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International Day of Cooperatives

On Saturday, July 2, 2022, food co-ops will join cooperatives worldwide in celebrating the 100^th International Day of Cooperatives (#CoopsDay).

Cooperatives – including food co-ops – are member-owned businesses that operate for the benefit of their members according to common principles agreed upon by the international cooperative community.

Marked by cooperatives worldwide since 1923 and officially proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on the centenary of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) in 1995, the International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated annually on the first Saturday of July.

Each year, organizers of #CoopsDay aim to increase awareness of cooperatives and promote the movement's ideas of international solidarity, economic efficiency, equality and world peace. Since 1995, the ICA and the United Nations have jointly set the theme for the celebration of #CoopsDay. This year’s theme is “Cooperatives Build a Better World,” a call back to a similar theme from 2012 when the UN also declared 2012 “The International Year of Cooperatives.”

“For our co-op and co-ops worldwide, one of our seven cooperative principles is ‘concern for the community’,” said C.E. Pugh, president and CEO of National Co+op Grocers. “When you consider there are more than 3 million cooperatives worldwide, the collective positive impact on their communities is tremendous. We’re proud to be a part of this global movement to truly build a better world.”

In terms of impact, National Co+op Grocers earlier this year released its 2021 Food Co-op Impact Report, tracking community-owned grocers’ impacts on local food systems, its employees and customers.

Among the findings from NCG’s 148 member co-ops:

Co-ops on average purchase from 178 local farmers, and local foods make up 26% of total store sales.
Certified B Corps make up 9% of co-op sales, compared to 2% at conventional grocers.
Fair-trade certified products are 5% compared to 0.5%, respectively.
Organic products make up 40% of co-op sales.

To learn more about the International Day of Cooperatives, visit: www.coopsday.coop.