We are aware of our responsibility towards society and the environment and are committed to continually improving the sustainability of our products.

We are aware of our responsibility towards society and the environment. As a company with a wide product range and global supply chains, the challenge lies in keeping track of actual and potential negative impacts of our business operations and employing our resources appropriately in order to prevent, mitigate, eliminate and remediate them. When undertaking due diligence, we are guided by the due diligence guidelines and process of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (see Policy Paper Due Diligence and the diagram it contains). Part of this process entails identifying and assessing potential negative effects, and communicating about how they are handled. To this end, we have conducted a risk analysis of our own-label brand range, in partnership with Elevate.

Under our commitment with regard to risk products, we illustrate products that entail the greatest risks and about which we are most concerned. These are our initial focus and we are taking measures. Not all products available at Coop are shown.

We show which risks/risk categories are most strongly associated with the product category and the country of manufacture/origin and which measures we are already implementing to prevent, mitigate or eliminate them.

What does "risk category" mean?

Our risk categories describe potential negative impacts on people, the environment and society caused by economic activities such as agriculture, industrial production and trade. The likelihood of negative impacts increases when people or companies do not abide by national laws or international agreements and recommendations.

Measures

The measures involve those of our activities through which we tackle potential negative effects, and help us avoid, mitigate or eliminate those effects. These measures are standards, certifications and Coop Guidelines which set specific social or environmental requirements for agriculture, industrial production, and trade. We are also involved in sustainability projects, collaborating with our business partners to come up with solutions to social and/or environmental challenges. We verify compliance with and implementation of the measures by collecting documentary evidence such as certificates, audit or lab reports or other information from our business partners.