Is Ardelaine the model of a durable company ?

Ardelaine is a workers' co-operative (Société Coopérative Ouvrière de Production) created in 1982 to promote local wool on the site of a disused textile mill in the Ardèche region. Today, it employs about thirty people and has a turnover of 1.2 million Euros. Apart from the processing of wool, it is also a local growth company which has created two museums on the site of the textile mill and has opened a knitting workshop in a disadvantaged district of Valence. Ardelaine also wants to encourage personal development by organising collaboration and flexibility in the workplace, and also to encourage decentralisation and give people a sense of responsibility in decision-making. Finally, it promotes its local environment, thereby illustrating the three dimensions of a company's responsibility towards society. Is this a forerunner of tomorrow's durable company ?