nonprofit circular-economy center

Plant Chicago

Industry Food

A Chicago nonprofit circular-economy center in Back of the Yards with a Firehouse market, swaps, drop-off programs, education, and community programming. It scores this way because local circular-economy infrastructure, reuse, food access, and practical sustainability education are stronger than ordinary retail, while it remains a nonprofit rather than a democratic cooperative.

Why this matters: Plant Chicago adds a Chicago circular-economy anchor with a public market and neighborhood programming.

Letter grade A Good Medium confidence (AI) Rubric gcd-rubric-v1 Last reviewed May 15, 2026

Final Score 56* A - Good

AGOOD56 pts

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

Base Material51

Bonus+5

Cap66No structure cap

After Cap56

Penalties0

Small business context

This entry is classified as a small business using observable scale signals: independent control, local or limited operations, and no evidence of public-company or national-chain scale. The small-business calibration keeps the ordinary rubric but reads evidence at person scale: living-wage pricing is not extraction by itself, while worker and contractor treatment, owner surplus, transparency, advertising pressure, dissent tolerance, and recourse matter more. Harm, toxicity, surveillance, labor, coercion, opacity, and hidden-parent penalties are not relaxed.

Applied cap: No structure cap

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Evaluation Overview

A - Good

The score turns mainly on Ownership; no penalty currently dominates the evaluation.

Strengths

Ownership7/10
Extraction7/10
Solidarity with the Unemployed7/7

Penalties

No penalties applied in this version.

Evidence state

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)
ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)
Linked claims7
Direct axis claims7
Coverage7/12

