. Its 1911 opening commemorates
an era in British history when ordinary people built
and owned a great deal of their own local and
regional economies.
MUTUAL MERGERS
Nine working class men founded The Liverpool
Lyver Burial Society in 1850 at the Lyver Inn.
While the society was initially founded to provide
honourable burials, it went on to provide numerous
forms of insurance.
In 1856, it changed its name to the Royal Liver
Friendly Society. By 1905, the society had one
million members and needed a new head office.
The board decided the locally owned mutual
should make its mark on the world by building a
modern and majestic building on the banks of the
River Mersey. Britain’s first skyscraper, it was the
tallest office building in Britain for a half century –
until, in 1962, it was surpassed by the Co-operative
Wholesale Society’s CIS Tower in Manchester.
At its height, Royal Liver Assurance had 1.7
million members.
Since the millennium, British government
regulations have imposed additional stringent
capital requirements on mutual insurers meaning
that many mutuals had to merge.
Royal Liver merged into Royal London (another
mutual) in 2011. Fortunately, many of the Royal
Liver brands were retained and they continue in
commercial use.
But in many other countries, mutual and cooperative
insurers are critical economic partners.
The International Co-operative and Mutual
Insurance Federation (ICMIF) reports that there
are over 5,000 mutual and co-operative insurance
companies in over 75 countries serving over 955
million members/policyholders around the world.
They hold 27% of the world market share and,
since the recent recession, have grown at twice the
rate of the overall industry.
For over 100 years, the Royal Liver Building has
remained the unforgettable first face of Liverpool.
It is now part of the UNESCO designated World
Heritage Site, called Liverpool Maritime Mercantile
City. For centuries to come, the Royal Liver Building
will continue to remind us of the power that comes
when ordinary working people put their money
together to help each other.
In an earlier Beatles song, John Lennon sang
about his memories of Liverpool.
“There are places I remember all my life
Though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain”
The Royal Liver Building remains, as does our
memory of the Beatles.
46 | JUNE 2017

q Holyoake Hall, named after co-operator
George Jacob Holyoake, was opened in 1914
by the Liverpool Co-operative Society. It later
became a live music venue.
CO-OPERATION IN OUR EARS AND IN OUR EYES...
Penny Lane, the street immortalised in song by Paul McCartney,
has a number of co-op connections to the Beatles. It was
destination of bus routes 46 and 80, terminated at the now famous
bus shelter “in the middle of a roundabout” where Smithdown
Road crosses the top end of Penny Lane, at Smithdown Place.
In their youth the Beatles often took the 46 from the bus
terminus down Smithdown Road to the centre of the city.
About 600 feet from the roundabout on Smithdown Road on
the way to the centre of Liverpool is Holyoake Hall, named after
George Jacob Holyoake, a revered writer about co-operatives and
a champion of their efforts.
Holyoake Hall was opened in 1914 by the Liverpool Co-operative
Society as one of its flagship buildings. You can still see its
classic red bricked architecture with co-op mottoes embedded
in each of the cornices at the crown of the building. There were
numerous co-op departments on the
spacious ground floor.
On the second floor was an elegant
ballroom and a large meeting venue
for the co-operative’s members. The
ballroom could hold over 400 people,
and during and after World War II it was
well patronised by the city.
In the late 1950s Holyoake Hall found
a new life as one of the few venues
in the city which could be rented and
allowed people to put on jive and rock
and roll events. The promoter who rented
Holyoake Hall was Wally Hill, who employed Bob Wooler as the
master of ceremonies. One night after a performance at Holyoake
Hall, Wooler remembers first meeting John Lennon and Paul
McCartney at the bus shelter. It was there in 1959 that Wooler
offered them their first booking at the Cavern. They turned Wooler
down then saying they did not have a drummer.
The Beatles first played the Cavern on Friday 13 July 1961,
immediately after their successful gigs on Hamburg.
The following Sunday they played at Holyoake Hall and then
again the next Sunday, 22 July. If eventual manager Brian Epstein
had gone to see them at Holyoake Hall instead of the Cavern,
history would have made the Liverpool Co-op’s Holyoake Hall a
key part of the Beatles legacy. But Holyoake Hall is the closest
that the Beatles ever played to Penny Lane, just 200 yards away.
Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemaker remembers
Holyoake Hall as having a grand stage, a sprung dance floor
and elegant columns in the ballroom that supported an upstairs
balcony. Many of the Merseybeat bands preferred to play
Holyoake Hall above the other venues; the Quarrymen, Lennon’s
first band had played there in the late 1950s.
When the Beatles were growing up, the Liverpool Co-operative
Society was one of Britain’s largest co-ops with almost 200,000
member families. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Liverpool
Co-op operated 172 mostly little local shops. John Lennon’s sister
remembers that he loved to play Co-op Shop.
Today, Liverpool is home to many co-ops. The Co-operative
Group runs 128 shops and there many other co-op enterprises
within 20 miles of Liverpool city centre. The city is also home to
over 40 housing co-ops, many credit unions and a number of
worker and producer co-operatives.
JUNE 2017 | 47

