It is now universally accepted that reckless globalization with the sole aim of maximizing profit is responsible for the huge income inequalities that are growing worldwide, the continuing isolation of human beings and the disintegration of social fabric, as well as the destruction of the environment, the collapse of ecosystems and the continuing extinction of thousands of species, to the point where in many cases scientists say that conditions are irreversible. And of course, all this ultimately endanger human themselves and undoubtedly their survival on earth.

Economists now understand and accept that there is an insurmountable need to move on to the next day; and in fact, urgently since social and environmental disintegration is now more evident than ever. The fastest and most effective solution proposed by many, either directly or indirectly, is the strengthening of local economies. Strong local economies enable citizens to actively participate in the production process by utilizing their creativity and motivating them to work with other productive actors, both local and non-local. Strong local economies mean cooperation and mutual support, it means strengthening of interpersonal relationships and the social fabric. It means the ability for citizens to look at all members of their society and strive for more collective prosperity. Local production means smaller supply chains and, therefore, less impact on the environment. It means avoiding mass production enabling producers to create better and higher quality products and services, with less impact on both human health and the environment. It means an opportunity to restructure the production process and create incentives for the adoption of business practices and activities around the concept of circular economy. A strong local economy means a strong society and an effort to coexist with our natural environment without destroying it.

The vision is to be a catalyst in the effort towards stronger and more robust local economies with all the positive consequences. There have been thousands of movements and initiatives internationally that have set the same goal over the years. Many times, however, these efforts require great collective mobilization, raise of funds, change of laws and continuous work. The COCO Limassol model wants to achieve this by simply making citizens the protagonists of this movement by giving them the greatest incentive that can be given to any change effort: that of ownership! It wants to make them owners of change by giving them the opportunity to co-own the value created by their local economy and production. Without removing the motivation for private initiative and creation, COCO Limassol envisions societies that have the incentive and potential to prosper both individually and collectively. Societies that rely on the axes of sustainability for the long-term well-being of their current and future members, who can see each other as equal co-owners of their society who share common goals. And all these by implementing a simple idea: that of sharing among us the value that each one of us creates.

Because at the end of the day, in this life, we are all partners.