Japan is facing a fast shrinking and aging population. The power of community is weakening. Disparities and poverty are increasingly serious. Consumer co-ops are making efforts to solve the challenges in their communities by working with local governments and organizations.
Also, major natural disasters have occurred in the last 10 years in various parts of Japan, including the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Consumer co-ops have been working on reconstruction activities together with co-op members and the communities, by making use of their disaster response experience. On this featured page, we introduce leading cases by JCCU and its member co-ops addressing social issues in line with the seven actions declared on "Co-op Action Plan for SDGs".
It is a statement adopted by JCCU and its member co-ops at the 68th Annual General Assembly in 2018 to affirm their commitment to play major roles in achieving the SDGs.
We will participate in creating a society where everyone can live with a sense of security.
Consumer co-ops provide various shopping supports to members with shopping difficulties.
LaLa Co-op promotes home delivery business in remote islands in Nagasaki Pref. In October 2015, it extended its business area to cover a town in the northern part of Goto Islands. Since the beginning of this service until 2019, it delivers products to 900 members in the town every week.
Kyoto Co-op works on shopping support for elderly people and people with dementia in cooperation with Kyoto City since 2016. Volunteers help them shopping in the co-op’s stores. Also, priority checkout counters for elderlies are introduced at its Ujishinmei store responding to requests from aged members. At the counters, you can take time to make a payment at your own pace.
32 consumer co-ops run a total of 197 mobile stores in Japan for people with shopping difficulties.
Nara Co-op started its 4th mobile store truck in January 2019. Their mobile store trucks stop at 168 places in Nara as of March 2019.
Since 2012, Japan CO-OP Insurance Consumers' Co-operative Federation (JCIF) has supported community-building activities by consumer co-ops in cooperation with the local communities with subsidies. In 2018, they granted a total of 21.2 million JPY to 44 organizations.
From March 13 to 17 2019, 2019 World Para Nordic Skiing World Cup Sapporo was held in Sapporo City, Hokkaido.
In 2014, Palsystem Tokyo opened a new type of nursery school. It is established together with a care service facility for the elderly. Nursery school children and users of the facility enjoy exchanges over generations through daily activities and events. In 2018 a second one was opened.
As of June 2018, 48 consumer co-ops operate meal delivery service and a total of 144 thousand meals a day are delivered all over Japan.
In June 2018, Okayama Co-op launched meal delivery service for the elderly living alone in a mountainous area of Mimasaka City. It is a part of “Independence Support Project on Diet” initiated by the City. It also serves as a watch over activity.
35 consumer co-ops operate funeral service. Some have their own funeral halls and others provide services in partnership with local companies and organizations. They aim to provide one-stop service to respond to members’ requests, e.g., cemetery, inheritance support and belongings sorting, pre-departure cleaning, and end-of-life seminar.
Co-op Toyama together with 9 other organizations operates “Community Watch-over Promotion Committee” commissioned by Toyama Pref. In 2018, they held 26 study sessions on various themes such as ethical consumption, consumer trouble, food waste, etc.
We will continue to review and improve our products and lifestyle for a sustainable production and consumption.
JCCU on April 1, 2017 launched a new sub-brand "Kirakira Step" for infants between 5 months to 3 years old. This initiative is carried out to support child-rearing families.
On April 1, 2019, JCCU released a new series of CO・OP Brand Products "CO·OP SMILE DISH" that respond to food allergy.
JCCU and its member co-ops promote ethical consumption by co-op members and consumers in Japan.
In 2019, JCCU launches "Healthy Co-op", a new initiative to support health improvement through health supporting products and providing recipes which are suitable for each life stage.
JCCU is promoting environmental initiatives from four perspectives on plastic packaging materials used in CO・OP Brand Products: "Reduce (reduce usage)", "Reuse (repeated use)", "Recycle (recycling and regeneration)" and "Biomass (the use of plant-based materials)".
JCCU has been conducting "Survey of radioactive substance in home meals" for 8 years since FY2011 and on March 6, 2019 the results for fiscal 2018 was released.
In October 2018, Co-op Kobe conducted a food waste reduction campaign in 34 stores asking consumers to purchase products that have expiration date closely approaching. The co-op also contributes to local food banks.
From 2016 JCCU and its member co-ops together operate Inquiry and Complaint Management System that shares information to help detect risks and prevent accidents. In 2018 they also held an emergency drill on the assumption that they got a product accident. 46 people from 12 consumer co-ops participated in the drill.
Palsystem Consumers’ Co-operative Union has promoted animal welfare long before the idea spread in Japan. It does not impose existing European standards on livestock farmers in Japan but ensures the best environment for the animals by discussing and studying the animals' conditions with the farmers.
We will expand health promotion and promote welfare services and mutual help.
