Pellervo Coop Center

 

Cooperation in Finland
Starting a cooperative

About Pellervo

Pellervo is a service and a lobbying organisation for all Finnish co-operatives and mutuals and a forum for co-operative activities.

Our goal is to make the co-operative and mutual business model more known to the public and offer the co-operative model as a competitive alternative for those thinking about starting a business.

Pellervo was founded in 1899 and the Pellervo name comes from the national epic of Finland Kalevala where Sampsa Pellervoinen is the patron of field and harvest.

Advocacy work

Pellervo strives to influence the legislative work and the economic and financial policies in Finland to accommodate the cooperative business model.

Pellervo’s message to the decision-makers: Diversity of business models increases economic performance

  • One business model – investor owned – is not enough
  • Cooperative businesses play a significant role in the everyday life of people
  • The scope of cooperatives is constantly expanding
    • Over 3 000 cooperatives and mutuals
    • Over 7 million memberships
  • Cooperatives mean Finnish ownership
    • They invest in Finland

Current issues and themes:

  • The government's Entrepreneurship Strategy
  • The Parliament's Co-operative Group
  • Government’s action plan 2019-2023
  • Entrepreneurship education at schools
  • Research and teaching
  • Start-up advice
  • Co-operative governance
  • Sustainability and CSR

Pellervo’s EU Manifesto – Cooperatives are builders of a sustainable future

1. Cooperatives to be taken into account in business regulation.
2. A cooperative provides a fair foundation for social and platform economies.
3. The cooperative model facilitates the reconstruction of Ukraine.
4. Cooperatives strengthen the private sector in EU external development projects.
5. Cooperative awareness must be strengthened in the EU Parliament.

2.4.2024

Starting a Cooperative -webinar recording

Recording of the webinar held on 25. october 2023. 

2.11.2023