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Sustainability and the Social Enterprise – Alternative Business Models for a Sustainable Future

Sustainability and the Social Enterprise – Alternative Business Models for a Sustainable Future. Frances Hines BRASS Cardiff University. Social Enterprises – What?. 3 rd Way?? Charities? Real businesses?. A social enterprise is :

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Sustainability and the Social Enterprise – Alternative Business Models for a Sustainable Future

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  1. Sustainability and the Social Enterprise – Alternative Business Models for a Sustainable Future Frances Hines BRASS Cardiff University

  2. Social Enterprises – What? • 3rd Way?? • Charities? • Real businesses? A social enterprise is : “… a business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners.” DEFRA 2003

  3. The SE Business Model • Holistic • Integrative • Community based • Sustainability focused – environmental - social - economic • The perfect solution?

  4. A Case Study….

  5. Newport Wastesavers Recycling for Newport

  6. Cleanstream Resource Centre

  7. Who are they? A Charity and not-for-profit community business operating a range of recycling initiatives, for the benefit of the local community “More than profit”

  8. What do they do? • Community Furniture Reuse • Education & Schools programmes • Kerbside Recycling • Paint Reuse • Commercial Recycling

  9. Reuse • Collect around 3000 items of unwanted furniture per year • Passed on to low income families • Provides training and placement opportunities • Currently reuse 20% bulky waste, but have plans for 90% of it • Repair & Refurbish domestic electrical appliances

  10. Kerbside Recycling • The 1st authority-wide kerbside scheme in Wales • Collects paper, cans, glass, textiles and plastic from 52,500 hhs • All material is sorted at source • Highest kerbside recycling rate in Wales

  11. What’s the difference • No profit is taken out of the local community • Community own the scheme • Use of Volunteers & Placements • Contract with Probation Service • Contract with Prescoed Prison, Usk • Social objectives • Lowest running cost of any multi-material kerbside scheme in UK (possible Europe)

  12. Awards & Recognition • Used as an example of good practice by WAG, District Auditor & UK Government • Many awards including Environment Wales 10 of the best winner • Best Community Recycling Project in the U.K. – Marks and Spencer Award, 2005 • Financial support from Onyx Environmental Trust, National Lottery, Charter Housing, Gwent probation, WDA & others

  13. Partnership with NCC • Newport City Council pays us £39 per tonne for all materials collected • Recycling Warden promotes participation • Joint working on recycling initiatives • Council runs CA site and green waste collections • Council employ a Recycling PR person

  14. What’s not perfect? • Professionalism? • Scale? • Real benefits? • Evaluation?

  15. SE and Sustainability? • Environmental, economic and social objectives • Community focus and community scale • Education and behavioural change as well as direct benefits? • But….sustainable without funding? What is the future for social enterprises in the UK?

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