1. Tell us a bit about your business
We’re proud to be a community retailer across Guernsey and Jersey. Our organisation is built around the belief that belonging is everything – we are very much a part of our islands, and have been for over 100 years. We are owned locally by our members, which makes us unique. We believe in supporting our local communities, but also in looking after people and planet. Whether that is supporting our local growers and producers, ensuring we abide by ethical and sustainable production methods, or supporting Fairtrade.
2. Where can people find you?
We’re all over the islands!
3. What products do you use or supply that are certified Fairtrade?
We have over 200 products which are certified Fairtrade. It makes us one of the largest retailers of Fairtrade goods in the Channel Islands, which we are extremely proud of. All of our own brand coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, vanilla, wine and more is Fairtrade – even our own brand cotton buds and rubber gloves! So when you shop with us, you’re already making ethical buying decisions.
4. How long have you been using or supplying Fairtrade (approximately)?
We’re proud to have been selling Fairtrade goods in our islands since the Fairtrade movement began more than 25 years ago. Back in 1998, Co-op became the first supermarket in the UK to sell Fairtrade products in all stores and we haven’t stopped championing Fairtrade since. In 2000, we were also the first in the world to launch an own-brand Fairtrade product, our milk chocolate.
5. Do you support Fairtrade in any other ways (e.g. Fairtrade Fortnight events)?
We get behind Fairtrade Fortnight every year and help raise awareness about Fairtrade to islanders. This year, much of our campaigning is online due to the pandemic. However, in previous years we’ve held in-store tasting events to highlight our Fairtrade goods and even a Fairtrade inspired bake off between our colleagues.
6. Why is supporting Fairtrade important to you and your business?
We believe in supporting Fairtrade, not just for ethical reasons but for environmental benefits too.
By supporting Fairtrade we are empowering farmers and growers in developing countries to find a way that they can support their families and make a profitable business. Which in turn means communities are able to thrive and progress and improve their livelihoods.
But Fairtrade also has benefits for the environment too. Fairtrade encourages growers to farm using kinder, more environmentally friendly methods (i.e no overuse of fertilisers or chemicals which then affect water quality for communities, or crop burning to rid of unwanted waste). Furthermore, through getting a fair wage, farmers can afford the best tools for farming. By farming in this way, they are not only helping the planet for future generations, but are also producing a better quality product. It means our shoppers can be guaranteed good quality and good ethics when they shop and buy the Fairtrade mark.
7. Do you support any other environmental or community initiatives, either locally or worldwide?
We are proud advocates for supporting our own local suppliers and growers. We feel that it is right to encourage our members to buy and support the very best of local produce from right here in our islands. We also pride ourselves as a community retailer and support local charities and organisations to continue the fantastic work they do within our community. Our vision is to make a real difference to the communities we serve, so community really is at the heart of everything we do. You can see how we support the local community at www.channelislands.coop/community.
We’ve been making constant improvements to our sustainability practices for many years. We were the first retailer in the Channel Islands to introduce a 5p levy on single use carrier bags back in 2008, and since then we’ve led the way in removing single-use shopping bags from all our stores. More recently, we have introduced initiatives like electric vehicle charging points at our stores. On a national level, we’re part of the UK Co-op pledge to remove plastic (from packaging and products) that is not designed to be recycled or reused by 2023. Many own-brand products have changes to their packaging such as cardboard containers replacing plastic on packs of fruit and vegetables and more packaging made from recycled plastics.
Our reusable bag scheme encourages shoppers to pick up and use a free bag if needed. Rather than plastic bags ending up in the bin, bags – of any size, from any retailer- are given an extra bit of life for customers who might be a bag short for their shopping. We want to encourage anyone who has unwanted carrier bags lying around at home to bring them along to our reusable bag bins at Grand Marchés to help give old bags new life.
