We need a new economics for the 21st century that puts people and planet first, through sustainable public services, scaling up cooperatives and fair trade.

Sustainable public services and a fair taxation system are the basis of economic justice. All of us benefit when peoples’ fundamental rights to health, energy, water, education, transport and food are guaranteed by an active state.

From clean water in Uruguay to food distribution centres in India and municipally-controlled renewable energy in Germany; public services provide hundreds of millions of people with their basic needs everyday. Public services are threatened by privatisation and corporate tax avoidance. Yet people across the world are fighting back with a strong global movement demanding tax justice, and over 835 public services have been reclaimed by governments and cities across the world.

“Thousands of practical solutions for a more just and sustainable world are already being implemented everyday – our challenge is to scale them up and transform our economies.” – Sam Cossar, International programme coordinator for Economic justice and resisting neoliberalism

One in every seven people globally is a member of a cooperative, which is a viable option for managing a company based on the principles of democracy, workers’ rights, sustainability and the egalitarian distribution of economic returns.

Feminist organisations have played a major role in building this ‘social and solidarity economy’, and many Friends of the Earth groups across the world run cooperatives.

We need to scale up the impact of cooperatives and social ownership through proper access to financing, supportive regulatory frameworks and increased social movement engagement.