Scoring Axes

Axis	Score	Why this score
Ownership ? Control rights: shareholder-dominated at 0, worker cooperative control at 10.	7 / 10	Plant Chicago states that it is a nonprofit organization cultivating local circular economies. Plant Chicago states that it is a nonprofit organization cultivating local circular economies. This places Plant Chicago high on Ownership compared with ordinary private competitors because the source-backed model is cooperative, nonprofit, reuse-oriented, or directly accountable to affected communities. It remains below the top tier where evidence does not show full worker/member control or universal public accountability. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: WA/OR/IL A/B expansion calibrated against existing co-ops, nonprofit reuse stores, environmental-justice organizations, credit unions, and conventional retail/service comparators. Linked evidence Plant Chicago states that it is a nonprofit organization cultivating local circular economies. [1] context Plant Chicago's Firehouse offers local produce and goods, swaps, food-scrap and battery/package drop-offs, classes, and community programming. [2] context Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. [3]
Governance ? Binding decision authority: centralized control at 0, democratic stakeholder control at 10.	6 / 10	Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. This places Plant Chicago high on Governance compared with ordinary private competitors because the source-backed model is cooperative, nonprofit, reuse-oriented, or directly accountable to affected communities. It remains below the top tier where evidence does not show full worker/member control or universal public accountability. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: WA/OR/IL A/B expansion calibrated against existing co-ops, nonprofit reuse stores, environmental-justice organizations, credit unions, and conventional retail/service comparators. Linked evidence context Plant Chicago states that it is a nonprofit organization cultivating local circular economies. [1] context Plant Chicago's Firehouse offers local produce and goods, swaps, food-scrap and battery/package drop-offs, classes, and community programming. [2] context Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. [3]
Extraction ? Surplus allocation, wage share, CEO pay ratio, margins, and structured extraction judgment.	7 / 10	Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. This places Plant Chicago high on Extraction compared with ordinary private competitors because the source-backed model is cooperative, nonprofit, reuse-oriented, or directly accountable to affected communities. It remains below the top tier where evidence does not show full worker/member control or universal public accountability. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: WA/OR/IL A/B expansion calibrated against existing co-ops, nonprofit reuse stores, environmental-justice organizations, credit unions, and conventional retail/service comparators. Linked evidence context Plant Chicago states that it is a nonprofit organization cultivating local circular economies. [1] context Plant Chicago's Firehouse offers local produce and goods, swaps, food-scrap and battery/package drop-offs, classes, and community programming. [2] context Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. [3]
Labor Sovereignty ? Worker power: coercive conditions at 0, co-determination or ownership at 7. Employee dissatisfaction matters only when source-backed evidence shows concrete limits on worker agency, such as coercive scheduling, retaliation, wage theft, harassment, unsafe conditions, suppression of worker voice, or extreme turnover.	4 / 7	Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: WA/OR/IL A/B expansion calibrated against existing co-ops, nonprofit reuse stores, environmental-justice organizations, credit unions, and conventional retail/service comparators. Linked evidence context Plant Chicago states that it is a nonprofit organization cultivating local circular economies. [1] context Plant Chicago's Firehouse offers local produce and goods, swaps, food-scrap and battery/package drop-offs, classes, and community programming. [2] context Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. [3]
Solidarity with the Unemployed ? Treatment of exits and nonworkers, including severance, redeployment, and non-competes.	7 / 7	Plant Chicago frames its circular-economy work around equity and economic opportunity for local residents. Plant Chicago frames its circular-economy work around equity and economic opportunity for local residents. This places Plant Chicago high on Solidarity with the Unemployed compared with ordinary private competitors because the source-backed model is cooperative, nonprofit, reuse-oriented, or directly accountable to affected communities. It remains below the top tier where evidence does not show full worker/member control or universal public accountability. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: WA/OR/IL A/B expansion calibrated against existing co-ops, nonprofit reuse stores, environmental-justice organizations, credit unions, and conventional retail/service comparators. Linked evidence context Plant Chicago states that it is a nonprofit organization cultivating local circular economies. [1] context Plant Chicago's Firehouse offers local produce and goods, swaps, food-scrap and battery/package drop-offs, classes, and community programming. [2] context Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. [3] Plant Chicago frames its circular-economy work around equity and economic opportunity for local residents. [4]
Loss-Bearing Fidelity ? Willingness to absorb costs to preserve values, workers, users, and public obligations.	6 / 7	Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. This places Plant Chicago high on Loss-Bearing Fidelity compared with ordinary private competitors because the source-backed model is cooperative, nonprofit, reuse-oriented, or directly accountable to affected communities. It remains below the top tier where evidence does not show full worker/member control or universal public accountability. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: WA/OR/IL A/B expansion calibrated against existing co-ops, nonprofit reuse stores, environmental-justice organizations, credit unions, and conventional retail/service comparators. Linked evidence context Plant Chicago states that it is a nonprofit organization cultivating local circular economies. [1] context Plant Chicago's Firehouse offers local produce and goods, swaps, food-scrap and battery/package drop-offs, classes, and community programming. [2] context Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. [3]
Market Conduct ? Pricing fairness, switching costs, lock-in, and rent extraction.	4 / 5	Plant Chicago's Firehouse offers local produce and goods, swaps, food-scrap and battery/package drop-offs, classes, and community programming. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: WA/OR/IL A/B expansion calibrated against existing co-ops, nonprofit reuse stores, environmental-justice organizations, credit unions, and conventional retail/service comparators. Linked evidence context Plant Chicago states that it is a nonprofit organization cultivating local circular economies. [1] Plant Chicago's Firehouse offers local produce and goods, swaps, food-scrap and battery/package drop-offs, classes, and community programming. [2] context Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. [3]
Product Integrity ? Preservation of quality rather than degradation for monetization.	5 / 5	Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: WA/OR/IL A/B expansion calibrated against existing co-ops, nonprofit reuse stores, environmental-justice organizations, credit unions, and conventional retail/service comparators. Linked evidence context Plant Chicago states that it is a nonprofit organization cultivating local circular economies. [1] context Plant Chicago's Firehouse offers local produce and goods, swaps, food-scrap and battery/package drop-offs, classes, and community programming. [2] Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. [3]
Scale Integrity ? Whether growth improves or degrades fairness and accountability.	5 / 5	Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: WA/OR/IL A/B expansion calibrated against existing co-ops, nonprofit reuse stores, environmental-justice organizations, credit unions, and conventional retail/service comparators. Linked evidence context Plant Chicago states that it is a nonprofit organization cultivating local circular economies. [1] context Plant Chicago's Firehouse offers local produce and goods, swaps, food-scrap and battery/package drop-offs, classes, and community programming. [2] context Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure. [3]

Penalties

No penalties applied in this version.

Bonus Credits

Bonus	Credit	Why this credit
Openness to Dissent ? Credit for tolerating internal, user, customer, worker, and public dissent without retaliation, capture, or viewpoint laundering.	2 / 3	Plant Chicago's public mission includes changing local production, consumption, and waste practices through community-driven programs. Plant Chicago's public mission includes changing local production, consumption, and waste practices through community-driven programs. This supports a limited Openness to Dissent bonus because the organization provides unusually accessible, community-benefit, reuse, or anti-poverty value compared with baseline private competitors. The credit is capped because the record does not prove a comprehensive guarantee for every user. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: WA/OR/IL A/B expansion calibrated against existing co-ops, nonprofit reuse stores, environmental-justice organizations, credit unions, and conventional retail/service comparators. Linked evidence Plant Chicago's public mission includes changing local production, consumption, and waste practices through community-driven programs. [5]
Constitutional Spirit ? Credit for respecting constitutional rights and civil-liberties norms even where private law does not strictly require it.	2 / 3	Plant Chicago emphasizes transparency, diversity, inclusion, and local community empowerment in its circular-economy model. Plant Chicago emphasizes transparency, diversity, inclusion, and local community empowerment in its circular-economy model. This supports a limited Constitutional Spirit bonus because the organization provides unusually accessible, community-benefit, reuse, or anti-poverty value compared with baseline private competitors. The credit is capped because the record does not prove a comprehensive guarantee for every user. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: WA/OR/IL A/B expansion calibrated against existing co-ops, nonprofit reuse stores, environmental-justice organizations, credit unions, and conventional retail/service comparators. Linked evidence Plant Chicago emphasizes transparency, diversity, inclusion, and local community empowerment in its circular-economy model. [6]
Good Deal ? Credit for unusually fair value: durable quality, fair pricing, low lock-in, and clear customer surplus.	1 / 3	Plant Chicago publishes Link Match for food items at the Firehouse market, making local food more accessible for benefit users. Plant Chicago publishes Link Match for food items at the Firehouse market, making local food more accessible for benefit users. This supports a limited Good Deal bonus because the organization provides unusually accessible, community-benefit, reuse, or anti-poverty value compared with baseline private competitors. The credit is capped because the record does not prove a comprehensive guarantee for every user. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: WA/OR/IL A/B expansion calibrated against existing co-ops, nonprofit reuse stores, environmental-justice organizations, credit unions, and conventional retail/service comparators. Linked evidence Plant Chicago publishes Link Match for food items at the Firehouse market, making local food more accessible for benefit users. [7]

