It’s not only our food teams that are actively involved in trading ethically, our other trading groups take every action to ensure that they are acting in the interests of suppliers, customers and the environment at every turn.

Our funeral team take the following initiatives to support ethical trade:

• Use recycled paper for their stationery
• Recycle office waste and toner cartridges wherever possible
• Buy Fairtrade tea/coffee whenever possible
  
• Moving towards 100% diesel fuelled vehicles
  
• Only use biodegradable coffins and cremated remains caskets
  
• Offer “green” coffins made from banana leaves, water hyacinths, etc
  
• Offer cardboard coffins with colourful wrap-around printed designs using “Ultra   Eco” inks
  
• Only use coffin furniture that meets current crematorium emission regulations
  
• Try to consolidate vehicle journeys to help minimise carbon footprint
• Only deal with stone suppliers who give a written guarantee that they do not use child labour
• Whenever we open a new branch, green issues are considered during design stages
• Offer “Green Burial” funerals as part of our service

Discover Co-operative funerals at www.coopfunerals.co.uk

The travel team promote various options to travellers looking to lower their emissions:

• Unique commitment to Travel Foundation -The Travel Foundation is a charitable organisation that promotes, manages and funds overseas sustainable projects. We are the first travel business in the UK to commit to making a contribution from every booking, as well as encouraging our customers to make a donation.www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk
• Slow Travel - We are actively promoting and training our teams on slow travel products. This includes holidays by rail, ferry, self drive or coach as well as packaged holidays that encompass these components.
• Sustainable Projects - We are actively promoting and supporting sustainable projects and initiatives such as ABTA's Travelife sustainable system projects.

Find out more about your travel options at www.cooptravel.coop

Our childcare voucher and nurseries businesses take ethics seriously by:

Childcare Vouchers

• Donating 10% of all profits to a handful of charities selected by clients of the scheme through the Childcare Dividend Fund
• Offering open and fair advice to potential clients. We provide people with the facts about Co-operative Childcare Vouchers and recognise that they may not always offer the best solution for the individual.
• Providing proactive advice to clients by informing and educating employers about changes in the marketplace/legislation, even if it may de detrimental to us.

Nurseries

• Demonstrating co-operative values and principles through our actions and behaviour, with and around the children.
• Using the most environmentally-friendly nappy disposal methods.
• Providing children with freshly prepared nutritious meals using locally sourced, organic and Fairtrade produce.
• Having a policy of total inclusion so that each child is treated fairly.

Find out more about childcare vouchers at www.imagine.coop and The Co-operative Childcare nurseries at www.thecooperativechildcare.coop

Through our links with The Co-operative Retail Trading Group we supply and promote Fairtrade products in our stores. We also believe that it is important to trade with suppliers in our local area. Run your mouse over our local supplier map to find out where your favourite local products come from!