Ethical Revolution<p><strong>Year of the Co-ops</strong></p><p class=""><a href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/year-of-the-co-ops/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">[Read on Ethical Revolution]</a></p><p>Did you know the UN has made 2025 ‘International year of co-operatives’?</p><p>Co-ops are democratically owned businesses or organisations, with the co-op’s members in control to meet their shared needs. The members may be customers, employees, residents or suppliers.</p><p>All co-ops the world over shares the same <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.uk.coop/what-co-op/co-op-values-and-principles" target="_blank">7 principles and 10 values</a>.</p><p>Around 40% of the UK’s 7000 co-ops are consumer owned – think credit unions, high street Co-op supermarkets and <a href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/the-co-operative-broadband/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Your Co-op</a>, while over 350 are worker owned e.g. <a href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/essential-affordable-wholefoods-more/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Essential</a> (Food & Household specialists), <a href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/footprint-workers-co-op/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Footprint Workers Co-op</a> (Riso printers), <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://gofreerange.com/" target="_blank">Go Free Range</a> (Software development revolutionaries: <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-url mention" href="https://ruby.social/@freerange" target="_blank">@freerange</a>), <a href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/suma/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Suma</a> (Food, household, toiletries), <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://veggies.org.uk/" target="_blank">Veggies</a> (Catering company: <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-url mention" href="https://social.coop/@Veggies" target="_blank">@Veggies</a>) and <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.workers.coop/" target="_blank">workers.coop</a> (Federation of worker-led cooperatives: <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-url mention" href="https://social.coop/@workers_coop" target="_blank">@workers_coop</a>). Others can be multi-stakeholder owned such as <a href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/webarchitects-co-operative/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Webarchitects</a> (Cloud hosting services). </p><p>Examples of international co-ops are <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://blog.cosocial.ca/" target="_blank">cosocial</a> (Non profit social media platform: <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-url mention" href="https://cosocial.ca/@coop" target="_blank">@coop</a> – Canada), <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://limeleaf.coop/" target="_blank">Limeleaf</a> (Software developers: <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-url mention" href="https://social.coop/@limeleaf" target="_blank">@limeleaf</a> – USA), <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://nubo.coop/" target="_blank">Nubo</a> (Ethical mail & cloud services: <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-url mention" href="https://hostux.social/@nubo_coop" target="_blank">@nubo_coop</a> – Belgium), <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://ouvaton.coop/" target="_blank">Ouvaton</a> (Hosting & software services: <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-url mention" href="https://mastodon.ouvaton.coop/@ouvaton" target="_blank">@ouvaton</a> – France) and <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://sociality.coop/" target="_blank">Society</a> (Digital technologies: <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="u-url mention" href="https://libretooth.gr/@sociality" target="_blank">@sociality</a> – Greece).</p><p>The Labour government did say in its pre-election manifesto that it would double the size of the co-op sector and mutual economy in the UK, but as with many manifesto pledges I wouldn’t hold your breath. </p><p><strong>The 10 official co-operative ‘values’ are: </strong></p><ol><li>Caring for others</li><li>Democracy</li><li>Equity</li><li>Equality</li><li>Honesty</li><li>Openness</li><li>Self help</li><li>Self responsibility</li><li>Solidarity</li><li>Social responsibility</li></ol> <p><a href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/year-of-the-co-ops/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">[Via Ethical Revolution]</a></p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/tag/coop/" target="_blank">#Coop</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/tag/cooperative/" target="_blank">#cooperative</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/tag/cooperatives/" target="_blank">#Cooperatives</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/tag/coops/" target="_blank">#coops</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/tag/democracy/" target="_blank">#democracy</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/tag/equality/" target="_blank">#equality</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/tag/honesty/" target="_blank">#honesty</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://ethicalrevolution.co.uk/tag/solidarity/" target="_blank">#solidarity</a></p>