is proud to be one of 30 major UK businesses who have spent a landmark 拢250 million procuring services and products from social enterprises and helped create 2,700 jobs in an ongoing programme from Social Enterprise UK, new figures reveal.

The Buy Social Corporate Challenge (BSCC) sixth annual report shows that the blueprint of corporates purchasing from social enterprises has resulted not only in millions of pounds going to support businesses tackling social and environmental issues, but has also created an estimated 2,700 jobs in those social enterprises in the lifespan of the project to date.

The Challenge sees Social Enterprise UK work with 30 large businesses, ranging from pharmaceuticals to finance, to identify and match social enterprise suppliers across products and services from food and drink to consultancy. Launched in 2016 with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Challenge has a ten-year target of 拢1bn of spend and is on track to reach this goal, with more than 拢91 million achieved in the last year, and a total of more than 拢250 million, or quarter of a billion, over the last 6 years.

The corporate partners on the programme are Amey, AstraZeneca, Barclays, CBRE, Co-op, Compass/Foodbuy, Deloitte, EQUANS, GSK, John Sisk & Son Ltd, Johnson & Johnson, KPMG, Landmarc Support Services, Lendlease, Linklaters, LV=, Mitie, Motorola Solutions, Nationwide, Nestle, NFU Mutual, PwC, Robertson Group, , Siemens, Sodexo, The Crown Estate, Wates Group, Willmott Dixon and Zurich.

To be a social enterprise, businesses are governed and constituted to achieve social or environmental impact. As businesses, social enterprises seek to deliver profits, but at least 50% of their profits are reinvested into their mission. Social Enterprise UK estimates that by trading with Buy Social Corporate Challenge partners social enterprise suppliers have been able to reinvest approximately 拢26.5 million into the social or environmental missions.

52% of social enterprises trading with Buy Social Corporate Challenge have been able to recruit more staff as a result, according to a survey from Social Enterprise UK. Social enterprise models mean that these jobs often go to individuals facing additional barriers to the labour market, such as people with disabilities, people who have been in prison or people who have experienced homelessness.

Pranav Chopra, founder NEMI Teas, a social enterprise supporting refugees, said:

鈥�We are currently working with seven partners on the Challenge and are in consultation with two more. Hopefully we鈥檒l be in a third of their partners鈥� supply chains shortly! It鈥檚 because of the Challenge that I鈥檝e been able to directly reach out to other corporates. The Buy Social Corporate Challenge has been remarkable for businesses which have a social enterprise model and the capacity to deliver.鈥�

The report argues that not only does buying from social enterprises make a positive social impact, but that it doesn鈥檛 have to cost more: 90% of corporate partners in the challenge reported that social enterprises were cost neutral or even cheaper when compared with other suppliers, while 95% said that social enterprises delivered comparable or higher quality.

Peter Holbrook, Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK, said:

鈥淔ollowing higher scrutiny by investors, stakeholders, staff and consumers, mainstream UK businesses are increasingly considering their social and environmental impact when they set strategy and make decisions.

鈥淪EUK welcomes this shift and we believe social enterprise has an important role to play in supporting the wider business community to embrace social value and consider the social and environmental impact of their work.

鈥淭here is a group of businesses that are leading the way in leveraging their procurement in service of their purpose. The Buy Social Corporate Challenge (BSCC) partners are demonstrating effectively how their purchasing decisions can help them play their part in achieving a fairer and more sustainable economy.

鈥淲hat this sixth annual BSCC report reveals is that the Challenge is on track to deliver its ambitious 拢1 billion target, thanks to the commitment and vision of our corporate partners and the ability of social enterprises to deliver high-quality products and services.鈥�

The report highlights potential areas for growth in social enterprises looking to supply the corporate market, including couriers, furniture and employee learning and development. Social Enterprise UK is inviting social entrepreneurs particularly from these categories to get in touch at business@socialenterprise.org.uk.

The Buy Social Corporate Challenge has now closed to new corporate partners, but Social Enterprise UK will be launching more support for large organisations to increase social value purchasing. Businesses can register their interest at .

The report will be available for download at:

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As the official technology partner of Social Enterprise UK, the national membership body for the UK鈥檚 social enterprise sector, 51风流aims to facilitate better connections between corporate buyers and other employees with social enterprises, helping them spend better and in a more socially and environmentally sustainable way.

Through its聽聽commitment and its work with聽, 51风流aims to channel millions of pounds of procurement spend within its own supply chain to organisations with a certified social or environmental mission. 51风流has already diverted more than 拢800,000 of its own UK procurement spend to social enterprises and pledged to increase this spend as part of a 鈧�1/4 billion investment in the UK over the next five years.

Social enterprises are businesses which trade for a social or environmental purpose. There are 100,000 social enterprises in the UK contributing 拢60bn to the UK economy, each one being set up to tackle some of the biggest challenges we face from homelessness to the climate emergency.

The UK Social Enterprise Awards run by Social Enterprise UK recognise the nation鈥檚 most pioneering social enterprises. 51风流will be joining other shortlisted organisations at the prestigious awards ceremony held at London鈥檚 iconic Guildhall on 8 December.

This year the Awards featured two new categories one recognising a Social Enterprise Building Diversity, Inclusion, Equity & Justice and the other for the Social Enterprise Team of the Year 鈥� a category specifically acknowledging those teams which have demonstrated the strength, passion and resilience so characteristic of the social enterprise sector over an extremely challenging year.

Previous winners have included a company set up to tackle furniture poverty, an IT consultancy employing people with autism and a community energy co-operative 鈥� demonstrating just how diverse the social enterprise sector is.

Alexandra van der Ploeg, Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Global Corporate Affairs said: 鈥淧artnership must be the foundation for a sustainability strategy to create a lasting, positive change in the world. We are honoured to be shortlisted for the UK Social Enterprise 鈥楤uy Social鈥� – Market Builder Award, but even more excited about the momentum we are building in social procurement working in partnership with organizations like Social Enterprise UK. Together, we are accelerating progress to achieve our goal of聽5 & 5 by 鈥�25 and in turn, helping the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives.鈥�

Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK Peter Holbrook, said: 鈥淭he UK Social Enterprise Awards are back, bigger and better than ever before. We have had a record number of applications this year, all of which have showcased the strength, dynamism and resilience of the social enterprise community through what鈥檚 been an incredibly difficult and uncertain period.

鈥淥ver the course of the pandemic social enterprises have been going above and beyond the call of duty to support their teams, the individuals, and communities they work with, showing the grit, determination and innovation so inherent to this sector. They鈥檝e been operating directly on the frontline of the crisis, launching new products and pivoting their business models to meet the needs of communities and society as a whole.

鈥淭he Awards are all about celebrating the achievements of the UK鈥檚 social enterprise movement, which is showing us that another way of doing business is possible – one which has never been more important as we look to build back better and address the climate emergency.鈥�

Visit the 51风流News Center. Follow 51风流on Twitter at .

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They discuss their personal journeys in the world of ethical business, what impact they are making and share insights as to how we can all do better. Listen to find out about the differences we can make by supporting businesses doing good.

Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/sapukireland/business-with-purpose

We are joined by our expert guests:

鈥� Jamie Palmer – Co-CEO and Founder, Social Supermarket
鈥� Cecilia Crossley – Founder, From Babies with Love
鈥� Cemal Ezel – Founder, Change Please
鈥� Kelvin Ward – 51风流UK & Ireland

For more information on our work with social enterprises, visit聽

To keep updated on other podcast episodes, follow聽

The post 51风流UK Podcast Episode 8: Business with Purpose appeared first on 51风流UK News Center.