Central England Co-op rewarded again for its environmental credentials

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 12/10/2017


Central England Co-operative is proud of its ongoing commitment to the environment – and has once again been rewarded for its efforts.

The Society has been re-awarded three Carbon Trust Standards - internationally recognised environmental certifications for reducing organisational water use and waste and carbon outputs.

This recognition comes after the business continued on a decisive journey to tackle sustainability across all of its business operations as part of the Society’s corporate responsibility strategy.

This has included leading the way in sustainable business practices by installing LED lighting across hundreds of food stores and petrol stations - a move which has reduced the Society’s carbon footprint by around 3.4% and saved enough electricity to power 1,600 homes a year.

Since 2010, the Society has reduced its total carbon footprint by 35.8 %.

Luke Olly, Energy Efficiency Lead at Central England Co-op, said: “As a responsible business, we are committed to minimising our impact on the environment.

“Our activities across all of the business operations have made considerable positive environmental impacts such as installing glass doors to chiller cabinets and LED lighting as part of our new store and refurbishment programme

“We also take great pride in our eco-friendly stores and sustainable retailing. The government 5p carrier bag charge has been successful in reducing the number of single use carrier bags used by our customers.

 “We are dedicated to making a real difference and being environmentally responsible plays an important part in our overall success.”

The Carbon Trust Standard is among the world’s leading independent certifications of an organisation’s environmental sustainability achievements, verifying progress across the important areas of carbon emissions, waste outputs, and water use.

It is managed by the Carbon Trust, an organisation set up by the UK government in 2001 to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy.

The Standards are awarded in recognition of best-practice and real achievement in reducing environmental impact and improving resource management. 

Martyn Cheatle, Chief Executive of Central England Co-operative, said: “As a responsible business, Corporate Responsibility is at the heart of how our organisation operates and is embedded within the way we work in delivering our strategy.

“We have reduced our carbon footprint by thinking locally, invested in green energy options, significantly reduced our food and non-food waste, and revolutionised the energy efficiency of every store.

“Everyone involved with Central England Co-operative is delighted to have been re-awarded by the Carbon Trust for the excellent work undertaken to improve our sustainable approach to business.”

John Newton, associate director at the Carbon Trust, said: “It is great to see that as Central England Co-operative continues to increase its focus on improving sustainability, this is helping the business to deliver ongoing reductions in carbon emissions, water use and waste.

“We are delighted to recognise the efforts that have gone into achieving this from across the organisation by awarding triple recertification to the Carbon Trust Standard as a mark of progress.”

Notes to editors

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with gross sales of £927 million in 2016/17. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property investment. Central England Co-operative has over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.  The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2017.

Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.  It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence.  The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.

Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop

For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative

Rob Smyth / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140

Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop