The Co-op has extended its £400m sustainability-linked credit facility by a further five years.
The society’s CFO Rachel Izzard said that support from its lender banks was a reflection of the strength of its balance sheet. In its most recent financial results, the Co-op reduced its net debt to £42m in the first half of this year. This represents a reduction of 95% since the end of the 2021 financial year.
Co-op said the extended revolving credit facility “provides a backstop liquidity source with access to additional funds should they be needed to support the group’s vision and growth strategy”. The six banks involved are National Westminster Bank, Barclays Bank, Handelsbanken, Lloyds Bank, ING Bank and Santander.
The fund links the cost of borrowing to a series of the Co-op’s major ESG commitments. These are its aim to have 79% of suppliers enrolled in its Science Based Targets initiative by 2030 as part of its net zero ambitions. It is also aiming to reduce almost 650 tonnes of food waste per year over the life of the sustainability-linked loan. It has also added a new target of aligning the proportion of women and ethnic minorities at management level with the UK population data as published by the Office for National Statistics.
“The successful extension of our credit facility out to 2029 underscores the improved financial position of our Co-op, the balance sheet strength we now have to fuel our sustainable profitable growth ambitions, and the collective confidence in our ongoing financial resilience,” said Izzard.
“As a Co-op we are here to create sustainable value for our more than six million active member-owners and the communities in which we operate and source from. It is wonderful, and true to our Co-op heritage and values, to be able to weave our social value commitments into our longer-term funding strategies. I would like to personally thank our partner banks for their shared commitment in supporting these important areas, which matter so much to our member-owners.”
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