Co-op News March 2023
The March edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue includes a special news report on the response by co-ops to the earthquake disasters in Syria and Turkey. And we look at US Black History Month, International Women's Day and the UK Fairtrade Fortnight - including our shopping guide for a range of fabulous Fairtrade gifts. Plus reports from the Future Co-ops and UKSCS conferences, as the movement looks to define its role in dealing with the multiple crises facing the world. And there are features on waste picker co-ops in South America, the circular economy in Quebec and and the UN's Sustainable Development agenda.
The March edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue includes a special news report on the response by co-ops to the earthquake disasters in Syria and Turkey. And we look at US Black History Month, International Women's Day and the UK Fairtrade Fortnight - including our shopping guide for a range of fabulous Fairtrade gifts. Plus reports from the Future Co-ops and UKSCS conferences, as the movement looks to define its role in dealing with the multiple crises facing the world. And there are features on waste picker co-ops in South America, the circular economy in Quebec and and the UN's Sustainable Development agenda.
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agricultural products as well as one co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
focused on waste reduction (helping restaurants<br />
and their clients to avoid plastic waste when<br />
ordering food).<br />
Other examples provided in the study include<br />
the solidarity co-<strong>op</strong>erative Centrale Agricole,<br />
which brings together urban agricultural<br />
producers (including several co-<strong>op</strong>eratives) to<br />
share material and immaterial resources on its<br />
site in Montréal. The research found that the<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>erative “actively fosters circular synergies<br />
between its members”. For example, the ‘waste’<br />
of a coffee roaster on its premises provides an<br />
input for the mushroom cultivation of another<br />
organisation on its site.<br />
Another case study mentioned in the research<br />
is Sollio <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative Group, which has been<br />
working to improve how its deals with organic<br />
‘waste’. Sollio formed a partnership with an<br />
enterprise specialising in insect farming, which<br />
produces proteins and flour from insects fed by<br />
recuperated organic waste. The initiative led to<br />
a 56% reduction of organic ‘waste’ sent to the<br />
landfill, and has reduced trucking trips, costs,<br />
and GHGs emissions.<br />
Another co-<strong>op</strong>erative featured as an example,<br />
Retournzy, offers a turnkey service for the rental,<br />
collection and washing of returnable containers<br />
for restaurants and lists circularity among its<br />
values: “we encourage a circular economy of<br />
sharing reusable containers as an alternative to<br />
single-use containers” it says.<br />
The study notes that a circular economy<br />
strategy and business model discussion among<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eratives, small and large, would be<br />
relevant and supported by the sixth co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
principle of co-<strong>op</strong>eration among co-<strong>op</strong>eratives.<br />
It also points out that a co-<strong>op</strong>erative might not<br />
use, or not even have heard of circular economy,<br />
but it may still implicitly advance the goals of a<br />
circular economy.<br />
“We interpret the mutualisation at the core<br />
of the co-<strong>op</strong>erative model as a deep, implicit<br />
support potential for circular economy,” reads<br />
the paper.<br />
Despite being prone to ad<strong>op</strong>t circular economy<br />
approaches due to their business model, co<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
remain constrained by policies that<br />
support the linear economy. “We argue that co<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
need to move towards explicit goals<br />
and strategies to ensure and sustain social and<br />
ecological ‘circular’ impact, and to avoid mission<br />
drift towards the linear model,” adds the paper.<br />
The study concludes that while “there is a<br />
structural link between the co-<strong>op</strong>erative model<br />
and circular economy, this is not a matter of<br />
either/or (circular/no circular).” The research<br />
also argues that co-<strong>op</strong>eratives need to move<br />
towards explicit goals and strategies to ensure<br />
and sustain social and ecological “circular”<br />
impact, and to avoid mission drift towards<br />
the linear model, in line with the seventh co<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
principle of co-<strong>op</strong>eration among co<strong>op</strong>eratives.<br />
In light of these findings, the paper suggests<br />
practical recommendations to advance a co<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
embedding of circular economy in the<br />
light of current needs: support for the integration<br />
and improvement of circularity strategies and<br />
associated socio-technical questions, support<br />
with business model devel<strong>op</strong>ment and finance,<br />
as well as promoting circular economy education<br />
and enabling peer exchange. Furthermore,<br />
argues the paper, because co-<strong>op</strong>eratives have<br />
greater longevity than private enterprises,<br />
advancing their circularity can be expected to<br />
have a more lasting effect.<br />
The study forms part of a larger project of<br />
creating a collection on circular economy and<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eratives which started in 2022. The online<br />
collection includes a toolbox section, which<br />
provides co-<strong>op</strong>eratives with tools to advance<br />
their circular strategies; a knowledge section,<br />
which provides access to research articles<br />
and policies, and an examples of circular<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eratives section, which showcases co<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
that are pursuing circular strategies.<br />
We interpret the<br />
mutualisation<br />
at the core of<br />
the co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
model as a deep,<br />
implicit support<br />
potential<br />
for circular<br />
economy<br />
p Circular Economy<br />
and <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives – An<br />
Exploratory Survey<br />
MARCH <strong>2023</strong> | 47