Social mobility

Skills and opportunities to thrive in Britain

Empowering member owners and their families to access what they need and thrive throughout the different stages of life.

A green career is in the bag thanks to Co-op Members

Compostable Carrier Bag - Sustainability & Future of Food Hero

Co-op Members have helped create a new fund, opening up green career opportunities for young people.

Funded from the sale of our compostable carrier bags, the Green Opportunities Fund is a £2.2 million grant program by the Co-op Foundation and Co-op to help young people across the UK enter green careers.

This includes skills that can be used in jobs that help us to live in a more sustainable way or jobs that challenge systems that are driving nature loss. So that means a green job could be anything from installing heat pumps to nature-friendly farming.

Learn more about the Green Opportunities Fund, and see the research that has shaped it, by reading the full report.

Read the full report

Bags of skills...

Using money from the sale of our compostable carrier bags, alongside funds from our charity, the Co-op Foundation, we’re supporting organisations across the UK that help young people aged 14-20 to consider green jobs as an exciting, varied and stable option for their future. Our Green Opportunities Fund is part of our climate justice campaign and is helping us create fair opportunities for young people.

to support young people...

Informed by research, the Co-op Foundation’s Gen Z(ero) report in 2023 found that young people are keen to learn more about the transition to a sustainable economy, including what green job opportunities there were for them. This, along with the green skills gap in the UK, inspired us to consider a new fund that supported young people into green skills and jobs.

from all backgrounds

More than £550,000 has been awarded to organisations that are encouraging underrepresented young people - including women, those with disabilities, and lower socioeconomic backgrounds - to develop green skills. These include teaching mechanical engineering skills to a nationwide digital media campaign showcasing diverse role models in green farming careers.

Supporting early childhood development in partnership with The Royal Foundation