Great Big Green Week - Co-operating for Climate Action
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Published 11 Jun 2024 in Raising Awareness
This Great Big Green Week, we will be joining other co-operatives from across the UK in signing a joint letter to political leaders calling for sustainability and the move to net-zero to become a priority of any new government.
With global temperatures now surpassing the agreed 1.5 degrees-Celsius threshold, and the UK on course to miss its 2030 emissions reduction target, it is time for us to take collective action on climate change.
In the co-operative sector alone, there is potential for at least 70,000 decent green jobs to be created in the next five years not just in green industries, but across the everyday economy. These jobs would stretch right across our family of businesses and that is why we have signed the Call For Co-operative Growth letter this week in the lead up to the general election.
Within the letter there are five policies which, if delivered, would allow co-operatives to reach their full potential:
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Unlock options for co-operatives to raise more capital from investors and communities.
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Remove unnecessary barriers to co-operation.
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Accelerate the proliferation of replicable co-operative solutions in broken systems like energy, housing, social care, data and culture.
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Ensure communities, workers, entrepreneurs and businesses are supported to explore and adopt co operative options for realising their aspirations.
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Harness co-operative action on climate and the environment.
We will also soon be publishing our latest sustainable impact report which will detail what we have done over the past year to help us reach our own sustainability targets. This includes how we have been able to reduce our Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 32% since 2019, which puts us on track to meet our 40% target by 2026. It will also share the different ways we have been able to reduce our energy use by 11% in one year alone, and the recognition we have received through award wins and nominations for our collective efforts.
Our report will also detail the work we have done with small businesses through our partnership with the Plunkett Foundation and how we are partnering with Big Solar Co-op to install solar panels at 29 of our Food, Childcare and head office sites as we look to forward our sustainability credentials further.
We are hoping that our award cabinet will be fuller after this week, with the UK Green Business Awards and British Renewable Energy Awards both taking place on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, respectively. Fingers crossed, we will be able to share some good news with you after both!