Green and Red? Proposing the Existence of a Co‑operative Environmental Niche in Wales

Molly Scott Cato, Len Arthur, Tom Keenoy and Russell Smith

This paper proposes the possibility of a link between the commitment to building a sustainable economy and the co-operative model of organisation. The analysis is based in an analysis of guild socialist and utopian socialist ideas that supported the development of co-operatives and their links with current green political economy. The co-operative is a natural form of productive organisation as visualised by both these traditions. The research findings reported in the paper relate to an audit of 81 co-operatives in Wales (Arthur et al, 2004), whose sample included 17 co-operatives operating with a clear commitment to the environment. A brief illustration of the practicalities of bringing together these shared ideas and the activity of environmentally-focused co-operatives in Wales is offered. It is suggested that further research into the existence of an environmental niche in Wales and its relationship to guild socialist, utopian socialist and green ideas may be fruitful. Issues of accountability and responsibility are seen as key to the possible sustainability-co‑operative link.