These tariffs, which include duties of up to 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum, have triggered cost increases across multiple industries. Cooperatives—especially those in agriculture, manufacturing, and retail—are among the hardest hit, as they typically operate with minimal margins and rely on international supply chains to remain viable and competitive.
“The public thinks that people who work in the informal economy are lazy people who get social benefits. It is not the case, we all work. EcoPop was created to raise awareness of all the work the different sector of the popular economy does,”
The Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) is a multi-stakeholder partnership of global public and private institutions that champions and supports people-centred and self-sustaining cooperative enterprises as leaders in sustainable development.
The Business Support for Co‑ops programme, a partnership between Co-operatives UK and the Co-op Bank, has given direct support to 500 co-ops in nine years, a report reveals.
African Union (AU) member states have unanimously adopted a 10-year strategy on the social and solidarity economy (SSE), to increase its identity, visibility, and recognition.