CSR activities in consumer co-operatives: Exploring the case of Finnish S Group co-operatives based on board reporting

Research has often depicted consumer co-operatives as specifically socially responsible organizations that both can and should take CSR issues especially seriously. In this paper, we analyse the CSR activities of the regional co-operatives of the leading Finnish retailer S Group based on annual board reporting. In light of our findings, we argue that no consistently high level of CSR can be identified across the S Group and all its regional co-operatives. Therefore, we do not deem it feasible to conclude that consumer co-operatives are inherently socially responsible organizations merely due to their organization form. Instead, it seems that the fact that the members are in charge in a consumer co-operative and elect a board to oversee it serves to keep the responsibility in the hands of local residents, but at the same time, it also requires a genuine interest towards governance of the co-operative as well as CSR issues. In the absence of either, the level of responsibility is likely to depend on the interest management and board members show in these issues. The paper concludes with practical implications for the S Group and consumer co-operatives in general as well future avenues for research on CSR and consumer co-operatives.