Sustainable economies due diligence: good examples and the role of social dialogue

About SEDLEX

Corporate sustainability is an increasingly important issue for companies in all EU member states and candidate countries as they seek to balance economic results with social and environmental responsibility. Social economy organisations are already one step ahead in trying to balance economic and social (and environmental and democratic governance) dimensions of their activities. 

As stated in the European Commission proposal on strengthening social dialogue in the European Union (January 2023), social dialogue is a key driver for economic and social resilience, competitiveness, fairness and sustainable growth.

The research activities of the SEDLEX project then examines how social economy organisations use social dialogue in the management of their value driven business models.

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Latest news

1st European event of SEDLEX project (11.06.24)

The first European event of the SEDLEX project was held in Frankfurt on the 11 June 2024.
The event aimed to raise awareness on the topic and about the project, knowledge exchange and improvement on the field of social dialogue, due diligence, corporate social responsibility.  The partners and experts  who participated in person or online,  had an interesting and fruitful  conversation on the topic. 

One of the conclusion made that it is important to address a common narrative “bug”: the social economy is often seen merely as a reparation business model, aimed at fixing the damages caused by mainstream business practices. However, this perspective overlooks the fact that the social economy has the capacity and potential to be a real, viable alternative to mainstream business models. The recent European Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence underscores the importance of integrating sustainability into business operations. Large companies are uniquely positioned to lead this charge, demonstrating how social economy principles can be embedded in corporate strategies, driving long-term positive impacts.
The event materials are available to download: 

 

Launch Event (Brussels, 31.01.2024)

On the 31st of January, 2024 the SEDLEX project officially started with a partners-only kick-off meeting, hosted by the Brussels office of Legacoop and Confcooperative. The kick-off meeting has been followed by a public Launch Event on the 31st of January at the premises of Les Ateliers des Tanneurs. The public Launch Event took place with the involvement of 13 people, including invited guests and speakers from DG Grow and Cecop-Cicopa.  All co-partner organisations – DIESIS Network (Belgium), KU Leuven (Belgium) and innova eG (Germany) were represented. The event was chaired by Melinda Kelemen (Project Manager, Diesis Network).

The event materials are available to download: 

Implementation period

01/11/2023 – 31/10/2025

Target countries

The target countries are France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain.

SEDLEX research is primarily but not exclusively focusing on three sectors: financial services, wholesale and retail trade as well as agriculture and food industries in these countries.

Expected outputs

The main outputs of the research activities of the SEDLEX project will be:

    5

    country background studies

    15

    case studies

    1

    comparative final research report including best practices  

    The project events and peer-learning activities also provide opportunities for best practices and processes exchange amongst large mainstream and social economy organisations.

    The project and its partners are committed to the principles enshrined in the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) and to contribute to the Pillar’s implementation.

    Partnership

    Coordinator

    Co-partners

    Associated partners

    Find us

    Boulevard Charlemagne 74
    1000 Brussels – Belgium
    TVA BE 0460304689

    Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

    Project number 101126464

    Contact us

    +32.2.543.10.43
    diesis@diesis.coop