With growing challenges and increasingly long and complex supply chains, building strong supplier relations based on trust and transparency is key to achieving long-term and sustainable improvements to working conditions in the supply base. Read more about our human rights focus here.
The Co-op food ethical trading monitoring programme aims to stamp out modern slavery and exploitative working practices across the world, with regular checks on our suppliers and producers.
Our ethical trade monitoring programme reaches nearly 800,000 workers in 2,838 sites located in 66 countries across 6 continents. 100% of Tier 1 sites have completed a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and 100% of Tier 1 high risk sites are independently audited. We’ve mapped and risk assessed our supply base beyond Tier 1 in high-risk categories such as produce and protein. When we find issues, we work with our suppliers to put things right. In our 2022 monitoring programme figures, we reported to have 1,415 independent ethical audits across our supplying sites. 7,695 issues were raised in these audits (92% are completed, we’ve agreed a plan to complete the remaining 8% in 2023.
We further acknowledge the importance of freedom of association and collective bargaining as enabling rights that are critical to the success of our Ethical Trade Programme. Without them, workers are not able to shape workplace practices that allow us and our suppliers to get closer to our vision of “Co-operating for a Fairer World”. As such, we integrate these rights into our way of working with suppliers and expect them to facilitate access for their workers to such mechanisms. We remain committed to collaborating with all stakeholders to ensure that where local laws restrict these rights, workers are still engaged and consulted, and none are disciplined for doing so.
†734 Tier 1 and 2,104 beyond Tier 1. Data correct as reported in our Co-op Way Report 2022, where more information can be found.