More than 8,400 employees, 2,100 worker-members, and one million consumer-members. These are the figures for the 15 companies that form part of the multisectoral group Clade, making it the main business group of the social economy in Catalonia. The group and its companies, mostly cooperatives, make it clear that "the social economy model can do business in competition with the commercial one," as defended by its president, Tomàs Llompart, and its general director, Maria Teixidor.
The group, which has two decades of experience, has gained new momentum and has incorporated relevant companies in recent months. The latest to be made public was Caixa d'Enginyers, which joins three new members who joined Clade in October: the cosmetics cooperative Àuria; the renewable energy cooperative Som Energia; and the shared and sustainable mobility cooperative Som Mobilitat.
These incorporations came after that of Fedefarma in 2023, with which Clade tripled the aggregated turnover of the group's companies. Indeed, the group's companies invoiced a total of 1,450 million euros in 2023, while in 2022 they totaled 396 million, a jump to which Fedefarma contributed 991 million. This contribution was complemented by the good results of the group's companies: "Several of them grew more than 15% in business volume," Llompart emphasizes, highlighting that the figures show that "growth is not against the philosophy of the social economy."
In fact, the group aims precisely to continue growing. With one goal: to attract companies from all strategic sectors of the economy, especially venturing into those where it currently has no representation. "Our will is to ensure that citizens can obtain any service from Clade companies," Llompart remarks.
And the group works to attract these companies with the desire to "join forces to be able to defend that it is possible with social economy companies to respond to the market with first-class products and services, in competition with commercial companies." And, furthermore, to do so prioritizing the coverage of people's needs above profit and capital, and with more democratic and participatory organizations.
To promote this model and strengthen the companies that embody it, Clade encourages inter-cooperation and synergies among its members to face common challenges and opportunities, and to act as a lobby on regulatory issues in which the particularities of social economy companies are often not taken into account, such as the uniqueness of the participatory functioning of cooperatives. "The goal is to be present in decision-making places so that we are taken into account in legislation," summarizes Llompart, who assumed the group's presidency two years ago.
The group demonstrates that "you can do business while impacting the territory and the social sphere"Clade also articulates a strategic vision for the social economy. It is now focusing the reflection process on this vision for the next two decades, coinciding with the 20 years of activity that the group will reach in December. "We are an umbrella that seeks to provide joint services and visions to achieve business growth among all,"highlights Teixidor, general director of the group for a year and a half.
"The group is a tool for companies," Llompart emphasized. In fact, it is for companies, and for the social economy model globally, as Clade "demonstrates that this model can do business while impacting the territory and the social sphere." So much so that "the social economy has multiple impacts," assures Teixidor.
And from the social economy, numerous learnings emerge that can be applied to the purely mercantile economy and that now represent a "competitive advantage": the participatory and more democratic structures of companies allow maximizing the talent of the organization, in addition to maximizing the sense of belonging. "In a cooperative, everyone is a co-participant in the management," highlights Teixidor, and it is that, by being a partner, each member "knows how the company works and its clients," adds Llompart. It is no longer just that employee-partners feel the company as their own, but that it is partly theirs.
The group wants to strengthen this vision by continuing to grow and add more companies. To incorporate them, Clade does not set invoicing or member requirements: "We do not set a minimum size, but the key is to have the will to be a benchmark in the sector of activity," highlights Llompart. "We focus on projects that have the potential to grow, targeting a critical sector with innovative solutions," remarks Teixidor.
"We pursue an ambitious expansion of the scope of the social economy that wants to compete in the market," Teixidor concluded. And there is "a lot of innovation, disruption, and cutting-edge business work in the sector," as is the case with the group's 15 current companies, which also include Suara Cooperativa, Fundació Blanquerna, Abacus Cooperativa, the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès, Cooperativa Plana de Vic, Corma, Escola Sant Gervasi, Comunitat Minera Olesana, Grup Pere Claver and Previsora General. With this vision, Clade will continue to work to keep growing and to advocate for a social economy model that prioritizes its impact above capital.