MAKE A PLEDGE AND HELP TRANSFORM LIVES

The Heart of England Co-operative Society is launching an online pledge form to encourage customers to help transform lives in Africa.

The pledge form, available to sign at www.co-operative.co.uk/water from Monday 21 April 2008, allows customers to make a promise to always choose ethical mineral water over standard mineral water when shopping at Heart of England Co-operative Society branches in Coventry, Warwickshire and south Leicestershire.

In late 2007, the retailer launched an own-label ethical mineral water - The Co-operative Fairbourne Springs - which was the first of its kind in the UK.

One billion people in the world don’t have access to clean water, and two million people die every year from water-related diseases. Just £7,800 funds the installation of a PlayPump® water pumping system in Africa, ensuring people get free, readily available, clean water.

Every time a customer buys a bottle or multi-pack of The Co-operative Fairbourne Springs Mineral Water from the Heart of England Co-operative, the Society automatically makes a donation to the One Foundation, the charitable division of One Water, to fund these unique PlayPump® water systems. The Society also stocks the One Water brand, all profits of which go towards funding PlayPump® systems. 

The innovative PlayPump® water pumping systems are powered by roundabouts, which children play on and pump water up to a storage tank for use by the whole community. 

Since the launch of the Fairbourne Springs ethical water in September, The Heart of England Co-operative Society has already helped raise funds towards a massive £200,000 for the One Foundation, enough to fund 26 PlayPump® water systems, meaning Society customers have helped towards improving the lives of over 60,000 people. The Heart of England Co-operative Society hopes the online campaign and Water Pledge will help it to deliver fresh clean water to one million people in Africa by the end of 2009 from sales of the water.                         

As well as the pledge form, the new website also includes case studies, background information and even a viral game, “Play Pump”, inspired by the PlayPump® water system. It also has a send-to-a-friend function encouraging pledgers to invite their friends to join the initiative. To sign the pledge people should visit www.co-operative.co.uk/water or visit the Facebook Fan Page and follow the links.

Pledges can also be made free of charge by text by texting ‘Water’ with first name and surname to 82088.

George Flower, General Manager of the Food  Division at the Heart of England Co-operative Society, said: “We are hoping that by signing the pledge form, customers will be encouraged to stop and think whenever they are buying mineral water. We want them to make informed choices based on the information that the new website will provide.

“The Co-operative national sells approximately 850,000 bottles of mineral water a week. If just half of the Co-op’s mineral water customers bought either Fairbourne Springs or One Water instead of their usual brand, we could help to transform the lives of thousands upon thousands more people in Africa, providing them with clean water, something that people in this country take for granted every day of their lives.”

The pledge campaign reflects the results of a recent six-month consultation programme with members and customers on the development of a food ethical policy.

Thousands of Co-op members responded to the poll to guide its responsible retailing strategy. As well as providing an overwhelming mandate for its existing ethical policies, members also strongly signalled their future priorities for action. More than one in four members cited ethical trading as their priority.