Collection: NatWest SE100
The Impact World this Week: 2 May 2024
Your quick guide to the most interesting news snippets about social enterprise, impact investment and mission-driven business around the world from the Pioneers Post team. This week: Patagonia takes a swipe at humanity's rabid consumerism, Change Please lands big Nespresso deal, Canada social enterprises line up opportunities to score at next World Cup, and more.
Our key news stories
- Big Society Capital rebrands as Better Society Capital
- Impact business leaders call for EU politicians to stand ground on Green Deal ahead of elections
Plus: other stories that caught our eye
Global: Humanity’s impulse to buy more “crap” might destroy us all, is the message behind Patagonia’s new mockumentary ‘The Shitthropocene’. The 45-minute satirical film, which explores the negative consequences of humanity’s consumption habits in “the age of cheap crap”, was released by the outdoor clothing retailer on 29 April. Its title is a play on the word ‘anthropocene’, which is used to describe the geological age where humans have had a substantial impact on the planet. As well as being available to watch on Patagonia’s website, it is also being screened in the brand’s retail stores across Europe. Read about how international NGO 1% for the Planet, co-founded by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, is encouraging businesses to donate at least 1% of their sales to environmental nonprofits.
UK and Ireland: Coffee giant and B Corp Nespresso pledged this week a minimum of £1m a year to support coffee social enterprise Change Please in its mission to change the lives of people affected by homelessness. Change Please, whose founder and managing director were guest speakers at our latest SE100 Social Business Coffee Break webinar on imposter syndrome, will use the funds to launch its operations in Ireland, and expand its work in the UK. From June, a new Nespresso for Change Please coffee blend will go on sale. Nespresso’s B Corp certification has received criticism from some in the impact sector.
Canada: Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, being held in Canada, the USA and Mexico, the cities of Vancouver and Toronto have committed to incorporating social enterprises in the tournament through community benefit agreements. The agreements, which were approved in a motion at a city council meeting last week, could see local businesses share in the economic opportunities of hosting the World Cup, including employment and training opportunities, social procurement targets and more. Buy Social Canada and other social enterprise representatives attended the council meeting to support the motion.
UK: Current definitions of nature do not reflect the growing scientific evidence that humans are part of nature and a wider ecosystem. This is the argument of the new #WeAreNature campaign, which calls for UK dictionaries to update their definition of ‘nature’ to include humans. The campaign was launched on Change.org on 30 April by Lawyers for Nature and B Corp British interiors brand, House of Hackney. Supported by a range of organisations and well-known people, including broadcaster Chris Packham, activist Satish Kumar, economist Sir Partha Dasgupta and MP Caroline Lucas, the movement seeks to reconnect people to nature as a way of combating biodiversity and climate breakdown. Read more about how Lawyers for Nature and House of Hackney are giving nature rights in business.
Asia: A consultancy to provide advisory and management services to impact organisations across Asia launched this week. TT Foundation Advisors, run by Temasek Trust, which is the philanthropic arm of Singapore state-backed investment company Temasek, aims to be a “one-stop independent provider” for social enterprises, charities and foundations, to help them leverage Temasek Trust’s expertise, network, resources and programmes to scale their impact. Read more about Temasek’s impact investments.
Movers and shakers
- Sonia Siriwardena, global head of ESG at Simmons and Simmons, has succeeded Hazel Blears as chair of UK social investor Social Investment Business.
- SE100 2023 leadership award winner, Joe Seddon, founder of social enterprise Zero Gravity, was named on The Sunday Times ‘Young Power List’ last weekend.
- Adele Laughton, Queensland Social Enterprise Council CEO, is to work alongside Social Enterprise Australia CEO Jess Moore to lead government relations.
Figure of the week: £60m is the new size of the social investment fund at Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. It was £45m previously. The foundation offers investments between £100,000 and £2m directly to organisations delivering impact in line with its aim or into impact funds, which are managed by other social investors.