In March 2019, Co-op Mirai opened a small-scale multifunctional in-home nursing care facility “Co-op Yume Mirai Kitamoto” in Saitama Pref. Users are provided with 24-hour, 365-day support while living in their own homes.
Japanese Health and Welfare Co-operative Federation (HeW CO-OP JAPAN), which is affiliated to JCCU, promotes law salt activity “Sukoshio” which means “healthy life with law salt”. As part of encouraging its member co-ops’ activities, it holds recipe contests for individual members yearly. It also published a recipe book co-authoring with Kagawa Nutrition University.
In 2016, Co-op Shiga started farming experience program in cooperation with JA (agricultural co-op) in Shiga Pref. Participants can exchange directly with producers and deepen their understanding of local agriculture and environment. There is a specialized course for members who want to learn more about agriculture.
On May 22, 2018, JCCU announced the full-scale introduction of the "10 Basic Care by Co-op", which is the basic guidelines for nursing care and welfare businesses by consumer co-ops nationwide.
We will eliminate poverty and hunger from the world and promote support for children.
Responding to ICA’s call, consumer co-ops have been working on fundraising activities for UNICEF since 1979, the International Year of the Child. The contribution in 2018 was 289.8 million JPY and the amount of money contributed since 1983 reached about 9 billion JPY.
Since June 2017, a group organized by Co-op Kobe’s members has been providing free supper for children of junior high school age or younger once a week in cooperation with an NPO. They also accept elderlies living alone. The free supper program also functions as a chance of exchange over generations. Co-op Kobe funds the activity partially and provides hygiene instruction.
Miyagi Co-op has been operating a temporary childcare system “Mommy Staff” for more than 20 years. Members, who have completed lectures by the co-op, babysit children while their parents participate in member activities or seminars. The aim is to ease loneliness of mothers who have small children and to let them participate in society. In 2018, 143 members were registered as “Mommy Staff”.
Consumer co-ops offer their meeting rooms to co-op members and residents holding activities such as Parenting Circles. In December 2011, Osaka Palcoop started “Kosodate Hiroba (salon for babies, small children, and their parents)” on a regular basis. It is run by its members, open twice a week, and can be used without prior application. In addition to preschoolers and their parents, pregnant women are also welcome.
JCCU and its member Co-ops in cooperation with the Japan Association for the World Food Program (JAWFP) launched the “CO•OP × Red Cup Campaign” from October 1 to November 20, 2018 to raise funds to support the “School Meal Program” in the Kingdom of Cambodia.
JCCU and its member Co-ops in cooperation with the Japan Committee for UNICEF had launched a UNICEF donation campaign under the theme “CO·OP Core Non Smile School Project” to raise funds to help improve the education environment for the school children in the Republic of Angola since 2010.
We aim to achieve social equity and improve social infrastructure by developing and distributing fairtrade products and ethical products and educating consumers.
"Children's Future Action" is an initiative launched by JCCU's "Study Group on Poverty of Children" in FY 2016, aiming at capturing the social problems of children including poverty, through learning sessions and deepening understanding to broaden the circle of sympathy for children issues.
Food drive activity is spreading nationwide as one of consumer co-ops' activities.
U CO-OP first launched "traffic safety classes" for the local kindergartens and nursery schools in fiscal 2011. Based on the experience gained the co-op has since expanded the program to elementary and junior high school students, elderly people, people with disabilities, and now the program has become diversified.
We will promote activities to eliminate nuclear weapons and to achieve the world peace.
This is the 74th year since the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Every August, co-ops across Japan hold various peace-related events such as peace parades and lectures. These are collectively called “Peace Action”.
From March 27 to 29, 2019 JCCU and Okinawa Consumers’ Co-operative Union co-organized the 36th Okinawa old battlefield / American Military base tour for co-op members. 220 members from 33 consumer co-ops participated.
In April 2016, the survivors, known as Hibakusha, launched a signature campaign to call for an international treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons.
We will spread the use of renewable energy and promote Global Warming Countermeasures.
In 2017, JCCU called on consumer co-ops with the goal of producing 450 million kWh of renewable energy annually in 2030 and 1 billion in 2050.
Consumer co-ops work on the reduction of CO2 emissions from their business operations. The 2020 goal is to reduce CO2 emissions by 15% compared to FY2005.
We will promote gender equality and create an inclusive society.
JCCU works on Co-op Human Resources Connection. This is an initiative to promote employment through referrals among consumer co-ops for those who quit their co-ops due to moving out and seeking for a job in the new place. This initiative also secures human resources of co-ops across the nation. 53 co-ops and one related organization participate in this initiative as of the end of March 2019.
JCCU holds exchange events for women staff in co-ops nationwide. In 2018, JCCU held an Exchange Event for Women Leaders and 68 leaders from 36 co-ops attended the event. Following the seminar by a female executive of another company and assertive communication training, the participants shared their worries and challenges.
