Co-operatives are being invited to share their best practices on sustainability, as part of a project for the International Co-operative Alliance's Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade.
The ICA has teamed up with Sustainability Solutions Group to undertake a scan of current sustainability practices in co-operatives around the world. The scan is designed to act as the foundation for the implementation of the strategic area of sustainability in the Blueprint.
Sustainability Solutions, a worker co-op at the forefront of sustainability in Canada, is seeking to determine how co-operatives are sustainable by analysing a sample of the movement.
The Blueprint aims to position the co-operative model as the acknowledged leader in economic, social and environmental sustainability. To help achieve this vision, Sustainability Solutions will analyse samples of co-operatives from around the world in terms of what they communicate about their activities and whether that represents the principles of sustainability or not.
It will also assess the information available online through various co-operative websites. The second part of this process involves asking co-operatives to describe the sustainability projects they are working on, by contributing to www.sustainability.coop.
The scan will help to identify co-operatives, sectors and supportive bodies that have established sustainability targets or certification programmes. It is intended to reflect the diversity across various regions and sectors, creating a living database illustrating the global contribution of co-operatives to sustainability.
This dual approach was designed to enable all co-operatives, no matter their size, to contribute to the sustainability scan. The results of the scan will be presented at International Co-operative Alliance’s General Assembly and will be used to educate and inform on the practical aspects of co-operative business in the real economy.
• Co-operatives taking part in the scan can also get the chance to travel to Cape Town for the presentation. The winning entry will be chosen in a random draw. Entries can now be submitted at www.sustainability.coop.
