The Editor’s Post: Paris Olympics offers sporting chance to social enterprises

In the run-up to summer 2012, when the Olympic Games were hosted in London, those of us involved in the UK’s impact movement were incredibly busy putting forward arguments about why the Olympics organisers should consider awarding at least some of their thousands of delivery contracts (eventually totalling £7bn) to social enterprises.

Social enterprises, we argued, could help deliver a more equitable, accessible, socially responsible and green Games, at the same time as providing top-notch products and services. 

Among others, ECT Charity, a community transport provider, led a consortium of operators across the country to deliver accessible shuttle services for disabled spectators. More than 100,000 journeys were made on 150 vehicles. GLL – a charitable social enterprise which operates under the consumer facing brand Better –  won the bids to operate two Olympics venues, the Aquatic Centre and the Multi-Use Arena, after the Games finished, as well as supporting the Olympics preparations in many different ways.

As Laura Joffre reports this week, the organisers of this year’s Paris Olympics have gone a step further by actively encouraging and supporting organisations from the social and solidarity economy to bid for contracts. While criticisms have been aimed at the Olympics’ big corporate partners, such as Visa, for restricting how spectators can pay for their snacks, and Coca-cola for pouring drinks from single-use plastic bottles into visitors’ reusable cups, the social enterprise Olympics suppliers offer some more positive stories, including the fact that the athletes’ laundry is being washed by a social business which employs people with disabilities, and the stadium seats are made out of recycled plastic waste.

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This week's top stories

Paris 2024: How the Olympics welcomed social enterprises into its supply chain

Impact 101: What is an impact investment wholesaler?

Good jobs: UK social enterprises offer better pay, opportunities and diversity than other employers

Header photo: Olympic rings in the Place du Trocadéro in Paris in 2017. Credit: Anne Jea via Wikimedia Commons.

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