Cooperatives, social enterprises, purpose-driven jobs and the solidarity economy.
In a cooperative each member has one vote, whatever their share of the capital. You will find workers’ cooperatives such as the French SCOP here, along with social enterprises and the networks that support them.
Enercoop is a French network of cooperatives that supplies renewable electricity bought directly from independent producers of wind, hydro, solar and biomass power, rather than through certificates…
Alternative to electricity suppliers selling nuclear or fossil power with green certificates bought on the side
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Envie is a French network of work-integration companies that collect used household appliances, repair them and sell them again with a two-year warranty valid in all its shops. The first opened in…
Alternative to buying a new washing machine, fridge or cooker
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EWS Schönau is a German energy cooperative from a small town in the Black Forest that supplies green electricity, and gas with a share of biogas, across Germany. It grew out of a parents’ group…
Alternative to large energy companies and discount suppliers that relabel coal and nuclear power as green
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GLS Bank is a German cooperative bank, based in Bochum, that lends only to projects with a social or ecological purpose: renewable energy, organic farming and food, housing projects, schools and…
Alternative to large commercial banks that finance coal, arms and speculation, and free online banks with opaque investments
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La Nef is a French cooperative bank that lends only to projects with a social, ecological or cultural purpose, such as organic farms, renewable energy, shared housing and local shops, and publishes…
Alternative to the big French banks and their investments in fossil fuels
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CoopCycle is a federation of bike delivery cooperatives, mostly in France and Spain but also in Germany, the UK, Belgium, Italy, Mexico and Canada. Its members deliver meals from local restaurants…
Alternative to Uber Eats, Deliveroo and the other delivery platforms that take high commissions and pay riders poorly
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A cooperative supermarket belongs to its customers: each member buys shares, works a few hours a month in the shop and buys food there at lower margins than in ordinary supermarkets. Only members can…
Alternative to supermarket chains that set prices and margins for their shareholders
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Ethiquable is a French worker cooperative (Scop) from Fleurance, in the Gers, that sells organic fair trade food: chocolate, coffee, tea, juice, rice, sugar, spices and snacks, bought from…
Alternative to supermarket coffee, chocolate and juice from multinational brands
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The Coopérative Funéraire de Nantes is a funeral home run as a cooperative (SCIC), owned by its members, including families, which pays no dividends and offers funerals around Nantes, with sister…
Alternative to the funeral chains OGF and Funecap
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Terra Etica, long known as Café Michel, is a worker cooperative (SCOP) in Pessac near Bordeaux that roasts organic, fair-trade coffee and sells tea, chocolate and sugar bought from small farmers’…
Alternative to supermarket coffee brands such as Carte Noire, L’Or or Jacques Vabre
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Les Scop is the website of the Confédération générale des Scop et des Scic (CG Scop), the federation of French worker cooperatives (Scop) and multi-stakeholder cooperatives (Scic). In a Scop the…
Alternative to companies owned by distant shareholders, where employees have no say
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The Mietshäuser Syndikat is a German network of self-organised housing projects that buys buildings and takes them off the property market for good. It is an alternative to renting from investors and…
Alternative to renting from investors and real estate companies that resell for profit
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Mobicoop is a carpooling website and app that takes no commission and shows no advertising: passengers share the driver’s costs, paid online, and nothing is added on top.
Alternative to BlaBlaCar and other carpooling platforms that take a fee on every booking
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Food Made Good is the sustainability standard of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, a British organisation that rates restaurants, cafés and caterers on sourcing, society and environment and…
Alternative to restaurant guides that rate the food but not the sourcing
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Wimoov is a French non-profit network of mobility centres for people who struggle to get around, mostly people in social and professional integration: a personal mobility assessment, advice and…
Alternative to losing a job or training for lack of transport
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Imprim’Vert is a French environmental label for print shops, created in 1998, which nearly 2,000 production sites hold; it checks how they dispose of hazardous waste, store dangerous liquids, replace…
Alternative to print shops with no environmental commitment
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Working together, owning together
Energy and heating
Electronics and home appliances
Second-hand, swapping, lending and sharing
Banking, insurance and pensions
Restaurants and food delivery
Food and community farming
Shopping: online, marketplaces and local shops
Drinks: coffee, tea, wine and beer
Ageing, end of life and funerals
Housing, building and renovation
Renting and tenants’ rights
Mobility, cars and transport
Office, paper and printing