The paper analyses cooperative work for sustainable development as a tool for
a just and inclusive Green Transition, deepening the relevance of the Seventh Principle
of the Statement on the Cooperative Identity adopted by the ICA in 1995, according
to which cooperatives, through policies approved by members, work for the sustainable
development of the community. This principle is realized in the Italian system
if we consider the participatory, inclusive and democratic governance adopted by the
cooperative model and directly involving the member (also) worker. In this regard,
community or public benefit cooperatives, which aim to pursue the general interest,
fully realize this principle, because they contribute to the sustainable development of
the community in which they operate thanks to the work of the members-workers,
allowing the realization of a fair and inclusive Green Transition. Cooperatives therefore
play a fundamental role both internationally and nationally for the economic, social
and environmental sustainability of the country. In this regard, the cooperative model
is opposed to the profit enterprise, because it considers as priority the needs of the
person and the community.
