social enterprises are profit-making businesses set up to tackle a social or environmental need.

many commercial businesses would consider themselves to have social objectives, but social enterprises are distinctive because their social or environmental purpose is central to what they do. rather than maximising shareholder value their main aim is to generate profit to further their social and environmental goals.

well known examples of social enterprises I the uk include jamie oliver's restaurant fifteen, the big issue, the eden project, the co-op bank and fair-trade coffee company cafedirect.

the social enterprise movement is inclusive and extremely diverse, encompassing organisations such as development trusts, community enterprises, co-operatives, housing associations, 'social firms' and leisure trusts, among others. these businesses are operating across an incredibly wide range of industries and sectors from health and social care, to renewable energy, recycling and fair trade.

social enterprise is a business model which offers the prospect of a greater equity of economic power and a more sustainable society - by combining market efficiency with social and environmental justice.

we believe social enterprise is the business model for the 21st century.

for more details on social enterprises, view this document.

who are social entrepreneurs?

social entrepreneurs run socially conscious businesses. social entrepreneurs are to social change what business entrepreneurs are to the economy. they are the driven, creative individuals who question the status quo, harness new — often overlooked — opportunities, refuse to give up and remake the world for the better; and increasingly, they are filling the void left by the failures of governments and bureaucracies. social entrepreneurship has quietly become a movement around the world. we now see social entrepreneurs level the playing field and address large sections of society left behind by economic growth. they understand ‘profit’ as large-scale and inclusive systemic transformation and take the poorest citizens along the growth curve.

watch some clips on social entrepreneurs from around the world.