Authors: Raymond Saner Lichia Saner-Yiu

Publication date: 14 April 2026

Publication categories: Working papers

Tags: Cooperatives; Cooperative ESG; Governance; Boundary workers; Members versus externals; Platform support

Cooperatives are frequently presumed to align with sustainability due to their democratic governance and community focus, yet empirical evidence on their implementation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards remains fragmented. This article analyzes ESG practices across six cooperative sectors—agriculture, finance, housing, consumer/retail, utilities, and worker/platform cooperatives—using comparative document analysis, sectoral case studies, and emerging federation guidelines. We introduce the cooperative boundary of responsibility to examine how ESG and Decent Work obligations extend beyond member-owners to employees, contractors, seasonal laborers, and platform workers. Findings reveal that while cooperatives excel in democratic governance and community-oriented social metrics, ESG adoption varies significantly by sector. Performance weakens where labor relations diverge from membership structures, particularly in outsourced, seasonal, or digitally mediated work. Environmental reporting is inconsistent, with gaps in accountability for non-member workers. For example, agricultural cooperatives often lack robust environmental metrics, while platform cooperatives struggle to ensure fair wages and protections for gig workers.
By synthesizing cross-sector evidence, this study advances debates on cooperative governance by demonstrating how institutional design, labor models, and sectoral constraints shape ESG outcomes. It highlights the tension between cooperatives’ member-centric ethos and the broader sustainability expectations of global supply chains, regulatory frameworks, and consumer demands. The article concludes with actionable recommendations: (i) strengthening ESG capabilities through federation-led training and capacity-building initiatives; (ii) standardizing reporting frameworks to address sectoral disparities and improve transparency, and (iii) reconciling cooperative identity with global sustainability expectations, particularly for non-member labor. The analysis underscores the need for policy and managerial interventions to close responsibility gaps and uphold ESG commitments across cooperative ecosystems. By addressing these challenges, cooperatives can better align their operations with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reinforce their role as drivers of inclusive, sustainable development.

Principles and values associated with the SSE played an important role in the early production and use of ICT. What began with the ‘free software movement’ which promoted the development of operating systems and applications for computers, servers and smartphones based on collaboration, openness, and control by users, has grown into a variety of organizations that offer products and services. At the same time, the ICT industry has consolidated and is now dominated by a few large ICT companies of commercial private sector orientation. This book chapter narrates the emergence of ICT and its impact on the economy and describes the role of SSE organisations (SSEOs) in developing and producing ICT. It further discusses how SSE organizations respond to trends associated with ICT by using and operating technologies in line with their principles and values. The book chapter closes with an examination of the challenges and opportunities of SSEOs in the face of recent ICT-related trends.

Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on “Social Development: Recover better from the Covid 19 Pandemic”
Joint workshop by UNDESA and ICA, June 2021, Presentation by Raymond Saner titled: Cooperatives for Economic and Social Development

 Article

Raymond Saner, Lichia Yiu & Melanie Nguyen (2019) PLATFORM COOPERATIVES:

THE SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY AND THE FUTURE OF WORK: A Preliminary Assessment of Platform Capitalism and Platform Cooperativism and their Effects on Workers’ Satisfaction

Paper and Presentation given during the UNTFSSE Conference: “Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: What Role for Social and Solidarity Economy?”, held on 25-26 June 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland.

This paper focuses on the options that are available for older persons and their respective society to rethink housing and urban planning to better fit the needs and aspirations of older people. In addition, the paper also addresses the psycho-social challenges that older people and their environment face as they advance with age and need to cope with losses such as finding new ways to make friends and acquaintances to avoid isolation and unhappiness.

The Sinergie - Sima XXIX Annual Conference was held at the University of Napoli Federico II in Italy on 15-16 June 2017. The theme of the annual conference was Value co-creation: management challenges for business and society. The CSEND team made a presentation and wrote a paper that focused on the developmental challenges of cooperatives.

Sinergie-SIMA 2017 Conference “Value co-creation: management challenges for business and society”

University of Naples Federico II, 15-16 June 2017 – Italy

Cooperative enterprises are major players in the global economy. They range from small grassroots initiatives to multibillion dollar businesses and operate in all sectors of the economy. The panel will start with a theoretical presentation of the links between cooperatives and trade. The panel will subsequently turn to practical experiences, and build on cooperative-to-cooperative trade and how it can make value chains shorter, fairer and more efficient and competitive. The seven internationally agreed cooperative principles guide the work of cooperatives around the world. The principle, “Cooperation among Cooperatives”, is the principle most related to the trade, South-South and Global Value Chain perspectives. In the practical part, the case of “China Coop” on promoting cooperative-to-cooperative trade in Asia through different platforms will be presented. The agricultural and consumer cooperative experiences from Italy will be presented to showcase engagement in ethical trade practices using cooperative principles and highlighting the advantages of agricultural and consumer cooperatives working together across the value chain from a perspective of fairness and competitiveness. After the presentations, there will be a round table discussion followed by questions from the floor.

This rubric contains policy briefs which focus on trade, development, aid effectiveness, climate change, FDI as well as other themes covered by the mandate of CSEND and its related branches and organizations.