About us

What is the Social Enterprise Mark?

The Social Enterprise Mark is a label which tells customers that a product or service comes from a social enterprise.

To be eligible for the Social Enterprise Mark a supplier must demonstrate that they are a social enterprise and provide evidence that they are delivering a social or environmental benefit. Apply to use the Mark.

Holders of the Social Enterprise Mark can use it to communicate the social or environmental credentials of their product or service to the customer. They can also benefit from support around leadership skills, demonstrating social impact and collaboration with others using the Mark.

For customers, the Mark offers the opportunity to recognise and choose a product or service that comes from a social enterprise and through doing so they can help to create more sustainable social or environmental outcomes.

The Social Enterprise Mark is currently available to social enterprises trading in South West England, with a view to expanding nationally in the future. Let us know if you are interested in this.

For further information about Suppliers is available.

History

There has been ongoing debate in the social enterprise sector about how social enterprises can better make its case to customers. Many still do not understand the added social or environmental value of purchasing from a social enterprise rather than a traditional business.

One way to increase customer awareness of social enterprise is to establish a recognised brand or label. This could be used to inform or remind customers about the added social or environmental value of purchasing from a social enterprise and help influence their purchasing decisions.

In recent years this idea has been gathering support, with a growing body of research highlighting the need for a social enterprise label, such as ‘Social enterprise - through the eyes of the customer' (National Consumer Council, 2004) and the ‘Together for Trade' (RISE, June 2006). So RISE, the regional network for social enterprises in the South West, seized this opportunity to develop the Social Enterprise Mark.

The Social Enterprise Mark is the only social enterprise label open to all types of social enterprises. It offers the opportunity to gain widespread recognition of social enterprise amongst customers.

The Social Enterprise Mark is funded by The National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund, with sponsorship from the South West of England Regional Development Agency, the Co-operative Group SW and Triodos Bank, earned income and joining fees. In the medium term, RISE plans for it to be financially viable in its own right, with income from fees, the provision of advice/consultancy around quality improvement, and continued support from sponsors and the media.