The UK’s first Social Saturday – a national day to celebrate the UK’s rising social enterprise movement – will take place on 13 September 2014.
The day is designed to significantly boost the number of consumers buying from Britain’s 70,000 plus social enterprises, businesses with a social mission that reinvest their profits for good.
Social Saturday is being led by the national campaigning body, Social Enterprise UK (I am a member of Social Enterprise UK), and is supported by the Cabinet Office and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The day has cross party political support and is part of the UK’s successful Buy Social campaign, now in its second year.
At a House of Commons reception to launch Social Saturday, Business Minister Jo Swinson said:
“Social enterprises across the country bring huge benefits to their local communities, their employees and the environment. What we all want to see are businesses acting as a force for good, creating jobs and helping build a stronger, more sustainable economy. Social enterprises take this a step further by reinvesting their profits for the good of society. That is why I wholeheartedly support this year’s Social Saturday. It’s a great opportunity for all of us to become more aware of how our spending can make a real difference.”
Peter Holbrook, CEO of Social Enterprise UK, said:
“The Buy Social campaign has one simple aim – to get people making purchases with social enterprises. Every product and service you buy has a social impact, so why not make it a good one? Consumers are getting wise to this already – they know that, when a factory collapses in Bangladesh, in the business of making clothes for our high-street stores, it’s a concern for every one of us. The UK’s social enterprise movement is growing fast because people do care about how their spending affects the wider world. The Buy Social campaign is about giving them the opportunity to identify the businesses that will help them change the world for good.”
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