Policy brief on making the most of the social economy’s contribution to the circular economy

Abstract

The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the organisation or of the governments of its member countries or those of the European Union. This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. Note by Turkey:The information in this document with reference to 'Cyprus' relates to the southern part of the island. There is no single authority representing both Turkish and Greek Cypriot people on the island. Turkey recognises the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Until a lasting and equitable solution is found within the context of the United Nations, Turkey shall preserve its position concerning the 'Cyprus issue'.

Work integration ambitions of startups in the circular economy

“…Social enterprises have an institutional comparative advantage in addressing problems with positive externalities (Santos, 2012) and are used to deal with achieving multiple goals, combining financial sustainability and social purposes (Doherty et al, 2014). Therefore, the circular economy has been identified as a promising pathway for the further development of social enterprises (Kay et al, 2016;OECD & European Commission, 2022;Sacranie & Çetin, 2022;Willeghems & Bachus, 2018b). For WISEs in particular, the circular economy creates opportunities, since it is expected to positively affect employment for vulnerable groups (ILO, 2022;Willeghems & Bachus, 2018a), including activities such as sorting, maintenance, repair, manual disassembly (Bachus et al, 2015), remanufacturing, refurbishment, and reuse operations (Delanoeije & Bachus, 2020;Parker et al, 2015;Versluys et al, 2021).…”

“…Many of these jobs are believed to create training and working opportunities for vulnerable groups. With their experience in organizing local employment for target groups, the social economy in general, and Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) in particular, are believed to be a strategic partner to accelerate the transition towards a circular and inclusive economy (OECD & European Commission, 2022). This has been recognized in both the Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) and the Social Economy Action Plan (SEAP) of the European Commission (European Commission, 2020.…”

“…There exists an increasing number of studies estimating the job creation potential of the circular economy (Brusselaers et al, 2022;Delanoeije & Bachus, 2020;Dubois & Christis, 2014;European Commission, DG Environment, 2018;Geerken et al, 2019;Lahcen et al, 2022). Also, job opportunities for vulnerable target groups have been identified (OECD & European Commission, 2022;RREUSE, 2021;Willeghems & Bachus, 2018b), as well as business opportunities the circular economy may generate for WISEs (Banerjee & Anand, 2021;França et al, 2022;Schadenberg & Folmer, 2022). While most of these studies involve conceptual work, or qualitative research methods, some recent studies use survey data to investigate opportunities for WISEs in a circular economy (Halberstadt et al, 2021;Kurleto, 2019;RREUSE, 2022b).…”

From informal to formal jobs: The contribution of cooperatives in Colombia

“…High levels of informality also create challenges to the formal sector, through unfair competition, that can also weigh down on investment. Informality also discourages businesses growth, since informal businesses need to stay small to evade enforcement agencies (OECD, 2022 [1]; OECD et al, 2021 [3]; Ministry of Treasury and Public Credit, 2011 [4]). Informality also weakens the social protection system and labour rights, and can contribute to increasing underemployment and reducing decent working conditions.…”

“…2 In Colombia, the social economy is referred to as the "solidarity economy". 3 The framework law on the solidarity economy (Law 454 of 1998) defines solidarity organisations as "any legal entity that carries out non-profit activities, operates using participatory governance, and serves its members and community" (Ministry of Justice, 1998 [62]). The solidarity economy organisations can take a broad range of legal forms.…”