As the dust settles on another Global Entrepreneurship Week, the UK social enterprise community is reflecting on whether 2013 will mark a real turning point in public awareness of the social economy.
The week began with an event co-hosted by the Centre for Entrepreneurs, the Royal Bank of Scotland Group and UnLtd (full disclosure: I am currently a senior researcher at UnLtd). The event examined recent figures showing a growing appetite for social enterprise amongst budding entrepreneurs, and asked how entrepreneurship could become the career route of choice for younger people. The event also looked how to tackle the “ambition gap” that exists between people who want to start a business and those who actually do, featuring keynote speeches from Toby Perkins, MP and Shadow Small Business Minister, and Aileen McDonnell, CEO of the construction social enterprise B4Box.
Thursday was marked as “Social Enterprise Day”, with further eye-catching events and announcements, also aimed at making social enterprise the norm. In particular it marked the first anniversary of Social Enterprise UK’s (SEUK’s) “Buy Social” campaign, which to date has predominantly sought to encourage larger, private sector businesses to buy from social enterprises. They used the occasion to further this cause, launching a guide to help private sector businesses support social enterprises.
Evidence suggests that this is a worthwhile pursuit – already half of social enterprises trade with the private sector. The Speaker of the House of Commons also took the opportunity to announce that parliament will aim to buy in more social enterprise products and services. This follows the announcement earlier this year that social enterprise Belu Water will supply bottled drinking water to parliament.
Yet recent evidence suggests that whilst three quarters support the idea of social enterprise, only 21 percent know what they actually are. As such attention has now turned to also raising public awareness, with SEUK also launching a new animation encouraging the public to join the “Buy Social” revolution. Alongside this, UK business outreach charity “Business in the Community” launched a poster campaign at 100 London Underground stations also urging the public to “buy social”. Expected to reach over 2 million people every fortnight over a twelve week campaign that takes in the busy Christmas shopping season, the campaign showcases the work of two social enterprises – “from babies with love” and “Rubies in the Rubble”.
It is hoped that the cumulative effect of these multiple campaigns will leave a substantial mark on the public conscience, though it seems there is still much to be done before the majority of people are filling their stockings with social enterprise goods.