Co-op Wholesale has reaffirmed its commitment to delivering long-term social value across its operations - from helping build stronger communities and creating better access to opportunity, to staying the course on climate action.
The move supports the group’s new social value strategy, developed in direct response to views from more than 37,000 Co-op members, which revealed deep concerns about inequality, division and opportunity across the UK.
As a business owned by its members, Co-op has pledged to double down on the issues they care about most - sustainability, social mobility and community cohesion.
For Co-op Wholesale, this means “putting social value at the heart of how it works with retailers and partners, with a clear focus on collaboration, accountability, and impact,” it says.
Through the long-standing charity Making a Difference Locally (MADL), the wholesale business already helps independent retailers fund thousands of local causes each year – from family support charities to youth mentoring and climate-focused groups.
Kate Carroll, social value lead at Co-op Wholesale, said: “Social value isn’t a side project - it’s a fundamental part of who we are. Whether we’re funding books for pupils who might not have access at home, or supporting grassroots climate resilience projects, we’re helping our partners become local champions for opportunity and fairness.”
In the last year alone, MADL has donated over £1m to community causes across the UK. These include Fenland Baby Bank, which received £5,000 to create a safe and warm hub for local families in one of the UK’s most deprived areas, Stelling Minnis Church of England Primary School, which received £300 to buy quality reading books, Polden Environmental Network, which secured £2,000 to enhance local green spaces and Hand in Hand, a smaller charity supporting vulnerable members of the Jewish community.
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