Modern slavery statement
Reporting on our work to tackle modern slavery.
Modern slavery statement
At Co-op we have a long-standing commitment to protecting human rights in the UK and overseas. We welcomed the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act in 2015 and are committed to providing an open and honest account of what we’re doing to prevent modern slavery in our supply chains and business. Read more about our approach to ethical trading, and how we work to tackle modern slavery in our food supply chains.
Our modern slavery statement explains what we did during our 2023 financial year to prevent modern slavery taking place in our business and supply chains. It also includes a summary of how we did against our 2023 targets.
Shirine Khoury-Haq CEO, The Co-operative Group
“Doing the right thing in line with our Co-op values and principles has been at the heart of our business since we were founded in 1844. We’re proud to use the power of co-operation to create a movement that can campaign and embed change and better rights for all in society.
Human rights matter. Modern slavery is incredibly hard to eradicate, we are all too aware how difficult it is to uncover, and during turbulent times this can be even harder. Labour shortages leading to more people moving around the globe makes exploitation a particular risk.
We want everyone, whether they work within our Co-op, or with us as one of our partners to be aware of the risks of modern slavery, to not be afraid to speak out if they uncover issues, and to have faith that we will deal with them responsibly. It’s when we come together and co-operate on issues like this that we see what is truly possible through collaboration.
Bright Futures, founded by our Co-op in 2017 to offer work placements to survivors of modern slavery, and which became its own independent co-operative in 2020, is such a powerful example of this.
I’m very proud to introduce this statement about such an important issue, about which we can never become complacent, and about which we have continued to raise awareness both in our business and throughout our supply chain.
Modern slavery is a tough issue to address but doing so is absolutely the right thing to do. This is why during 2023 we also commissioned an independent third party to audit our internal processes to prevent and detect modern slavery taking place in our Co-op and supply chains.
The audit has given us positive assurance around our Food ethical trade programme and the comprehensiveness of the Modern Slavery statements, allowing our member-owners and stakeholders to hold us to account. It also provided valuable insight on areas to improve in 2024, which we will address.
There will always be more we can and will do. I’m grateful to my colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure we’re doing the right thing and to create the right environment for us to continue to address this issue.”
Modern slavery campaigning
We have a long history of addressing social injustice and supporting workers' rights. At our 2017 AGM, our members voted overwhelmingly in support of us campaigning on modern slavery and better victim support.
Since 2016, we’ve been raising awareness and campaigning for better support for victims of modern slavery. We also launched our Bright Future programme, which offers the opportunity of a paid work placement and a job in our food business to those who have been rescued from modern slavery. In 2020, Bright Future became an independent co-operative in its own right, with Co-op as one of the 9 founding members.
Raising awareness of modern slavery
We continue to raise awareness of modern slavery, providing resources to help spot the signs of modern slavery and signposting to the Modern Slavery Helpline.