The company, which is the sole supplier for the group's cheque and credit books, will produce 1m of the books each year, using 59 tonnes of FSC material.

Communisis has already introduced FSC material for other work it has taken on with The Cooperative over its 10-year relationship but said that chequebook stock had only recently become available.

Sarah Reid, supplier management at The Cooperative, said: "Communisis has successfully re-engineered our supply chain process to make chequebook production more sustainable, which fits perfectly with our environmental credentials, and we’re delighted to make this positive change."