Assurance for sustainability leader

Two Tomorrows has provided independent assurance of The Co-operative Group’s influential and highly regarded sustainability report for three years running.

Our assurance for the world’s largest cooperative has been based on the AA1000 Assurance Standard (AA1000AS). It has involved extensive analysis of the accuracy and relevance of information in the report. In addition, we have used interviews with staff and a materiality review to determine the extent to which the right subjects are being reported. In our assurance statement, we have commented on how well the report adheres to the principles of AA1000AS.

During our most recent assurance work on The Co-operative Group’s 2008/09 sustainability report, we asked it to comment on its “indirect water use and the growing focus on primary agriculture”. The organisation had previously downgraded water as a strategic sustainability issue to 'less material'. Recognising the shift in stakeholder focus, it looked again at its Group-wide water accounting, concentrating initially on consumption at its offices and farms, but also exploring water issues in the supply chain.

On top of our assurance work, we have twice been asked by The Co-operative Group to carry out detailed benchmarking of its strategy, policies, management systems and performance and provide comparisons with other sustainability leaders.

The Co-operative Group 2008/09 sustainability report, including our assurance statement