SUCCESS STORIES – ITALY

Website: volocreativo.it

ADDLab is an experimental laboratory in the field of rapid prototyping. They promote maker culture. ADDLab is specialized in digital fabrication and product design. The main aim is to develop new sustainable producing techniques using MadeInItaly tradition and new technologies. Main business activities range from service of 3D printing and prototyping, modelling and consulting, and interior design to teaching and direct sale of models of scale and design products linked to the ADDLab brand, “Volo Creativo”.

Located in Bari, Puglia, where a new culture of sustainability, innovation processes and social cohesion have developed in recent years with a great cultural dynamism, ADDLab works in the market of digital craftsmanship in the regional area. The aim is to become a hub and create a large network with national and international partners. In the South of Italy, often the needs in the field of digital craftsmanship and 3D printing can’t find a solution, because of the lack of specialized enterprises. Moreover, there is a larger attention to the mechanical field than the architectural one. ADDLab has an important partner, the Laser Center of the University of Bari, which is working on rapid prototyping application in the bio-medical field.

Structure and membership

ADDLab is a prevailing mutuality cooperative enterprise, which realises different kinds of mutual exchange:

• The employees are the members of the cooperative enterprise;
• Material and other resources are brought by members;
• The enterprise delivers activities for members but also for public and private organizations, enterprises, makers and students

They chose the cooperative model because it was requested by Unipolis Foundation in the competition, but after this proposal, they took information about the model and found themselves in it: “We didn’t know to be a cooperative, but we were it, since University work-group experiences”. With 3 members of this worker cooperative, there is currently no specific criteria for membership of the cooperative, apart from the ability to contribute to the activities.

There is no distribution of dividends. The statute provides for distribution of dividends using the rebate, respecting the limits defined by the law, and integrating member’s retribution or improving the fee of social capital.

Business information

Established in 2014, incorporation was completed in 10 months. Business planning and development support was provided by Legacoop Puglia, a cooperative association. It supported the informal group to prepare the business plan in order to win the competition “Culturability” and to obtain the financial support by Unipolis Foundation, through two group meetings with all the participants and group meetings on request. After the good result, Legacoop supported the following activities:

• preparing statute and constitutive acts;
• completing administrative, legal and bureaucratic requests for the start up application to the enterprise register;
• preparing a written regulation to discipline the relationship between associated-workers and the enterprise;
• bank relationship

Following winning the competition, capital support was provided by Unipoliis Foundation (Unipol Group) who support 20 new cooperatives with €20,000 and the possibility to have a further loan of €20,000. There are currently 3 employees in the cooperative.

Lessons Learned

Initially it was very difficult for the informal group to find financial resources to start their business, however the contribution of Unipolis Foundation was very important to solve this barrier. A network of professionals was also created who could work with ADDLab on specific projects, providing necessary skills. To let customers know about services, ADDLab use classical and 2.0 marketing tools: web site, events and laboratory, social network. They are working to build a large network. At the moment they are in contact with other young companies in Palermo and Rome to exchange customers and opportunities. They are applying 3D Hub, a European network for printing on demand. The partnership with Laser Center in Bari, gives ADDLab free use of the places and will link to customers, if they need ADDLab’s products and services. They want to use this model to develop new partnerships.

Website: condiviso.coop

Condiviso is a multistakeholder cooperative which aggregates 13 businesses and professionals in the area of business services, including: communication, ICT, marketing, access to finance, architectural assistance, event organization, etc. The objective of the cooperative is to improve members’ portfolios through the synergy of members’ competences. The cooperative is also interested, in the long term, in creating a center for supporting start ups and innovative, sustainable ideas generated through collaborative and cooperative work.

Its coworking location is situated in the centre of Genova and they are currently involved in ICT and media sector, event planning, business services and technical assistance to businesses. The is being established next to the Economics Department of the University of Genoa, which is entirely in line with the mission of the cooperative: host brilliant sustainable ideas and harvest new potential businesses started by young people.

