Co-operation across sectors happens similarly through purchasing products and services from other co-operatives, cross-promotion and joint marketing, shared member and employee co-operative education and training programmes. this cross-sectoral co-operation also occurs when co-operatives provide co-operative development support, financial and in-kind, to other co-operatives and when co-operatives intentionally choose to do business with another co-operative outside their sector. for example, an agricultural or housing co-operative may choose to partner with a credit union or co-operative bank for loans and for financial services.

When co-operatives work together with other social movements, such as the fair trade movement and the trade union movement, wider co-operation extends to and involves entities beyond the co-operative movement. this broad reaching work with people organised outside the current co-operative movement is a key way in which the co-operative form of enterprise remains relevant and discovers new opportunities for innovation and growth. Working with other social economy businesses and charities can be a way of increasing co-operative enterprise activity and strengthening and consolidating the broader social and solidarity sector of the economy.

Sectors or individual co-operatives can sometimes grow stagnant or frustrated within their local, national, or issue-based context, but can become inspired by the practices and work of co-operatives in other parts of the world and other aspects of collectively working for global justice. Whilst co-operatives may reasonably and productively expand their business beyond their immediate country of origin, it is particularly important that co-operatives which may consider that they have maximised their market share in their country of origin do not seek to expand their business as a co-operative or in the form of a subsidiary company in another country without any contact with or reference to local co-operatives, but such contacts must respect national anti-trust and anti-competition law and regulations.