Creating a fairer future for women suppliers

This International Women’s Day, discover how we’re helping to support women, farmers and workers around the world by supporting Fairtrade communities. 

International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, while calling for an acceleration of women’s equality. There’s still a lot to do to overcome unfairness, but through our commitment to Fairtrade, Co-op has contributed to women’s equality by supporting women suppliers around the world.

Fairtrade Africa’s Women’s School of Leadership         

We’ve always been leading the way when it comes to Fairtrade cocoa. In 2000, Fairtrade cocoa wasn’t widely available, but this was the year we became the first UK supermarket to sell our own brand of Fairtrade chocolate. We’ve been pioneering fairer deals for farmers since then, and in 2017, we became the first UK retailer to source all of our cocoa on Fairtrade terms.

As part of our commitment to Fairtrade cocoa, we have delivered funding to Fairtrade Africa’s Women’s School of Leadership programme in Côte d’Ivoire since 2017. The Leadership School is a training, mentoring and coaching programme that helps women maximise their own potential and take on leadership roles in their producer organisations and communities.

Through this programme, participants have created community awareness sessions, established gender committees within their producer organisations, and set up additional income-generating activities. Since it began, the project has positively impacted thousands of people in Fairtrade cocoa farming communities in Côte d’Ivoire.

Uplifting the achievements of women in Kenya

Co-op has been a pioneer of Fairtrade flowers from the beginning. We’re the largest UK retailer of Fairtrade flowers, and we were the first to ensure roses sourced from Africa are 100% Fairtrade. We’re also the first to sign up to the new International Fairtrade Sourcing Ingredients model for flowers. This means when you see Fairtrade, you can be sure your blooms have been sourced on Fairtrade terms.

We’ve made a lot of Fairtrade firsts, but we’ve gone even further to help the women who supply our flowers. In 2022, we launched a two-year diversity and inclusion programme in Kenya with our flower supplier, Flamingo Horticulture, called Inua Dadaor ‘uplift women’ in Swahili. The programme aims to economically empower women and increase the confidence and visibility of female flower farm workers, both at the workplace and in the community. Almost 9,000 people received training as part of this programme.

We’re committed to supporting the women in the communities who grow produce and ingredients for our Fairtrade products. We’re a different kind of business and owned by our Co-op members, who help us to create a fairer world. As a Co-op Member, you have a say on how the business is run by voting on motions, attending Annual General Meetings and electing Member Directors or Council Members.

Find out more about our Fairtrade commitments and programmes here – coop.co.uk/our-suppliers/fairtrade

Find out how you can become a Co-op Member to make a difference in your community and beyond.