Global Climate Action, Celebrity Charity Football & Half Year Meetings
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Published 20 Sep 2019 in Phil's blog by Phil Ponsonby
Global Climate Action
Today climate change protests are going on across the country and around the world as part of the ‘Global Climate Action’ day.
As part of the co-operative movement, we are supporting the protests as well as working through the International Co-operative Alliance to drive change globally via the United Nations.
As a business, we take climate change very seriously and I’m proud of our record although of course, we can always do more. We have reduced our carbon emissions year on year across our operations and in recognition of this have been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard. We also now recycle 99% of our operational waste by weight and last year reduced our energy use across our trading sites by 3%, saving over 1,000 tonnes of CO2.
We have also:-
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Re-used plastic waste by creating 1,000 eco-bricks
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Removed 383 bags of litter from the natural environment
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Reduced 289,000 items of plastic per annum across our operations, equivalent to circa 2.2 tonnes of plastic per annum
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Introduced compostable bags to many of our stores
For colleagues who wish to show their support, I would strongly urge them to make a pledge as part of our 1 Change campaign.
You can make your pledge by clicking on our website here.
IGD Co-op Trade Briefing Conference
Yesterday I attended the IGD Co-op Trade Briefing in Manchester; the IGD is a research and training charity which sits at the centre of the food and consumer goods industry. Organised by the Co-op Group, I presented to 850 representatives from our key national food suppliers on the importance of our buying group, the FRTS, and the difference it makes to us. With Nisa and Costcutter now being supplied by the buying group it ultimately means we are part of an operation supplying over 8000 shops across the entire UK. I spoke on how the Co-op Food business has evolved and how important it is for us to work together, not just on buying, but by improving efficiency and our overall customer offer.
Celebrity Charity Football Match
It’s now just over a week until our Celebrity Charity Football match against the JET2 TVAllstars and the Wolverhampton Wanderers Veterans Allstar team game. We value your support and all the money is going to some really good causes including White House Cancer Support, Just Straight Talk, Street Teams, Alz Café, The MASE Group and Codsall Village Hall, all of whom are based in the West Midlands.
Do check in with Colleagues Connect as we are regularly updating the page about who is playing. Don’t forget you can buy tickets online here or you can also purchase tickets from reception in Co-op House in Warwick or from in Hatherton Road & Waterfront (ask for Hayley Small) in Walsall.
Upcoming Half Yearly Meetings
Our Half Yearly Meetings for 2019 are now under a month away so please get the dates in your diary. We will again be holding meetings across our trading area so please take the opportunity to attend and have your say.
Each event will start with an opportunity to network with fellow members/elected members and enjoy a range of exhibitions showcasing our co-operative difference. This will be followed by updates on our trading performance over the last six months, our plans to celebrate Fairtrade25, other business developments and the Society election results. The evening will finish with a networking session giving members the opportunity to engage with each other, elected members and management.
To register please click on the links below:
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Gloucester - 09/10/19 - Cheltenham Chase Hotel 6.00pm - 9.00pm
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Live Webcast Meeting - 14/10/19 7.00pm - 9.00pm (more information coming soon!)
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Kidderminster - 15/10/19 - Hogarth Stone Manor Hotel 6.00pm - 9.00pm
That’s all for this week and if you enjoyed reading my blog, why not leave a comment below by signing in?