Confidence Basis

Confidence is computed from the evidence trail and review state, not typed into the profile by hand.

Medium 74/100

7 verified linked claims 7 direct axis claims 0 disputed claims 7/12 components covered

This confidence label measures the source-backed evidence trail. AI-scaffolded scores remain tentative until human review.

Claim confidence 20/20

7 verified linked claims

Source quality 10/18

Best source per verified claim, weighted by institutional reliability

Direct axis-specific claims 9/18

7 direct claims across 12 active components

Dispute load 12/12

0 disputed claims on this entity

Recency 10/10

Newest accepted timestamp: May 15, 2026

Reviewer status 7/12

Human-reviewed components score higher than AI scaffolding

Component coverage 6/10

7/12 evidence-bearing components have direct support

Evidence State

Profile stateAI draft / human-pending

VerificationUnverified

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)

ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)

Correction routeUse “Challenge this rating” for factual errors, missing counterevidence, source problems, or calculation mistakes.

Company responseCompany representatives can submit source-backed corrections; payment never changes scores or reviewer authority.

Claims and Sources

Claims are the evidence record. Each claim needs a source link, axis category, status, confidence level, and timestamp before it can support a score.

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

1Plant Chicago states that it is a nonprofit organization cultivating local circular economies.

Ownership Verified High confidence Human-reviewed May 15, 2026

Plant Chicago who we areGeneral web source · 58%

2Plant Chicago's Firehouse offers local produce and goods, swaps, food-scrap and battery/package drop-offs, classes, and community programming.

Market Conduct Verified High confidence Human-reviewed May 15, 2026

Plant Chicago visitGeneral web source · 58%

3Plant Chicago's core work is circular-economy education, local reuse, food access, composting, and neighborhood sustainability infrastructure.

Product Integrity Verified High confidence Human-reviewed May 15, 2026

Plant Chicago visitGeneral web source · 58%

4Plant Chicago frames its circular-economy work around equity and economic opportunity for local residents.

Solidarity Unemployed Verified High confidence Human-reviewed May 15, 2026

Plant Chicago who we areGeneral web source · 58%

5Plant Chicago's public mission includes changing local production, consumption, and waste practices through community-driven programs.

Openness To Dissent Verified High confidence Human-reviewed May 15, 2026

Plant Chicago who we areGeneral web source · 58%

6Plant Chicago emphasizes transparency, diversity, inclusion, and local community empowerment in its circular-economy model.

Constitutional Spirit Verified High confidence Human-reviewed May 15, 2026

Plant Chicago who we areGeneral web source · 58%

7Plant Chicago publishes Link Match for food items at the Firehouse market, making local food more accessible for benefit users.

Good Deal Verified High confidence Human-reviewed May 15, 2026

Plant Chicago visitGeneral web source · 58%

Alternatives

AGOOD60 Urban Growers Collective urban farm and food-sovereignty nonprofit · same market AGOOD59 Greater Chicago Food Depository Chicago and Cook County food bank · same market AGOOD61 Three Stone Hearth worker-owned community-supported kitchen · United States AGOOD60 Cheese Board Collective worker cooperative · United States AGOOD60 ChiFresh Kitchen worker-owned prepared-meal cooperative · United States

Competitors

AGOOD60 Urban Growers Collective urban farm and food-sovereignty nonprofit · same market AGOOD59 Greater Chicago Food Depository Chicago and Cook County food bank · same market AGOOD56 Growing Home organic urban farm and workforce-development nonprofit · same market AGOOD54 Common Ground Food Co-op consumer food cooperative · same market AGOOD54 Dill Pickle Food Co-op consumer food cooperative · same market AGOOD54 Green Top Grocery consumer food cooperative · same market AGOOD54 Neighborhood Co-op Grocery consumer food cooperative · same market AGOOD54 Sugar Beet Food Co-op consumer food cooperative · same market

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