What is a co-operative?

graphics.coop is a worker co-operative. What does that mean?

Co-operatives are trading enterprises providing goods and services and generating income. But they’re jointly owned and democratically controlled by their members.

Co-operative members also have control over profits, deciding how they should be used.

As well as that, co-operatives:

invest in education and training for members, enabling them to contribute more effectively to the co-op’s development; and
work for and are an integral part of their communities.

Worker co-operatives

The Co-operative Movement is very diverse, with a wide variety of legal structures. graphics.coop is a worker co-operative, meaning our employees have an equal say in how it’s run. We’re all paid equally, although this isn’t mandatory for worker co-ops.

To find out more about worker co-ops take a look at the Worker Co-operative Code of Governance.

Co-operative values – it's all about respect

Co-operative values are based on self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality and solidarity. And co-op members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others. Basically, it’s all about respect — for ourselves and others — and we’ve got it in bundles.

As our clients, we want to work with you — not for you. We want a trusting and long-term relationship built on those values that we hold so closely to our hearts.

And if you’re another organisation that shares our outlook, then we’d love to get to know you. The world is big enough for us all to flourish, and things tend to flourish better when people work together. See our associates page for an idea of what we mean.

What happens to our profits?

Many co-operatives distribute some profits to members as a dividend, but take with a different approach. Our staff receive fair wages but our company’s profits must be reinvested in the business or donated to a co-operative or charitable cause.

We’re a company limited by guarantee, so our members don’t hold shares of monetary value. And if we were to dissolve, our assets would be donated to a co-operative or charitable cause.

The stats:

Co-operatives worldwide: