For Japanese co-operatives, the environmental dimension of concern for community in the 7th Principle means counting bugs! In Japan, agricultural co-operatives are major food producers and farming can have significant environmental impact. In the annual "rice Paddy organism Survey" promoted by ZeN-Noh (the National federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations), co-operative members, local consumers and their children paddle in rice paddies to carry out an ecological survey of plants, insects, frogs, birds and other organisms to ensure that farming does not impact adversely on the ecosystem of the paddy fields. by participating in the survey children learn about nature and become aware of the close connection between agriculture, food, the impact human actions have on the natural environment and the importance of maintaining biodiversity.

Employees are recruited from and live in the communities in which co-operatives work. Concern for the sustainable development of communities requires co-operatives to be good employers and to be concerned about their employees' wellbeing and the wellbeing of their employees' families.

The Preamble to the 2002 International Labour organization's recommendation 193 on the Promotion of Co-operatives refers to "the rights and principles embodied in international labour Conventions and recommendations". In the draft text of recommendation 193 approved by the Alliance's board in April 2002, reference to the ILos labour conventions and recommendations was included and the draft text was approved by the Alliance's board. The ILo's Labour Standards should therefore be considered as the foundation for establishing a co-operative's employment policies. Co-operatives should lead by example in seeking to apply them.

Newly established or smaller co-operatives that do not have professional employment management expertise may find it challenging to comply with international labour standards in employment practice. Larger or established co-operatives, through the application of the 6th Principle, can help newer or smaller co-operatives by sharing employment policies, procedures and expertise with them. Financial and insurance co-operatives can and do provide pension schemes that staff of new co-operative enterprises can join. Co-operatives can form or join secondary co-operatives or federations to purchase employment advice and human resource management services.