Over the last decade, circular economy has become a go-to concept to translate sustainability demands into strategies for organizations. Co-operative values and principles align well with the idea of sharing resources, and focusing production and consumption on needs. Yet, the interface between co-operatives and circular economy remains insufficiently understood. This presentation shares preliminary results from an international partnership survey with co-operatives from 12 countries on business models, governance, use of technology and regional embeddedness. It explores the needs of new circular co-ops as well as established co-operatives, and how they along with co-operative ecosystem could support each other in the transition to just and sustainable economies.
Biography
Dr. Rafael Ziegler is a professor at HEC Montréal and a member of the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives’ Advisory Council. He is also the Director of the Alphonse-et-Dorimène-Desjardins International Institute of Cooperatives, an associate editor of the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities and the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, and member of the Réseau québécois de recherche en économie circulaire (Québécois Network for Research in Circular Economy – RQREC).
Region
Saskatchewan
Categories
Co-operatives, Renewable Energy, Social Economy
