Conducive environment for sustainable enterprise, including COOPs

seeks to enhance a favourable environment for sustainable enterprises combining the legitimate quest for profit with the need for development that respects human dignity and decent work. Such an environment encourages investment, entrepreneurship, workers’ rights and the growth of enterprises by balancing the needs and interests of enterprises with the aspiration of society.

“An environment conducive to the creation and growth or transformation of enterprises on a sustainable basis combines the legitimate quest for profit – one of the key drivers of economic growth – with the need for development that respects human dignity, environmental sustainability and decent work.”

Conclusions concerning the Promotion of Sustainable Enterprise Development
International Labour Conference 2007

The ILO supports governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations to establish policies and regulations which contribute to an environment conducive to the creation and growth of sustainable enterprises, including cooperatives, by:

  • developing information resources, tools and methodologies to support enterprises improving productivity as well as compliance with labour standards;
  • providing guidance on ways that policies and regulations can support improved working conditions, an enabling business environment, and the formalization of economic units;
  • gathering and disseminating information on the relationship between policies responding to cross-cutting social issues, such as gender and the need to empower women, and the development of sustainable enterprises;
  • providing support to employers’ and workers’ organizations to expand their representational base, improve their capacity to analyse the dynamics of their business and labour environment, and influence public policies;
  • providing technical assistance to support start-ups, micro- and small and medium-sized enterprises to become sustainable through, for example, upgrading regional and global value chains and clusters.