First Wave of Social Enterprise Mark Holders

The first wave of Social Enterprise Mark holders represent the breadth and diversity of social enterprises – businesses driven by social and environmental objectives. Recent companies to receive the Mark include GLL, London’s largest social enterprise managing seventy public leisure centres and employing approximately 4,000 people; Make Believe Arts, a small London based theatre and education business; and The Phone Co-op, a national telecommunications co-operative.

Freeset, a Southampton based manufacturer of Indian jute bags; Northern Ireland’s ARC Healthy Living Centre and HCT Group, a transport company with bus routes in London and Yorkshire also join the ranks of the Social Enterprise Mark’s newest awardees.

All of these companies have recognised the role of the Mark in endorsing their business’s social enterprise principles and in creating increased awareness of social enterprise among consumers.

Vivian Woodell, CEO of The Phone Co-op says: “The achievement of the new Social Enterprise Mark is very exciting for us. The Mark is such an important step in raising awareness so that more people will buy from and engage with social enterprises. We are optimistic about what the Mark can achieve and we are delighted to be a part of it.”

Trisha Lee from Make Believe Arts and a Social Enterprise Ambassador said: “As an arts organisation set up to fulfill our social mission of nurturing creativity in all children, it’s really important that people recognise that what we do is different. The Social Enterprise Mark is a bold and clear way of stating that what we are doing is working towards something more than just profit.”

The Mark, launched just three weeks ago on February 1, has already been awarded to 21 new businesses, or approximately one business receiving the Mark per day since launch. Additionally, there are over 60 new applications in the pipeline. The social enterprise movement itself, which already contributes £24 billion to the economy and employs 800,000 people, has set the criteria for the Mark which is administered by the Social Enterprise Mark Company.

Lucy Findlay, chief officer of The Social Enterprise Mark Company, says: “The pace of interest in the Mark since its launch is an encouraging start with 21 new businesses on board, even at this early stage. Over the next months, we will be making concerted efforts to reach diverse social enterprises as we want the Mark to be available to all, whatever their size or business sector. The application process is designed to be easy and an important part of our job is to help applicants through the process of understanding and meeting the criteria so that more and more organisations will be able to benefit from the Mark.”

http://semarkblog.com/2010/03/first-wave-of-social-enterprise-mark-holders-come-in-all-shapes-and-sizes/

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