Tax avoidance
The Co-operative is widely recognised for its commitment to responsible and ethical trading, particularly for championing fairtrade in the UK. These commitments and its mutual structure led to The Co-operative Food being awarded "Ethical Consumer" magazine's 'Best Buy' status in 2011 and 2014. Following significant public outcry regarding the Tax avoidance of many well known multi-national companies the co-op was awarded the Fair Tax Mark in 2015, an independent certification designed to identify businesses which are not aggressively seeking to avoid paying taxes.