Buy Social

DO A GREAT DEAL, BUY SOCIAL

Who do you go to for your printing needs? Your website design? What about your office cleaners, event caterers, florists?

Bring social enterprises into your supply chain and do a great deal more.

Social enterprises are the innovators, the job creators and the value generators in a sector that genuinely puts people and planet before profit.

 

HELP US REACH 500 DEALS BY SOCIAL ENTERPRISE DAY | NOVEMBER 2013

Get just one new social enterprise into your supply chain by Social Enterprise Day in November 2013.  The goal is 500 deals by this date.  Those who strike the first 50 deals will receive a limited edition Buy Social canvas bag.

 

REACH NEW CUSTOMERS

Take part and reach thousands of potential customers for free.  Just tell us the social enterprise you're trading with - blog it, put it as a news item on your website, tweet it.

Tweet @SocialEnt_UK and #buysocial to get a guaranteed RT to over 14,000 followers.

If you’re not on twitter, email us at pressoffice@socialenterprise.org.uk with brief details of and we'll feature you and your social enterprise supplier on our website reaching thousands, and all deals made will be listed in our e-newsletter that goes out to more than 12,000.

 

DISPLAY THE BUY SOCIAL STAMP

Show that you’re buying social and supporting the social economy.  Put this stamp on your website and email signatures.

TIP. Download the stamp rather than copy this image for a better quality picture.  It can be resized.

Download stamp

 

 

COPY FOR EMAIL SIGNATURES


FOR SOCIAL ENTERPRISES

We Buy Social. 

We’re supporting values that match our own
We’re increasing sustainability within the movement
We’re growing the social economy
We’re creating social value
We’re keeping our money in communities

#buysocial

FOR SUPPORTERS OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISES

We’re supporting Buy Social.

Social enterprises are the innovators, the job creators and the value generators in a sector that genuinely puts people and planet before profit.  Why not get a new social enterprise into your supply chain?  #buysocial

 

DIRECTORIES TO FIND A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE SUPPLIER


Is there a good social enterprise directory missing from this list?  Let us know - email pressoffice@socialenterprise.org.uk

 

ORDER YOUR HARD-COPY DIRECTORY AND STICKERS


The fold away social enterprise directory which doubles as a poster can go on your office wall or sit neatly on your desk.  Put the stickers on your coat, your bike, your bag and promote the message that it’s good to buy social.  

Email info@socialenterprise.org.uk to order the free materials.

Download the poster for a quality image.

 

TWEET US YOUR NEEDS


Need new cleaners, office supplies, decorators, or contractors of any description? Tweet us your needs @SocialEnt_UK and we’ll put your shout out across our network reaching 14,000 people and organisations.

 

WHY THE BUY SOCIAL CAMPAIGN? 

 

An SEUK survey completed by over 100 social enterprises revealed that 88% would like a greater proportion of their suppliers to be social enterprises. 

The first phase of the campaign seeks to support ‘inter-trading’ - social enterprises to buy from one another,  helping them achieve their social/environmental missions, and grow the contribution the social enterprise sector makes to the economy.

Future plans will support private businesses and consumers to buy from social enterprises. Watch this space!

 

SEUK BUYS SOCIAL FROM...

 

At the Social Enterprise Exchange in March 2012, SEUK and Social Enterprise Scotland made sure that the majority of the suppliers were social enterprises. In fact only four out of 27 weren’t.

 

RECENT PURCHASES MADE BY SEUK STAFF... 


Peter bought his latest set of wheels from Bikeworks, gets some of his smalls from Pants to Poverty, stops for lunch and buys plants from Growing Concerns, goes to see AFC Wimbledon play, has cufflinks from Elvis & Kresse and his water bottle is from Give Me Tap.

www.bikeworks.org.uk | www.pantstopoverty.com | www.growingconcerns.org

www.afcwimbledon.co.uk | www.fire-hose.co.uk | www.givemetap.co.uk

Celia always buys Café Direct, One sticking plasters (leopard print of course), Divine Chocolate, shops at the Co-op supermarket and likes loudly asking whether the restaurant she is in plans to start stocking Belu soon, if it isn’t already.

