Together with various partners, the Coop Sustainability Fund supports numerous research, development and awareness-raising projects in Switzerland and abroad. In supporting the search for innovative solutions we are making consumption more sustainable and are giving something back to society.
The current Coop Sustainability Fund was created in 2007 on the basis of the Coop Naturaplan Fund. The original fund was created in 2003 to mark the 10th anniversary of our own-label organic range. The original objective was to expand our range of organic products and other own-label sustainability brands. When the fund was transformed into the Coop Sustainability Fund in 2007, we broadened our objectives to include projects to offset CO2 emissions generated by air freight, business travel, and our coop.ch delivery service. We also changed the strategic direction of the fund to focus more comprehensively on innovation and sustainable consumption throughout Coop's core business areas.
Each year, the Coop Sustainability Fund invests at least CHF 18.6 million.
From the very start the Coop Sustainability Fund has pursued these objectives:
Every year, the fund supports around 100 projects. We support the majority of them over several years. In addition to financial commitment, the Fund also offers communication tools, personnel and partner networks.
Before a project is funded, it is thoroughly assessed by internal and external experts. The following are key prerequisites:
Through its Sustainability Fund, Coop invests in various innovation projects to promote sustainable solutions. These include establishing fair value chains, ecological and social commitments, as well as maintaining biodiversity. Examples of such innovation projects are the cocoa projects in Ecuador and Honduras and the promotion of Swiss organic sugar and fair pineapple cultivation in Costa Rica as well as the establishment of sustainable rice value chains.
We are committed to society and our employees through various projects, both nationally and internationally. Since 1997, we have been supporting relief efforts for people in need in collaboration with the Swiss Red Cross. The bioRe projects support education, health and nutrition for cotton producers in India and Tanzania. Other initiatives include food donations to "Schweizer Tafel" and "Tischlein deck dich" and practice-oriented business training programmes for students with YES.
Coop supports various awareness-raising projects through its Sustainability Fund to strengthen societal awareness of sustainable practices. This includes support for initiatives in various areas, such as the Slow Food Market and the "konsumGLOBAL" project by the Eco Centre. These projects help to impart knowledge, motivate people towards a healthy lifestyle, and drive sustainable developments forward.
Coop collaborates closely with the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) to further develop organic farming. Together, we promote innovative solutions in various areas, including support for organic cotton production in India (Deed No. Promotion of organic calf rearing with mothers and foster mothersa nd the promotion of organic soya production and processing in Switzerland.