Co-operative identity, participation and sustainability

Consumer co-operatives in Korea have grown in scale and made significant progress over the past 30 years. Their sales are more than 40 times bigger than in 2000. Consumer co-operatives emerged in the 1980s in Korea to deal with social and economic issues concerning agriculture, labour, gender, the environment and food safety. This chapter provides a comprehensive view of how Korea’s largest consumer co-operative federation, iCOOP, has successfully addressed emerging challenges through internal changes, which at least contain elements of strategic renewal, and might be considered to be strategic renewal initiatives in their own right. The chapter highlights three such initiatives of iCOOP that have played an essential role in critical moments. These have focused on: membership dues, a food quality certification system and the creation of eco-friendly clusters. These have not only been practical approaches to overcoming crisis but also strengthened co-operative identity, participation and sustainability. They were therefore quite fundamental and radical changes.