REVIEWS
A History of
Fairtrade in
Contemporary
Britain
By Matthew Anderson
(Palgrave Macmillan
UK, 2015)
When Fairtrade wasn’t on the co-op
agenda
History generally attributes the growth of Fairtrade
down to consumer demand and the desire to buy
more ethical products.
But, in his book, Matthew Anderson, senior
lecturer at the University of Portsmouth, argues
there has been a century of campaigning from
charities and co-operators behind the eventual
acceptance of Fairtrade in the market today.
The emergence of Fairtrade, he says, “has only
partly been the result of ‘the market’ responding
to consumer demand. Of greater significance,
although often overlooked, was the role of the social
movement that successfully began to integrate
political consumerism within its international
development campaigns.”
He says that public surveys of consumer
behaviour focus on the “ethical consumer” by
focusing on socio-demographic factors such as
age, gender and social class. But studies should,
in fact, concentrate more on their political views,
religious beliefs or the extent of their involvement
with related organisations and networks.
The author is evidenced by looking at the impact
consumer justice movements had on the eventual
rise of Fairtrade, which has led to global sales of
€7.3bn (2015):
Oxfam first started the fair trade movement in
Britain in 1959 when it sold pincushions made by
Chinese refugees in Hong Kong.
Religious groups, such as Christian development
agencies, established many of the North-South
links that created fair trade industries.
Turning to the role of the Trades Union Congress,
the book looks at a discrepancy between the ideals
of international trade unionism and the reality of
the TUC’s international programme that prioritised
the job security of its members, sometimes at the
expense of workers in the developing world.
A chapter on the co-operative movement looks
at the sector’s impact on fair trade. Today, cooperatives
are at the forefront of Fairtrade. The
Co-op Group is the world’s largest Fairtrade wine
retailer and its bananas, cocoa, coffee and tea are
100% Fairtrade.
But it wasn’t always this way. When fair trade
was the focus of activists in the 1960s/1970s,
managers at co-ops around the country were
instead busy competing with other supermarkets.
One of the movement’s dabbles in international
trade led to controversy when in 1973 the World in
Action television programme, The Cost of a Cup of
Tea, exposed “intolerable working conditions on
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48 | JUNE 2017

the tea plantations in Sri Lanka, owned by major
household brands including the Co-operative
Wholesale Society.”
The CWS continued a campaign of vigorous pricecutting
over the next decade, ignoring the views of
co-op activists.
And this disconnect with members, the author
believes, is one of the factors which limited the Coop’s
support of fair trade over that period.
Other reasons were the retail sector’s focus
on competition from major supermarkets; the
complex structure between independent societies;
and its failure to recognise the significance of
the consumer/producer dynamics within the
movement.
It was not until the early 1990s that the Co-op
management recognised that Fairtrade was a viable
proposition and had the potential to reconnect
the movement with the ideals of international cooperative
trade.
A tipping point followed the release of the Cooperative
Bank’s Ethical Policy, following consumer
research that revealed 84% of members backed
such a move. In May 1992, two years before the
launch of the Fairtrade Mark in the UK, Co-op stores
began stocking Cafédirect coffee.
It wasn’t until some years later than Fairtrade
started to become more commercially viable. In
1998, Fairtrade sales in Co-op stores were reported
as £100,000 to over £100m in 2011.
Concluding, the author believes that Fairtrade, as
we know it today, was brought about by activism –
not just consumer demand. For Fairtrade, there is
more to do, adds Mr Anderson. He says there may
now be value in addressing the question of the
living standards of Fairtrade producers.
He believes it is this issue of “fairness” that has
defined the movement, alongside its ability to
adapt and evolve to modern day issues. He wants
to see the fair trade movement open up debates
over prices and living wages – and there is also
an opportunity for those involved in Fairtrade
to look more at the impact, empowerment and
development of producers.
q In the 1970s, the
Co-operative Group was
criticised for the working
conditions in its tea
plantations in Sri Lanka
Principles of
a Pluralist
Commonwealth
By Gar Alperovitz
(Available online at
s.coop/
pluralistcommonwealth)
Principles of a Pluralist Commonwealth outlines
the vision of a new political economy, in which
democratically owned enterprises, like co-ops, play
a central role.
Looking at the idea of decentralisation, the
book explores the flaws of centralised power and
contemporary development in the direction of
decentralisation such as Cleveland’s Evergreen
Cooperatives.
These co-ops use the purchasing power of
large non-profit institutions such as universities
and hospitals, to create economic opportunity
for co-ops in poor urban communities. A political
economist and historian, Gar Alperovitz argues that
this is an example of how to decentralise economic
planning.
The book also looks at the role of co-ops in
promoting equality. Alperovitz describes the
Pluralist Commonwealth as encouraging the
development of co-operative and other economic
institutions that support a culture of community less
driven by competition. Worker co-ops are featured
as enterprises able to self-manage themselves in a
democratic fashion.
Another issue addressed is access to capital,
particularly in terms of managing investment in
democratic directions. A chapter on investment
looks at community development financial
institutions such as Shared Capital Cooperative,
which in 2014 has made USD $3.1m in loans to cooperatives
in 31 states.
The author also highlights the potential for cooperative
market economies such as the region
of Emilia-Romagna in Italy, where 8,000 co-ops
account for about 40% of the region’s GDP.
In addition to co-ops, Alperovitz stresses the
importance of ownership forms that inherently
integrate worker and community (neighbourhood or
municipal) concerns in more complex relationships.
While the book’s official launch takes place on
1 June at a bookshop in Washington, it is already
available online for free, to enable activists,
organisers and practitioners working at grassroots
levels to access it.
JUNE 2017 | 49