Structure and membership

The model is preferred because of the type of businesses/professionals involved (all at the same level of professional experience, and each specialized in a specific activity), because the business was originally started to make the individual members cooperate more among each other, because of possible financial support coming from the local cooperative federation.

The 9 members of the cooperative are currently businesses and individual professionals i.e. architects, lawyers, and others. Not all employees are members of the cooperative. Members have to be in line with the objective of the cooperative: work in collaboration with other businesses members of the cooperative, strengthen cooperative’s portfolio, collaborate and share ideas, clients, projects.

According to Italian law, dividends cannot be distributed in cooperatives; Dividends are accumulated in the cooperative’s net worth. There is also a financial member (socio sovventore) who does not participate in the mutual objective of the cooperative, but who participates with a considerable sum of equity; this member’s equity holds the priority to be rewarded at the end of each year. Dividends will be distributed to this specific member; the gain is about 2%.

Business information

The business has not yet been formed (as of January 2014) however the group has been established for 6 months and the statutes are nearly ready for constitution. Business planning and development support has been provided by a cooperative association that aided the Creation of the group; planning and coordinating the exploratory meetings; planning the economic and financial standing of the new coop; setting the formal cooperative structure; identifying business areas; identifying potential partners. Currently the cooperative-to-be is also thinking of f requesting equity from a local cooperative-supporting financial institution.

Website: www.officinecantelmo.it

“Officine Cantelmo” was the name of an iron manufacturer in Lecce. The cooperative was created to restore the buildings and let it become a cultural and student service. There are two buildings and an interior courtyard with multifunctional spaces for all types of events (conferences, business meetings, training, exhibitions, books presentations). In addition, the cooperative offers a lot of services thanks to the selected partners: bar and catering services, communications and media relations, event registration, conference kit, gadgets and gifts, translation service, reservation and accommodation services, audio/video recording. Moreover, Officine Cantelmo runs the publishing house of the University of Salento and manages a space for coworking.

The city of Lecce can be defined as a cultural incubator, with a great cultural dynamism. There are a lot of spaces for social and technologic innovation, so Lecce has been nominated for the European Capital 2019. Students and young professionals needed a place where they can find services and a place where they can meet and share ideas.

Structure and membership

As a legally incorporated cooperative, such model was preferred because of its values: the democratic management of the cooperative, members’ involvement in decisions, work opportunities for members, cooperation across generations. The worker cooperative consists of 10 members, however out of 10 members only 5 are employees. The criteria to gain membership is based on professional expertise that members can share for cooperative’s development. Currently there is no distribution of dividends. The statute provides for distribution of dividends using the rebate, respecting the limits defined by the law, and integrating member’s retribution or improving the fee of social capital.

Business information

Formed in 2007, the cooperative was incorporated within a year.

Lessons Learned

Access to finance was a barrier encountered by the cooperative, to which no solution was offered regarding the banks. Instead, the solutions included members’ loans, capital contribution by the members. In terms of skills, professional training was provided for members and skills were shared among partners. Initial difficulties surrounding access to market were solved by an active marketing campaign was made to create a network and to attract interested partners with their own network. Legal barriers linked to specific activities were overcome by the members learning from each other about legal aspects for specific activities, asking partners and consultants.

Website: rhw.coop

Rehardwareing refurbishes obsolete computers, using free and open source software. Computers are sold or employed in projects, to reduce the digital divide and promote easy and cheap access to information and communication technology.

Every year many computers are brought to dumping grounds, increasing the e-waste rate every person produces. In most cases computers are fully functional, and suitable for common activities, if correctly configured and optimized with open source software. Rehardwareing aims to reduce waste, collecting, computers from private companies and public entities, applying no cost, creating business based on three R: reduce, reuse, recycle.

Structure and membership

Rehardwareing is a legally incorporated cooperative. The model has been chosen because of low start-up costs and to increase commitment of workers. Currently, all 3 employees are members of the coop. No dividend has ever been distributed, and there are no plans to do so in the future.

