Chapter 1: Introduction to Participation and Cooperative Approaches for Sustainability by Andrea Bernardi - Massimiliano Mazzanti - Salvatore Monni -- Chapter 2: The co-operative firm: An old institution for a new world. Entrepreneurial biodiversity and circular economy by Andrea Bernardi - Massimiliano Mazzanti - Salvatore Monni -- Chapter 3: The anatomy of the circular economy: goals, strategies, values and scales by Nadia Lambiase and Filippo Barbera -- Chapter 4: Cooperatives’ smart secret weapons in development by Vincenzo Marino -- Chapter 5: A club theory perspective of knowledge (and) worker cooperatives by Apostolos Georgiou and Yeoryios Stamboulis -- Chapter 6: Co-operative enterprises and the ecological transition. Self-organization of stakeholders, multi-stakeholder governance, and sustainability goals by Ermanno C. Tortia -- Chapter 7: Community-based waste management initiatives as means to achieve Circular Economy objectives for Sustainable Development by Vangelis Vragoteris and Giorgos Gritzas -- Chapter 8: Concepts and criteria for a self-sustainable and circular economic territorialization. The case of La Plata, Argentina by Francesco Vigliarolo -- Chapter 9: A Bibliometric Analysis on Cooperatives in Circular Economy and Eco-Innovation Studies by Asia Guerreschi and Fernando J. Díaz López -- Chapter 10: Circular economy and sustainability for the provision of drinking water in rural areas. The case of the Federation of Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Cooperatives of Chile, FESAN by Victor Caro Castro and Mario Radrigan Rubio -- Chapter 11: Cooperatives in the Energy sector, Sustainability, and circular economy: practices and opportunities between tradition and future by Giuseppe Daconto -- Chapter 12: Design thinking to foster members' participation in co-operative enterprises, A proposal and a primer by Mattia Miani.

Co-operatives are increasingly being recognized as important contributors to inclusive, sustainable and fair development. However, the co-operative movement faces a multitude of challenges, including the lack of access to credit. This book presents existing cases and new examples of the intersection between the co-operative economy and sustainability challenges. Chapters explore innovative circular and low carbon sustainable economy cases and practical examples of the role of co-operative organizations within the European Union. It asks how policy factors influence sustainability innovations, explores the role of workers’ involvement in firm strategies and analyses the management style of cooperative firms in facing sustainability challenges. This book will be an essential resource for scholars and students of sustainability and the circular economy, innovation management, HRM and labour studies. Andrea Bernardi is an Associate Professor at CASD, School of Advanced Defence Studies, Italy. Massimiliano Mazzanti is a Full Professor at the University of Ferrara, Italy. Salvatore Monni is a Full Professor at Roma Tre University, Italy.