The environmentally friendly alternative

With the Oecoplan label, Coop offers a green alternative for almost every product in the household, garden and DIY. Oecoplan protects the environment – today and tomorrow

Ecological alternative to standard products

Promoting sustainable consumption has been part of Coop’s product range strategy for many years. Oecoplan was developed 30 years ago, originally with the aim of developing ecological packaging in addition to food and near-food products.

The original Oecoplan logo with the four rainbow colours also stood for the Coop ecological goals of that time: avoid – reduce – recycle – dispose. Over the years, Oecoplan’s profile was sharpened. From 1993 onwards, food from organic farming was marketed under Coop’s own brand Naturaplan and Oecoplan became the own brand for non-food and near-food products with ecological added value.

Today, over 2,500 products are in the range under the Oecoplan own sustainability brand. All products are based on external sustainability and eco-labels such as FSC, Blue Angel, EU Ecolabel and others. If necessary, Coop demands additional requirements that go beyond the underlying labels. Oecoplan products are always the ecological alternative to standard products on the market.

Oecoplan washing-up liquid – an ecological alternative to standard products on the market (© Coop)

First sustainability own brand in Swiss retail trade

Sustainability and thus developing sustainable solutions for its customers is deeply anchored at Coop. For example, Coop’s statutes state:

“The purpose of the cooperative includes the promotion of the economic and social interests of its members […]. Coop takes the necessary precautions to ensure its competitiveness and thus its long-term existence in a sustainable manner in accordance with market-economy, ecological and ethical principles.”

In 1989, exactly 30 years ago, Oecoplan was introduced as the first sustainability brand in the Swiss retail trade in order to offer customers an ecological alternative. The WWF also thinks this is a good thing and therefore recommends Oecoplan products.

The environmentally friendly non-food own brand Oecoplan is recommended by the WWF (© Coop)

Coop

In 1864, textile industrialist Jean Jenny-Ryffel founded the first Swiss consumer cooperative in Schwanden, Glarus, based on the seven principles of the “Honest Pioneers of Rochdale”.

Over the next few years, many other cooperatives were founded in Switzerland. In 1890, the Konsumverein Schwanden and other cooperatives joined together to form the Federation of Swiss Consumer Associations. They thus laid the foundation for today’s Coop. In 1969, the Federation of Swiss Consumer Associations was given a new name: Coop Switzerland.

Coop is convinced that only a company that operates sustainably can be successful. That is why sustainability has been an integral part of Coop’s business activities for decades. They, therefore, work on sustainable product innovations, on establishing and raising minimum standards in their standard product range, and on environmental protection in their production plants and sales outlets.

Nominated Solution: Label Oecoplan

Company: Coop Gruppe

Further information: www.coop.ch/oecoplan