With a nearly all-female digital event on 29 March, Coop rewarded five virtuous and particularly inclusive businesses in the field of gender equality. A concrete gesture, embedded in the Close the gap – riduciamo le differenze campaign, which Coop has pursued with determination to promote inclusion policies through the involvement of businesses and consumers.

The initiative, which rewarded companies that have distinguished themselves as major employers of women, capable of activating welfare measures or assigning women key roles within their organisations, was also an opportunity to consolidate the "beyond business" bond that Coop has always had with its suppliers. The awards were symbolically presented by the company's top leadership: Marco Pedroni, president of Coop Italia and Ancc-Coop (associazione nazionale cooperative di consumatori), and Maura Latini, who on this very occasion announced a significant change to her job title. From now on she will no longer be amministratore but amministratrice delegata Coop Italia.

"Even the feminine form of a title carries great value," explained Maura Latini. "It's something I hadn't given importance to until now, but then I understood that the Italian language is not a limitation — it's rather the use we make of it that can become one. And so we must ensure that these limitations are overcome." A decision that is anything but merely formal, then, but one that sets a precise course and demonstrates how the ability to change one's mind and engage with the present day is an essential prerequisite for a country's cultural progress.

"Gender equality is everyone's goal" — minister Elena Bonetti also attends the event

Also guests at the Coop event were Professor Elena Bonetti, Minister for Equal Opportunities and the Family, and Luigi Bobba, president of the Global inclusion – articolo 3 committee, who acknowledged the value of the Close the gap initiative for giving "concrete form to the principles of inclusion within companies" and called on participants to harness the crisis as a moment to "unleash energies for change." A necessary renewal, also hoped for by Minister Bonetti, who underlined the precious role played by women during the pandemic and how it has instead led to a widening of the gap in the female unemployment rate: "Women have been the face of resilience and the wealth of our families and our country, and today they find themselves paying the highest price."

In this light, the minister expressed great interest in the Close the gap initiative as "capable of seizing the challenge that the whole country is called upon to seize, regarding women as levers for recovery." Now more than ever it becomes important to support all initiatives that "promote inclusive policies and the valorisation of women's experience, not only from the perspective of redressing an inequality, but to activate all the energies that women know how to and can bring." Not a matter of "women for women, but the issue of a citizenship lived fully, in response also to goal 5 of the 2030 agenda" ("Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls" — ed.).

During her address the minister also spoke about the recent approval of the Family act, the reform that will introduce from July the new single universal allowance for dependent children and that works towards "a new harmonisation of the world of work and family life." A necessary measure, but not sufficient to close the gap that today sees women often disadvantaged with regard to family care responsibilities and on issues of pay and career.

The companies and women rewarded by Coop

The awards presented alongside the Close the gap campaign covered a wide range of product sectors represented among Coop's suppliers, spanning from beekeeping to meat, from cosmetics to fresh fruit and vegetables, through to hosiery.

Collecting them virtually during the online event, moderated by Valentina Dolciotti, editor of the magazine Divercity, were Nicoletta Maffini, general director and commercial and marketing director of Conapi; Anna Marfisi, who co-owns Marfisi Carni with her sister; Patrizia Poggiali, head of Gala Cosmesi; Alessandra and Laura Orsini of the fresh produce company Orsini & Damiani; and Daniela Vignoni, who oversees commercial and marketing at VMC-Vignoni, socks and tights.

This initiative paves the way for the actual award that will form part of the Coop for future project and will be presented next year, following the establishment of a scientific committee and the announcement of the objectives to be achieved in March 2022.

Empowering women to bring greater value to society

Coop's commitment to improving people's lives in the name of wide-ranging social justice has deep roots. As explained by president Marco Pedroni: "Giving concrete form to the question of equality is part of Coop's history. The issue of gender equality became important in the post-war period, but awareness within the cooperative world arrived more recently. Today we consider them fundamental in order to be consistent with our history and because we are convinced that companies that value women create greater shared value. The working groups and organisations with greater equality are the ones that work best."

An awareness that Coop has decided to translate into concrete actions and transparent commitments through the Close the gap campaign, which begins above all with a self-analysis and a "pink census" drawn up by the company. "Thanks to our collaboration with Oxfam Italia and its president Sabrina Siniscalchi, we have activated a pink agenda," explained Maura Latini. "The situation we found is already very positive, but it can still be improved. Every year we will assess the aspect of female inclusion in order to plan the advances needed to surpass ourselves."

Marco Pedroni also underlined the commitment made for the coming years to reduce disparities. "At Coop, 70 per cent of workers are women, as are 40 per cent of store managers and 40 per cent of our board of directors. However, only 19 per cent of executives are women, and so on this we still have work to do."

Coop joins the Wep, the United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles

During the virtual event, Maura Latini officially announced Coop Italia's membership of the Wep (Women Empowerment Principles), the United Nations' women's empowerment principles. Membership of this network is open to companies that demonstrate a commitment to promoting equal treatment of men and women in the workplace, to women's entrepreneurial activities, and to recognising their role in human resources and respecting their dignity. Only 48 Italian companies appear on the Wep list, demonstrating how much ground still needs to be covered in our country, including in terms of awareness.

"We are very pleased to have received confirmation of our membership of Wep," commented the chief executive officer. "Equality and gender parity are principles that Coop instinctively strives for, but which now have an official status. At this time of change, it is important to come out into the open and also serve as an inspiration to others."

Coop supports the Stop tampon tax! petition

The event was also an opportunity to bring to Minister Bonetti's attention the petition Stop tampon tax! Il ciclo non è un lusso, conceived by the Onde Rosa collective and relaunched by Coop at the end of February. The initiative, which today is approaching 590,000 signatures, calls on the government to reduce VAT on sanitary products to 4 per cent (currently taxed at 22 per cent, in line with luxury goods), thereby classifying them as essential goods. To this end, Coop sought to involve and raise awareness among its own-brand product suppliers (a network of over 600 companies). "It is one of the actions that form part of our 2021 Agenda," explained Marco Pedroni during the meeting. "We at Coop are committed on the front line with our cooperatives and we have promoted an awareness campaign starting from a small but real inequality — the tampon tax itself — and today we want to find our suppliers by our side, as they are important allies for us in areas beyond purely business ones." A further concrete gesture that bears witness to Coop's commitment and passion for social justice issues and the dismantling of inequalities.