The social economy consists of thousands of companies and organizations that share values (democracy, cooperation, solidarity, etc.) every day to build a better world for all.
The concept of social and solidarity economy (ESS) designates a set of companies organized in the form of cooperatives, mutuals, associations, or foundations, whose internal functioning and activities are based on a principle of solidarity and social utility.
The responsible economy designates all economic actors who have seized the means and objectives of the social and solidarity economy to give a positive environmental and social impact to their activity.
The 4 principles of Social Economy are:
- democratic management,
- collective or social utility of the project,
- mix of resources,
- individual non-profit.
Speaking only about the social and solidarity economy, we know that it plays a key role in the Belgian and European economy in general, by combining profitability and solidarity, by creating quality jobs, it also creates and maintains the fabric social and economic, thus contributing to local development and social cohesion.
