SDG series – Cooperative contributions to SDG 1: End Poverty in All Its Forms Everywhere

Cooperatives play a vital role in reducing poverty and strengthening resilience across communities. In this edition of Building a Better World Together: Cooperative Contributions to the SDGs, focused on SDG 1 (End Poverty in All Its Forms Everywhere), the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), COPAC, Cooperatives Europe, and ICA’s other regional organisations highlight how cooperatives offer inclusive economic opportunities, expand access to services, and support people facing economic hardship.

Poverty and resilience: progress under pressure

The global fight against poverty is losing ground. Conflicts, climate shocks, and economic crises have reversed years of improvement, leaving millions without stable income or social protection. By 2025, 808 million people are projected to live in extreme poverty, and 240 million workers earn below the poverty line despite having a job. Social protection systems still reach less than half of the world’s population. Cooperatives respond to these pressures with people-centred solutions that combine economic participation, shared ownership, and democratic decision-making.

The cooperative difference: economic security rooted in community

Across sectors and regions, cooperatives reduce poverty by expanding income opportunities, strengthening bargaining power, and supporting fair access to markets and services. Their impact includes:

• Supporting small-scale producers through fair pricing, collective marketing, and local value chains

• Providing affordable finance, credit, and savings mechanisms

• Transforming precarious informal work into dignified employment

• Strengthening women’s and youth leadership and income autonomy

• Delivering essential services such as health, childcare, home care, and emergency support

• Combining economic inclusion with training, climate resilience, and community empowerment

From rural farming communities to urban informal workers, cooperatives show how shared ownership helps households stabilise income, reduce risk, and build long-term resilience.

European action in focus: cooperative responses to poverty in practice

Across Europe, cooperatives are putting solidarity into action through practical measures that reduce poverty and social exclusion:

Czech Republic – Food solidarity through consumer cooperatives
More than 300 cooperatives under Skupina COOP contribute each year to the Autumn Food Collection Solidarity Day. Their donations support families in need with essential goods, showing how retail cooperatives can mobilise community support at scale.

Sweden – Supporting families with limited means
Coop Mitt partners with Julhjälpen Gävleborg to distribute grocery bags to families facing financial hardship during the Christmas season. Over five years, more than 200 bags have been delivered, helping to ease pressure on low-income households.

Spain – Labour inclusion for vulnerable groups
Consum Cooperative supports the Adecco Foundation’s employment programme, offering training, job guidance, and placement support. These efforts address income instability and help people re-enter the labour market with better opportunities.

These examples show how European cooperatives combine economic activity with social inclusion, anchoring support close to where people live and work.

Closing gaps and shaping policy

The brief stresses that cooperatives remain under-recognised in national poverty strategies. To improve their contribution to SDG 1, governments and partners should:

• Recognise cooperatives as key actors in poverty reduction at national and local levels

• Update legal frameworks to protect autonomy and encourage participation of women, youth, and informal workers

• Expand access to cooperative-friendly finance and public procurement

• Strengthen training, governance, and digital skills across cooperative sectors

• Support partnerships between cooperatives, authorities, NGOs, and social protection schemes

• Include cooperative data in SDG monitoring systems to reflect their true contribution

With the right support, cooperatives can widen their economic impact and help build more resilient communities worldwide.

Call to action

IYC 2025 is a key opportunity to place cooperatives at the centre of global poverty reduction efforts. Their ability to combine economic empowerment with social solidarity offers a proven model for addressing the structural causes of poverty. Cooperatives Europe will continue working with members, partners, and policymakers to ensure cooperative solutions are recognised, supported, and scaled.

Download the full policy brief here
COPAC website