Co-op to stop sourcing from 17 countries including Israel over human rights abuses

The change in policy has been approved by The Co-op Group Board and follows on from a vote by the retailer’s members a month ago to “cease all trading with Israel” at its annual general meeting.

The c-store specialist said that its members had “made clear through surveys, engagement and motions that conflict is one of their biggest concerns and that their Co-op should do all it can to advocate and build peace”.

In response, The Co-op Board has initiated a review of its role in “building peace” which has lead to the launch of the “Hate Divides Communities, Co-operation Builds Them” campaign”.

As a result, The Co-op said it would stop sourcing products and services from specific countries based on three criteria: that there is agreement across respected assessments of human rights abuses or violations of international law; that the actions The Co-op can take would “make a difference directly or indirectly to those affected and would alleviate suffering” and that the actions The Co-op take would not negatively affect its integrity as a commercially successful business.

Under these criteria, The Co-op have outlined 17 countries it will no longer source from, including Israel, Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea and Russia.

Co-op Group Board chair Debbie White said: “This policy, which has been developed over the past year as part of our ‘Hate Divides Communities, Co-operation Builds Them’ campaign, is a clear demonstration of our co-operative values in action, where the voices of our members have been listened to and then acted upon.

“We are committed, where we can, to removing products and ingredients from our shelves which are sourced from those countries where the international consensus demonstrates there is not alignment with what happens in those countries and our co-operative values and principles.

“As a business, we have a long-standing legacy of doing the right thing, supporting Fairtrade and championing ethical sourcing and this policy is a natural progression of this. Our ‘Hate Divides Communities, Co-operation Builds Them’ campaign has once again positioned our Co-op with those who advocate for and build peace.”