Emilia-Romagna, la cooperazione accelera: ricavi in crescita del 4,4%

Located in the Emilia-Romagna region, fewer than one in a hundred businesses are cooperatives. Nevertheless, this system generates nearly a third of the total revenue for all Italian cooperatives. An industrial force that continues to grow faster than capitalistic companies, reinforcing itself as one of the strategic levers of the regional economy.

This insight comes from the fifth Biennial Report on Cooperatives, presented at Technopoli Dama in Bologna during the Regional Conference. The 3,486 active cooperatives generate €44.4 billion in revenue and employ around 230,000 people, accounting for 12.8% of the workforce in Emiliano-Romagna businesses. Despite representing just 6% of all national cooperatives, they concentrate 17% of the workforce and 30% of the revenue.

Between 2016 and 2024, real revenues rose by 13.5% and employment by 4%, demonstrating long-term stability. The average size is 66 employees per enterprise, compared to 23 in Italy. Growth is accelerating: in 2025, revenues increased by 4.4%, compared to 3% for capitalistic companies, and employment rose by 2%, compared to 1.6%.

The model's weight lies primarily in the decisive sectors for the territory. In healthcare and social services, over seven out of ten workers operate in cooperatives; in agriculture, their revenues account for 66.1% of those in capitalistic companies. In logistics, they absorb 22.2% of the workforce. Perhaps the most promising figure concerns "generative" enterprises, capable of combining profits, salaries, investments, and employment: they make up 10.2% of cooperatives, compared to 7.7% of other companies.

Among those led by young people, the share rises to 21.5%. "Cooperatives are our modern response to the challenges of competitiveness," emphasized Regional Vice-President Vincenzo Colla, pointing to Foncooper and energy communities as tools to accompany their development. For Daniele Montroni, president of Legacoop Emilia-Romagna, the challenge is "transforming shared needs into entrepreneurial projects."

Confcooperative regional president Francesco Milza recalled "a generative and non-extractive economy," while Agci Emilia-Romagna president Emanuele Monaci insisted on demonstrating "how competitiveness, quality of work, and social purposes can mutually reinforce each other." It is on this terrain, between innovation and cohesion, that the future of the cooperative model will be played.