www.theredgiraffe.co.uk | www.cafedirect.co.uk | www.onedifference.org | www.divinechocolate.com

www.co-operative.coop/food | www.belu.org

Olof shops at the People’s Supermarket, has been to exhibitions at the Oxo Tower, taken an Unseen Tour of Old Street, and Olof’s Mum buys her a Divine advent calendar every year...

www.thepeoplessupermarket.org | www.coinstreet.org/spacehire/galleriesexhibitions.html

http://sockmobevents.org.uk | www.divinechocolate.com

Nick has an Elvis + Kresse laptop cover, underwear from Pants to Poverty (they are popular), buys Café + Tea Direct (Macchu Picchu is his favourite), Divine Lemon & Ginger chocolate (70%), Belu when he sees it, and Global Ethics ‘One Eggs’, which his local garage sells. Nick’s also got his eye on some TOMS Shoes.

www.pantstopoverty.com | www.cafedirect.co.uk | www.divinechocolate.com

www.belu.org | www.onedifference.org | www.toms.com 

Yvette shares a pad with others through Dot Dot Dot, a social enterprise working to bring empty properties into use for everyone’s benefit.  They place individuals who do great voluntary work in houses that would otherwise be vacant, protecting the properties and contributing to the neighbourhood.

www.dotdotdotproperty.com

Sam has taken friends on Unseen Tours, buys the Big Issue, dons Pants to Poverty undergarms, and bought a baby grow online at from babies with love.

http://sockmobevents.org.uk | www.bigissue.com | www.pantstopoverty.com

www.frombabieswithlove.org

Charlotte’s purse is from Elvis & Kresse, and took a tour organised by Social Ventures Hong Kong on her most recent holiday.

www.fire-hose.co.uk | www.sv-hk.org 

 

SOCIAL ENTERPRISES DOING BUSINESS WITH ONE ANOTHER

 

Poached Creative is a writing and communications company that creates opportunities for unemployed and disadvantaged people. They buy social from:

Mediorite - a youth media agency. Together they've worked on the BBC Radio One Hackney Academy, Peabody’s Staying Safe campaign and more.

The printing co-operative Calverts as well as Unity Trust Bank.

Youth charity SkyWay provides positive activities for Hackney’s young people and its enterprise arm provides super-fast, no fuss CRB checking services for volunteers and new recruits.

Striding Out and Social Spider are two training providers they’ve used to build skills within their team.

Manor House Development Trust & Inklusive CIC

Manor House Development Trust (MHDT) gets its refill toner ink cartridges from Inklusive CIC. 

Inklusive CIC provides employment opportunities and training for disadvantaged people.  The jobs are real and pay competitive salaries.  They also recycle cartridges that would otherwise ultimately become waste - over 60% of all inkjet and toner cartridges end up in landfill and result in chemical contamination.

MHDT is an resident-led social enterprise that works to ensure communities benefit socially and economically from the Woodberry Down Regeneration Programme, which began in 2002.  MHDT works in the London Boroughs of Hackney and Haringey.

The Phone Co-op & HCT Group

HCT Group is a social enterprise in the transport industry, providing over 12 million passenger trips on its buses every year. It has a contract with The Phone Co-op, which offers phone, broadband and mobile services.  Its members run the business - a group of people united by shared values, shared ownership and democratically made decisions.

Clean Slate & CAN

Clean Slate provides work opportunities to homeless people, prison leavers, refugees, offering practical help to people setting up their own businesses and by linking with Employer Partners who provide work placements.

CAN is one such Employer Partner. It supports social ventures and charities to grow their businesses and maximise their impact.  CAN provides support, funds, office space and social impact reporting consultancy.

Clarity & Argonaut Community Enterprises

Clarity - Employment for Blind People and Argonaut Community Enterprises have been working together for over a year.  Their relationship makes sense - both social enterprises are committed to creating opportunities for disabled people.  

Argonaut provides cleaning services and Clarity manufactures and sells cleaning products, which you can buy online.  When Argonaut expanded into washroom hygiene services they were able to call on Clarity for their range of hand soaps and toiletries. Clarity was established in 1854 and runs a factory in King’s Cross, London.