In this blog post series, Tabea Dick sheds light on the vital role of cooperatives. Tabea is interested in the cooperative movement; specifically, she studies the internal gendered power relations within energy and housing cooperatives in Amsterdam. In this blog series titles ‘Cooperatives in the Spotlight,’ she explores the importance of cooperatives, exhibits well-established cooperatives around the world, and presents her own research findings. In this second blog, she puts three cooperatives in the spotlight: Mondragon, Up&Go, and SEWA.
Through our work at Commons Network, we show how community-led initiatives – including cooperatives – can reclaim local economies and redistribute power. These are not simply abstract, utopian ideas; they are concrete practices rooted in solidarity, reciprocity, and collective care.
With 2025 being the International Year of Cooperatives, we put special attention to such initiatives – as these show that another economy is not only possible, but already happening.
Below, we highlight three cooperatives around the world that operate in diverse domains:
1. Mondragon Cooperative Corporation (Spain) – Industrial Democracy at Scale
In the Basque Country of northern Spain, Mondragon Corporation stands as one of the most enduring and successful examples of worker ownership. Founded in 1956 by a visionary priest and a group of engineering students, Mondragon has grown into a federation of over 80 cooperatives employing more than 70,000 people.
What sets Mondragon apart is its integration of democratic governance, social solidarity, and economic efficiency. Each worker-member has a vote in key decisions and receives a share of the profits. Profits are not abstracted from external shareholders, but reinvested into education, research, and local development.
Mondragon runs its own cooperative university, research centers, and even a social welfare system. Its resilience during economic crises has made it a model of sustainable, community-rooted development.
Overall, Mondragon proves that scale and democracy are not incompatible. It challenges the myth that cooperatives can’t compete globally while staying true to human-centered values.
2. Up & Go (USA) – Platform Cooperativism in Action
In New York City (and other cities globally), a new kind of cooperative is emerging – the platform cooperative. Up & Go is a cleaning service owned and operated by the people who do the work, many of whom are immigrants and people of color. It offers an ethical alternative to exploitative gig platforms.
The platform itself – used for booking and managing services – is co-owned by its users, with decisions made collectively and profits distributed equitably. Up & Go also uses open-source tools and collaborates with other platform co-ops globally to share knowledge and infrastructure.
By controlling the technology and the terms of their labor, the members of Up & Go are reclaiming digital space and ensuring dignity, transparency, and fair pay.
Therefore, this inspiring story is not just a tech story – it’s a labor story. Platform cooperativism challenges the extractive logic of the gig economy and shows how technology can be used to empower rather than exploit.
3. SEWA Cooperative Federation (India) – Grassroots Empowerment through Women’s Cooperatives
In India, the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) represents over 2 million women working in the informal economy – such as street vendors, home-based workers, farmers, and artisans. SEWA organises them into cooperatives that offer access to fair credit, healthcare, childcare, education, and markets.
For many women, especially in rural areas, joining a SEWA cooperative is transformative: they gain not only income but also voice, agency, and social solidarity. SEWA’s model is rooted in intersectional justice, recognising that economic empowerment must go hand-in-hand with gender equity and community well-being.
SEWA has inspired similar initiatives globally, proving that cooperative models can be powerful tools for emancipation when led by those most affected by injustice.
Consequently, SEWA reminds us that the cooperative model is not only about economic alternatives, but also about social transformation. It gives voice and power to people who are often pushed to the margins.
These stories reflect the diversity, flexibility, and transformative potential of cooperative organising. Whether it’s workers managing factories, immigrants reclaiming platforms, or women building power from the bottom up, these initiatives show that cooperative organising works – and that these don’t stay in the margins.
Are you interested in reading more stories of cooperatives around the world? Check out #coops4dev by the International Co-operative Alliance