Founded in 1981, SAW-B (Solidarité des Alternatives Wallonnes et Bruxelloises) is a pioneering organisation that unites over 120 social enterprises and networks in Belgium, including cooperatives, associations, and research centres. Representing more than 15,000 workers, its members are active in sectors such as renewable energy, fair trade, recycling, training, and local services. SAW-B's mission is to position the social economy as a transformative alternative to globalised neoliberal capitalism by supporting entrepreneurship, advocating for inclusive policy, and raising critical public awareness.

To pursue this mission, SAW-B acts along three key pillars:

• Policy advocacy at regional, national, and European levels to defend and shape the role of social economy.
• Support and coaching for individuals and groups developing or growing social enterprises.
• Public education and mobilisation through studies, publications, and training to foster critical economic thought.

One of SAW-B’s flagship initiatives is Socioeco.org, a multilingual, international knowledge platform on the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE). This online resource aggregates thousands of documents—including legal frameworks, academic research, case studies, interviews, bibliographies, and maps—covering SSE activities from around the world. It addresses the fragmentation of SSE knowledge across countries and languages by making diverse and localised information accessible to a wide range of users: citizens, researchers, policymakers, journalists, and educators.

A core innovation of Socioeco.org lies in its interactive mapping tools, which visualise:

• SSE solutions and policies globally, including by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
• SSE-related pedagogical resources and textbooks
• Independent and cooperative media involved in "solutions journalism". These maps are not intended for statistical use, but instead act as narrative-based tools showcasing the diversity and richness of grassroots SSE initiatives.

The platform also features a unique SSE Legislation Hub, cataloguing framework laws and related decrees from countries and regions worldwide. This legal archive includes documents in their original languages and enables filtered searches by region, theme (e.g., associations, cooperatives), or law type (national, regional, international). It allows policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to explore how different legal systems support or hinder social economy development.

SAW-B also serves as a training centre and innovation lab, supporting enterprise creation through hands-on coaching in business modelling, democratic governance, financial planning, and legal setup. It assists both new and established SSE organisations in responding to public tenders and developing stronger public-private partnerships. In addition, SAW-B supports local governments in embedding social clauses into procurement frameworks.

Through its dual role as a federation and a resource hub, SAW-B and Socioeco.org strengthen the coherence, visibility, and legitimacy of the social and solidarity economy. They not only help scale up social impact but also empower a wide ecosystem of changemakers committed to building a fairer and more democratic economic system.