It was founded in 1844 as a retailing agency. The business has long established itself as an ethical retailer, and was the first major UK retailer to champion Fair-trade. The Co-operative has also pioneered a number of other initiatives, including providing nutritional information on own brand food, producing environmentally friendly household products and has won awards for raising animal welfare standards. It has invested significantly in community projects and renewable energy generation and has held the Fair Tax Mark since 2015.