DIARY
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT
Baroness Thornton chairs a panel on
reimagining the economy at this year’s
Co-operatives Congress; Congress is held
at Unity Works, Wakefield, from June 30-July
1; George Jacob Holyoake is the subject
of this year’s Co-operatives Fortnight
lecture on 23 June; and Cllr Sharon Taylor,
leader of Stevenage Council, will speak at
the Co-operative Party Local Government
Conference on 24 June
5-17 Jun: ILO Labour Conference 2017
17 Jun - 1 Jul: Co-operatives Fortnight
Nationwide celebration of the movement.
20-23 Jun: 2017 Committee of
Co-operative Research Conference
Exploring the role and potential of
co-ops as inclusive, collaborative and
responsible businesses.
WHERE: University of Stirling, Scotland
INFO: s.coop/25uij
23 Jun: Co-operatives Fortnight Lecture
The UK Society for Co-operative Studies
presents a lecture by Professor Stephen
Yeo, “George Jacob Holyoake (1817-1906):
A usable figure from a usable past”.
WHERE: The Warehouse, Birmingham
INFO: www.ukscs.coop
24 Jun: Co-operative Party – Local
Government Conference
Includes the launch of a short publication
on community wealth. Speakers include
council leaders Sue Jeffrey (Redcar and
Cleveland), Sharon Taylor, (Stevenage)
Peter Rankin (Preston).
WHERE: IET Birmingham
INFO: membership@party.coop
24 Jun: Housing Crisis: Community
solutions 2017
Find out about housing co-ops and learn
how to access support for community-led
housing in Brighton & Hove.
WHERE: Brighton Steiner School
INFO: mais@riseup.net
24 Jun: Community Energy Conference
Looking at successful projects, and new
business models and technologies.
WHERE: University of Manchester
INFO: events@communityenergyengland.
org
28 Jun: Co-operatives East Midlands AGM
Followed by the launch of the FairShares
Institute for Co-operative Social
Entrepreneurship.
WHERE: Sheffield Business School
INFO: jdevilliers@btinternet.com
30 Jun - 1 Jul: Co-operative Congress
Co-operative sector’s annual conference.
looks at the gig economy and
collaborative trends. Keynote speakers
include John Park (Community), Andy
Wightman (Green Party MSP) and Sarah
de Heusch Ribassin (SMart). Baroness
Thornton will chair a panel on reimagining
the economy, and there will be Dragons’
Den-style pitches for co-op funding.
WHERE: Unity Works, Wakefield
INFO: www.uk.coop/congress
30 June: Co-op News AGM
Annual meeting at 1.30pm, followed by
the Big Debate: Caring for the community
in the face of crisis. Communities have
to be more self-reliant in the face of
austerity – but what role can co-ops play?
WHERE: Unity Works, Wakefield
INFO: www.thenews.coop/agm
LOOKING AHEAD
1 Jul: International Day of Co-operatives
5 Jul: Plunkett Foundation AGM
23-26 Jul: Woccu Conference (Vienna,
Austria)
1-2 Sep: UKSCS Conference
19 Oct: Social Cooperatives International
School 2017 (Naples, Italy)
14-17 Nov: ICA Global Conference and
General Assembly (Malaysia)
50 | JUNE 2017

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