Business information

Formed in 2009 and incorporated within a year, the cooperative was supported by a cooperative association Legacoop in preparing statutes and the constitutive act. After the constitution, Legacoop helped the young cooperative to build new partnerships. For capital support, Rehardwareing won Principi Attivi, a public contest aimed to promote youth activation, with a project called “Opening Sources”. With €25,000 of equity, cooperative members started their activities.

Although Rehardwareing is a commercial enterprise, its goal is deeply social: they fight against electronic waste and digital divide, connecting different segment needs.

Lessons Learned

Startup working capital was an identified barrier however €25,000 euros were sourced through a public call. Cooperative then became financially sustainable, and able to take part in other public calls. The skills needed for business operation were possessed by cooperative members. New members have joined as new skills were needed. When they started to engage with new and different markets, it was important that members studied and improved their skills Networking and participation in enterprise meetings and conventions helped cooperative members to meet new people and to match skills. The legal barriers for discarding computers were identified, legal frameworks studied and experts were contacted to ensure correct management.

Website: www.coopcomunitamelpignano.it

The cooperative developed the project “Photovoltaic panels on roofs”, focusing on the innovative field of renewable energy. In particular, cooperative members can install a solar panel on their home roof with a participation fee of €25.00.

Cooperative members have no energy costs and the rest of the profits can be used for community development. Using the profit coming from electricity sales, the Comunità Cooperativa created the “House of water”: citizens can buy 2 litres of water at 10 cents, using glass bottles to reduce environmental waste. This good practice encourages citizens to adopt a culture of sustainability, to develop personal capabilities and to imagine future change.

Melpignano is a small town of 2,500 citizens in south of Italy. The cooperative was developed to support the community, to avoid depopulation and to enhance cultural, artistic, social and economic sustainable development. Citizens are very involved in community life.

Structure and membership

Comunità Cooperativa is a legally incorporated cooperative. Cooperative model was preferred because it is a democratic model (equality among members), it stimulated citizens’ participation. Mutuality is the biggest aim of this business idea: citizens can work for the cooperative, they can take a practical advantage (electricity) and they can find better conditions for the supply of products (such as water) than that they can find on the market.

Anybody who lives in Melpignano or all citizens who live in the neighbouring towns are eligible for membership. If it is possible to install photovoltaic panels on the roofs (following criteria established by the Engineering Department of the University of Salento), members can benefit from free energy. Some cooperative members take care of the photovoltaic panels and House of water’s maintenance. There are currently 150 members to the cooperative.

No dividend has ever been distributed, and there are no plans to do so in the future. The surplus resulting from the activities of photovoltaic panels (selling surplus electricity) has been invested to build the House of water, for citizens’ well-being.

Business information

Formed in 2011, the time between project conception and incorporation was 1 year. Business planning and development support was provided by Officina Creativa, a social cooperative enterprise in Lecce which promotes new models for land preservation and development of alternative technologies with low environmental impact. Engineering Department of the University of Salento conducted a study before the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roofs.

Capital support was offered by Coopfond, a mutual fund of the co-operative association LegaCoop. It invested €100,000 for the project whilst Banca Etica granted a loan of €300,000 for the purchase of photovoltaic panels.

The cooperative itself aims to develop the active participation of citizens in the decision making process, to improve the condition of the town and the production of clean and renewable energy. Comunità Cooperativa Melpignano encourages the involvement of employees in the cooperative and contact with other agencies to form a social hub.

Lessons Learned

Initially, the cooperative had no capital to start the project which was remedied by help from Coopfond and Banca Etica to kick-start the activities. Additionally, specific skills were needed to start the project. Comunità Cooperativa Melpignano was able to start a good “scouting” process among cooperative members and citizens to find professionals. The partnership with the Engineering Department of the University of Salento was very useful for sharing know-how and specialist skills. Solution Information and citizens’ engagement contribute to improved participation and capacity for new projects.

Today, the cooperative is today the only distributor of water bottles in the town: they installed 18 Houses of water in the neighbouring towns.