How ethical is the Co-op supermarket?
Our research highlights several ethical issues with Co-op Group, including animal welfare issues at suppliers, and accusations of workers’ right violations.
Below we outline some of these issues. To see the full detailed stories, and the Co-op’s overall ethical rating, please sign in or subscribe.
Protests over Co-op animal welfare
Co-op has some positive policies in places when it comes to animal welfare.
For example, since 2008, the company has only sold own-brand and branded eggs that are organic or free-range eggs. It also prohibits the killing of calves that would often be considered 'surplus' to dairy production. On some farms, male cows are killed shortly after birth, because they cannot produce milk.
Co-op fell short, however, on many other areas. It did not appear, for example, to sell any beef under the higher animal welfare RSPCA Assured or organic certifications; and just a fraction of its chicken was sold under the RSPCA label.
Campaign groups have raised major concerns about animal welfare issues in Co-op’s supply chain.
In 2024, activists stormed the stage at the Co-op's annual general meeting to protest against the supermarket's use of ‘Frankenchickens’ – breeds that are modified to grow quickly, causing multiple health issues such as problems with their organs, difficulty walking, and severe skin burns and sores due to difficulties with mobility. A Co-op spokesperson told the BBC, “Animal welfare is extremely important to us and we ensure all the animals in our supply chain are looked after.” They added that the retailer continued to be "at the forefront of chicken welfare, which is where our member-owners, colleagues and customers expect us to be".
The same year the BBC published an investigation which found that “Millions of supermarket chickens show skin burns from living in their own waste.”
“‘Hock burn’ is caused by ammonia from excrement,” the investigation said. “A sign of poorer welfare on farms, it can be seen on a third of birds in some supermarkets, data shows. The BBC asked the 10 biggest UK chains about its presence on their shelves. Co-op and Aldi reported the highest rates but five refused to release data."
A spokesperson for Co-op said that "every effort" was made to minimise the occurrence of hock burn, also known as hock marking.
Strong approach to climate action
Co-op has taken meaningful steps to reduce its carbon emissions. For example, it has developed guidance for suppliers regarding carbon reduction, built climate change into its financial goals, and worked with meat and dairy suppliers on emissions reductions.
The company publicly reported all of its emissions, including those in its supply chain. And it had set targets to cut its climate impacts, which had been certified by the leading accreditor, the Science-Based Targets Initiative, as in line with vital international goals to limit global heating.
Co-op therefore scored well in Ethical Consumer’s climate rating overall.
Better palm oil sourcing
The mass production of palm oil has driven the destruction of rainforests and the displacement of indigenous communities around the world.
Co-op only sources palm oil that has been certified by the largest scheme the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). In 2022, more than half of its palm oil was sourced through the RSPO’s stronger programmes, which ensure that the palm oil used has been produced on compliant farms, rather than simply allowing companies to purchase credits that provide a small amount of financing to those farms.
The supermarket received a relatively good score in Ethical Consumer’s palm oil category.
Champions Fairtrade cocoa
Co-op has also taken a positive approach to the sourcing of cocoa – buying all its cocoa through Fairtrade International.
It stated on its website, "In 2017, we became the first supermarket to source all our cocoa for own brand production on Fairtrade terms. In 2000 we were the first UK supermarket to sell own brand Fairtrade chocolate."
Fairtrade guarantees a minimum price to farmers, making them less vulnerable to a volatile market. It also provides a ‘premium’ that communities choose how to spend, for example on social or environmental projects. In these ways, Fairtrade helps to tackle poverty, the root cause of issues such as child labour in the cocoa sector.
All of Co-op’s own-brand tea, coffee, sugar and bananas are Fairtrade too.
Workers’ rights violations in supply chains
Unfortunately, Co-op still has a way to go when it comes to other workers’ rights issues in its supply chains.
The company has a robust supply chain policy, outlining criteria that it expects suppliers to meet, such as no discrimination, safe working hours, and payment of a living wage. It has also published all of its immediate suppliers - a vital step to enable workers, unions, and campaign groups to hold it to account.
However, major concerns have been raised about the treatment of migrant workers in its supply chain.
In April 2023 Ethical Consumer published the report Produce of Exploitation, which found that workers in Spain supplying UK supermarkets with fresh produce faced endemic workers' rights abuses. Violations ranged from underpayment to forced labour. No UK supermarkets were found to have addressed the risks from the region.
In response, Co-op pointed to its workers’ rights policies, and stated: “Our suppliers are required to demonstrate compliance against these Codes and to provide evidence of active and continuous improvement in worker welfare.”
In December 2023, research organisation the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre published a report examining abuses of migrant workers rights. It found that the Co-op had been linked to three allegations of abuse over the past year. Co-op did not appear to have responded to the report.
Customer-owned co-operative
As the name suggests, Co-op Group is a co-operative organisation, meaning that it is owned by its customers. Customers get a say in how it is run, for example by voting at its annual general meeting and in its elections.
It therefore received positive marks under Ethical Consumer’s company ethos rating.
The text above was written July 2026, and most research was conducted in June 2024.
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