32 Cooperative Models

From Community Solar Bonds to Fashion Coops

— February 9, 2013 — Social Good
The cooperative models featured here on this Social Business top list range from actual worker coops themselves to businesses that partner with cooperative groups in order to fulfill their social mission.

According to the International Co-operative Alliance, "Co-operatives are businesses owned and run by and for their members. Whether the members are the customers, employees or residents they have an equal say in what the business does and a share in the profits...As businesses driven by values not just profit, co-operatives share internationally agreed principles and act together to build a better world through co-operation."

While many models could be considered coops, what makes them social businesses is the extent to which they act according to the values that they share, that is, in many of the cases of these cooperative models, the triple bottom line.
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32
Culpable Communicators
Culpable Communicators
The Antidote Collective Gives the PR Industry a Conscience
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31
Acupuncture Cooperatives
Acupuncture Cooperatives
POCA Aims to Provide Affordable and High Quality Treatment
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30
Social Communication Cooperatives
Social Communication Cooperatives
The Phone Co-op Upholds Strict Self-Imposed Ethical Guidelines
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29
Arts and Crafts Community Enterprises
Arts and Crafts Community Enterprises
Menter Fachwen Works with People with a Disability
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28
Ethically Traded Java Beans
Ethically Traded Java Beans
Growers First Coffee Buys Directly From Farming Cooperatives
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27
Carbon-Free Coffee Roasters
Carbon-Free Coffee Roasters
Grounds for Change Offers a Fair Trade, Organic & Shade-Grown Brew
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26
Italian Communal Housing Models
Italian Communal Housing Models
Cooperativa Sociale DESY is an Inclusive Social Enterprise
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25
Car Rental Cooperatives
Car Rental Cooperatives
Moorcar is a Social Enterprise Fostering Community Initiatives
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24
Dairy Farming e-Businesses
Dairy Farming e-Businesses
Akashganga Creates Technologies for Cooperatives in India
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23
Agricultural Data Collectors
Agricultural Data Collectors
Acopio Does Necessary Work for Coffee Producers in Latin America
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22
Ethical Sourcing Enablers
Ethical Sourcing Enablers
The Collaborative Group is a New Social Enterprise Out of Chicago
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21
Community Solar Bonds
Community Solar Bonds
SolarShare Co-op Offers Impact Investors Triple Bottom Line Benefits
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20
Sustainable Society Cooperatives
Sustainable Society Cooperatives
The Zebra Collective is a Social Enterprise Supporting Workers
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19
Ethical Sewing Workshops
Ethical Sewing Workshops
Afesip Fair Fashion Creates Design and Clothing Products in Cambodia
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18
Coffee Connection Sites
Coffee Connection Sites
Coffee CSA Lets You Connect with and Buy from Java Farmers Worldwide
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17
Worker-Owned Web Design
Worker-Owned Web Design
CoLab Coop Works Collaboratively for Social Enterprises
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16
Job-Creating Cleansers
Job-Creating Cleansers
Co-Soap is a Worker Cooperative Using Cosmetics for Good
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15
Vegan Fair Trade Ventures
Vegan Fair Trade Ventures
Autonomie Project is Fashion That Doesn't Hurt the Wallet or the Planet
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14
Eco-Chic Nature Gear
Eco-Chic Nature Gear
Tuita Sells Products from Cooperatives and Socially Responsible Brands
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13
Ethical Anti-Poverty Initiatives
Ethical Anti-Poverty Initiatives
Partners for Just Trade is a Faith-Based Not-For-Profit
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12
Anti-Sweatshop Apparel
Anti-Sweatshop Apparel
The 'Autonomie Project' Offers Competitively Priced and Fashionable Clothes
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11
Fair Trade African Soda
Fair Trade African Soda
Ubuntu Cola is a First for the United Kingdom
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10
Block-Printed Artisan Clothing
Block-Printed Artisan Clothing
Mata Traders Fuses Style and Ethics with Fair Trade Cooperatives
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9
Opportunity-Generating Accessories
Opportunity-Generating Accessories
'Hands Up Not Handouts' Uses Business for Positive Change
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8
Ecotourism Development Cooperatives
Ecotourism Development Cooperatives
Travel for Change Melds Community-Based Initiatives and Tours
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7
Fair Trade Shea Butter
Fair Trade Shea Butter
Delapointe's Products are Made by Women in Burkina Faso
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6
Ethical Quinoa Vodka
Ethical Quinoa Vodka
FAIR. is the World's First Fair Trade Certified Spirits Brand
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5
Co-Op Cacoa
Co-Op Cacoa
Kallari Chocolate Bars Support 850 Families and the Rainforest
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4
Award-Winning Altruistic Fashion
Award-Winning Altruistic Fashion
Afia is a Chic Women's Clothing Line Sourced and Sewn in Ghana
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3
Edgy Fashion Co-Ops
Edgy Fashion Co-Ops
Fair Trade 'Of Rags' Combines NYC Style with Ghanaian Fashion
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2
Cosmetic Cooperatives
Cosmetic Cooperatives
Arghand Sources Soap and Skincare Materials from Kandahar, Afghanistan
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1
Fashionable Fair Trade Apparel (UPDATE)
Fashionable Fair Trade Apparel (UPDATE)
Indego Africa Gives Artisans a Protected Place to Create
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