Increased use of green energy and millions of pounds to good causes and community projects are among the highlights of the Co-operative Group's Corporate Responsibility Report 2003.

The report details the Group's achievements during the year, as well as highlighting areas it will focus on in the future. It is the first such report to include details of all the Group's businesses - including retail, financial services, pharmacy, farming, travel agents and funeral directors.

The report is available at:
http://www.co-op.co.uk/corporate_pdfs/pdfs/corporate_responsibility_03.pdf

Highlights include:

• 13 per cent of overall electricity requirements were transferred to green sources, making the Co-operative Group one of the largest users of renewable energy in Europe
• The Co-operative Group said "no" to the commercial growing of Genetically Modified (GM) crops in the UK, on the strength of current scientific knowledge and the opposition of its members
• Contributions to the community, as defined by LBG, were £8.1 million ($14.9million), equivalent to 2.5 per cent of operating profit
• A head of diversity has been appointed to spearhead improvement in the Co-operative Group's approach to managing diversity
• As a leading supporter of ethical trading, the Group will develop a business-wide approach to sustainable purchasing, looking to screen suppliers on social and environmental issues.