Cooperatives

In 1995, the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) adopted the revised Statement on the Cooperative Identity. A cooperative is thus defined as

   "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise".

For its values and principles, see here.

It can be applied to all sectors of activity : trade, agriculture, alimentation, industry, crafts, transport, banking, education, housing, etc.

For whom?:

Usually, the members are the entrepreneurs. For example, farmers can belong to an agricultural cooperative. Worker cooperatives, as the SCOP in France, are the only cooperatives where the associate members are the employees, who have the majority of the capital. Some cooperatives have several stakeholders: the workers, but also the beneficiaries of the activity, public authorities, etc. (such as the SCIC, in France).