World Consumer Rights Day event highlights the role of social and solidarity economy entities

GENEVA (ILO News) - Consumers International hosted the Sustainable Lifestyles Summit during the week of March 10. The online event, which put consumers at the heart of a just transition to sustainable lifestyles, coincided with the celebration of World Consumer Rights Day on 15 March. The summit brought together 1,200 people and 85 speakers from around the world over five days and 18 sessions. It explored answers to questions around: how can we make sustainable living an easy choice for all; what policies and innovations can drive real change; who is leading the way, and what can we learn from them.

On the last day of the Summit, March 14, a session on Community Action at the Heart of Sustainable Lifestyles brought together grassroots voices and inspiring examples from across the globe to spotlight community-led solutions driving sustainable lifestyles. The discussion, moderated by Lanja Rashid from the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC), opened with a powerful reminder: sustainable alternatives are not just possible – they are already happening, led by communities on the ground. Setting the tone for the session was an introductory address by Simel Esim, Head of ILO’s Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy (COOP/SSE) Unit and Chair of UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE).

In her remarks, Simel Esim emphasized the transformative potential of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) – putting people and the planet before profit. She highlighted how SSE entities contribute to just transitions by enabling community-based action for sustainable lifestyles rooted in social justice, solidarity, and participatory governance. Drawing on global examples, Simel Esim illustrated how SSE actors are advancing climate adaptation and mitigation – from renewable energy cooperatives in Denmark and Germany, to waste picker cooperatives in Brazil and India, to agroforestry groups in the Philippines.

She underscored the important role of consumer cooperatives in enabling collective purchasing, promoting sustainable consumption, and supporting fairer supply chains – sharing cooperative to cooperative trade initiatives such as Coop Denmark’s Savannah project with Kenyan Coffee Producer cooperatives. Following her opening remarks the participants in the session were asked whether they identified their organizations as part of the SSE. The majority of the respondents indicated that they considered themselves as SSE entities.

The session brought together four innovative consumer rights initiatives participating in this year’s Green Action Week – a global campaign led by Consumers International and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, celebrated in over 30 countries every year. The campaign champions local, consumer-driven actions for sustainability and equity. The panellists from Indonesia, Cabo Verde, Costa Rica and Bangladesh presented grassroots responses to urgent issues such as: Plastic waste and water scarcity; Food imports and nutritional health; Climate impacts on consumption; and Food waste and community-based redistribution.

Throughout the session, these initiatives resonating with the SSE emerged as a powerful model for reshaping consumption patterns, strengthening food systems, and fostering circular economy practices. Community-driven solutions are not only viable – they are already taking shape, building resilience, empowering consumers, and placing collective well-being at the centre of sustainable development.