On September 17, 2025, two significant events in Italy highlighted the nation’s evolving landscape of sustainability, local development, and community empowerment. In one corner, the release of the report "Economie di luogo: fotografia e dimensioni qualitative delle cooperative di comunità" by AICCON and Legacoop cast a spotlight on the rapid growth and transformative impact of community cooperatives across the country. Meanwhile, in Bergamo, the first session of the 'Forum Regionale per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile' underscored Lombardy’s leadership in green innovation and its pragmatic approach to sustainable development.
Community cooperatives, or "cooperative di comunità," have become an increasingly popular model for inclusive, sustainable, and participatory growth, particularly in Italy’s internal regions and urban areas grappling with social and economic challenges. According to the latest AICCON-Legacoop report, there are now 321 such cooperatives (with 220 already registered and 101 in the registration process) active in more than 70 provinces. These organizations are not just businesses—they are living laboratories of local economies, blending entrepreneurship, civic participation, and stewardship of the commons in ways that are reshaping communities from the ground up.
The diversity among these cooperatives is striking. The report details that 35% are production and labor cooperatives, 20% are social cooperatives type B, 9% are type A, 2% are user cooperatives, and a further 35% represent hybrid or innovative forms. Their activities span a broad spectrum, from tourism and culture to environmental care, education, social services, and urban regeneration. This breadth allows them to address complex, often overlooked needs—revitalizing dormant resources, creating new local services, and breathing fresh life into neglected public spaces.
But what drives the creation of these cooperatives? The numbers offer a telling picture. About 29% were born to address social vulnerabilities, while 12% arose in response to urban and environmental challenges. Yet, it’s not just about addressing needs; it’s also about activating local strengths. Twenty-two percent emerged from particularly motivated groups of citizens, 16% leveraged dormant local resources, 13% benefited from relationships with public administrations, and 8% received support from cooperative representation organizations. As Paolo Venturi, director of AICCON, noted, "Cooperative di Comunità are no longer just a presence in internal areas, but real economic institutions created by residents to turn needs and desires into enterprises. Agile and open experiences, integrating entrepreneurship and care for the territory, with still untapped occupational potential."
The participatory nature of these organizations is one of their defining features. According to the report, 25% co-design activities and services with the community, 24% open decision-making to non-members, 16% receive volunteer contributions, and 13% benefit from economic or other forms of citizen support. Their social base is balanced: 26% volunteer members, 24% worker members, and 22% users. This inclusivity is further reflected in their collaborations—18% work with public administrations, 16% with associations, 15% with citizens, 12% with private companies, 10% with other cooperatives, and 9% with other community cooperatives. Foundations, despite their growing role in local development, are still underutilized partners, with only 6% of cooperatives reporting collaboration.
Economic sustainability is another pillar. The cooperatives rely on multiple revenue streams: 35% from the exchange of goods and services, 21% from grants, 16% from public administration contracts, and 13% from membership fees. The report urges a careful balance between grant-based and market-based approaches, warning against overreliance on public funding. Instead, it advocates for long-term partnerships, such as public-private partnerships (PPPs), and agreements that empower community cooperatives as key nodes in territorial networks, especially when it comes to accessing European funding.
One of the most impressive findings is the cooperatives’ stewardship of cultural assets. A remarkable 79% manage cultural properties, often through public conventions (50%), free use loans (36%), or private leases (36%). In most cases, this involves structured relationships with public administrations, confirming their role as active custodians of local heritage. The tangible results are evident: these cooperatives strengthen social cohesion, create jobs, reactivate unused assets, return public and cultural spaces to collective use, and foster circular, sustainable economies.
Legacoop, one of Italy’s leading cooperative associations, now counts 106 member community cooperatives, up from 55 in 2020, spread across 19 regions. A significant 65% operate in internal areas, and 69% are based in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants. Altogether, they involve 5,383 members (an average of 51 per cooperative), employ 560 people, generate a combined turnover of 33.5 million euros, and hold assets totaling 7.8 million euros. Gender and generational renewal are also making strides: 24% of boards have female presidents, 13% of presidents are under 35, and 33% of cooperatives have boards with 26% to 49% female representation.
Simone Gamberini, president of Legacoop, remarked, "The data from the 2025 AICCON Report tell the story of a phenomenon—community cooperatives—which, in the absence of a national law and thus dedicated support measures, continues to grow and increasingly establish itself not only as a tool for citizens to meet their needs but as a true instrument of local development. The report, as well as the experiences we know and accompany daily, gives us the sense of a bottom-up entrepreneurial model capable of transforming territories with mutualistic logic applied to territorial development."
While community cooperatives are weaving a new social and economic fabric across Italy, Lombardy is making headlines for its leadership in the green transition. At the inaugural session of the 'Forum Regionale per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile' in Bergamo, the region’s achievements and ambitions took center stage. Over the past five years, more than 100,000 Lombard companies have invested in green technologies—an impressive 18% of all Italian businesses. In 2023 alone, 6,660 Lombard SMEs were active in renewable energy, representing 16.2% of the national total.
The region has backed these efforts with significant resources: between 2023 and 2025, Lombardy allocated 9.5 million euros for incentives supporting ISO 5001 certifications, energy audits, process efficiency, and the installation of photovoltaic and other renewable energy systems. This commitment was further cemented when Lombardy became the first Italian region to pass a climate law (regional law no. 11) on July 18, 2025. President Fontana, addressing the forum, emphasized the need for a "pragmatic and non-ideological vision, able to synergistically combine environmental, social, and economic dimensions and foster virtuous synergies between public and private sectors."
The forum also delved into the intersection of sustainability and social housing, the role of SMEs in the green economy, and the integration of sustainability into green budgeting. Carlo De Grandis, policy officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action, stressed, "Adherence to sustainability principles is now an unavoidable requirement for companies, especially in international markets." The forum’s discussions will continue in Lodi, Lecco, Monza, and conclude in Milan on October 30, 2025, with a conference dedicated to smart cities.
These parallel stories—of grassroots-driven community cooperatives and policy-driven regional innovation—paint a compelling picture of Italy’s path forward. As economic, social, and environmental challenges mount, the country’s blend of local initiative and institutional leadership is creating new models for sustainable, inclusive development that others may well look to for inspiration.
