The cooperative society La Fageda, located in Santa Pau, has valued the social impact it generates in La Garrotxa at 73 million euros, marking a 12% increase compared to the previous year. The entity emphasizes that for every euro invested in its social project, the return to society is thirteen euros.
Since 2022, La Fageda has employed a specific tool to measure the scope of its initiative and its real impact. According to these calculations, 77% of the 850 individuals forming the entity's community belong to vulnerable groups. Furthermore, 470 people have held employment contracts within the project, which prioritizes the labor integration of these individuals.
The Integrated Social Value (VSI) offers a complementary perspective to traditional economic indicators, analyzing the impact on key stakeholders. The methodology incorporates market value (direct and indirect economic value such as salaries, taxes, supplier purchases, and customer value) and non-market value (improvements in social inclusion, autonomy of supported individuals, community participation, time freed for families, and reduction of public spending).
In the past fiscal year, the market value stood at 62.2 million euros, while the non-market social value reached 11.1 million euros. The latter primarily translates into benefits for the individuals supported and their immediate circles, with contributions of 5.6 million for the supported individuals, 2.9 million for families, and approximately 660,000 euros for the community.
As of the end of 2025, La Fageda had 852 individuals associated with the project. Of these, 470 held employment contracts, and approximately 60% of them, originating from La Garrotxa, have intellectual disabilities, mental health issues, or are at risk of social exclusion. 80% of these individuals work in a protected environment within the entity's business activities (dairy products, jams, ice cream, gardening, farming, agriculture, visitor services, cafeteria, and internal services), while the remaining 20% work in companies within the region.
