1. Can Social Enterprise Save the World?
Experience froma Decade of Research.”
Professor Ken Peattie
BRASS Research Centre, &
Sustainable Places Research Institute, Cardiff

2. More Localised More Gobalised
Unsustainable
Sustainable
You are
Here (ish)
TheTrajectoryofHumanCivilisation
(DonewithLinesandArrows)

3. Social Enterprise and
Environmental Sustainability
VirtuallyeverythingwrittenaboutSocialEnterprise
atsomepointreferstotheir‘social and
environmental value (or
contribution)’ ….but…..
…theroleofSocialEnterprise
intacklingenvironmental
sustainabilitychallenges
iscurrentlynot
unacknowledged,
butcertainly
under-appreciated.

4. Any Evidence?
A Quick Check on Google Scholar.

5. In The Top 200 Google Scholar Results
about ‘Social Enterprise’
PlentyaboutSEforms, role, governance,
managementpractices, socialvalue&SRI, impact
onhealth, poverty&employment, relationshipsto
thepublicsectorandcountry/regionperspectives,
butonly….
– Onerelatedtowater;
– Onerelatedtorecycling;
– Onerelatedtoenergy;
– Oneaboutsocialforestry(Citationonly);
– Onerelatedtobroadsustainabilityindicators;

6. Some Honourable Exceptions
SuchasJohnThompson& BobDoherty’s
"The diverse world of social
enterprise: A
collection of social enterprise
stories", International
JournalofSocial Economics, 33
(5/6), 2006.

7. BRASS’s Background in
Social Enterprise Research
1. Measuring Sustainability Impacts Of Social
Enterprises /Sustainability Indicators
(NewportandNewportWasteSavers);
2. SEs & Waste – seekingtodevelopthecapacityof
SEsintheUKtointegratewithUKwaste
managementinfrastructure
(Defra, CommunityRecycling
Network, Cylch)
3. SEs as Alternative Business Models : The
CaseofOneWater; SustainableLocalFood
Enterprises&FoodHubs

8. Social Enterprise and
Environmental Sustainability
TheroleofSocialEnterpriseintackling
environmentalsustainabilitychallengesis
currentlynotunacknowledged, butisunder-
appreciated.
Why?
‘Social’ isinthetitle;
Emphasisonworkintegration(particularlyEurope);
Emphasisonownershipstructureandapproachto
governance;
StrongconnectionwithhealthsectorinUK;
Frequentlyoperateascommunityenterprises;

9. Fair Trade – More than just ‘Fair’
TheFiveCoreObjectivesofFTCertification:
1. ensurethatproducersreceivepricesthatcover
theiraveragecostsofsustainable production;
2. provideanadditionalFairtradePremiumwhich
canbeinvestedinprojectsthatenhancesocial,
economicandenvironmental development;
3. enablepre-financingforproducerswhorequire
it;
4. facilitatelong-termtradingpartnershipsand
enablegreaterproducercontroloverthetrading
process;
5. setclearcoreanddevelopmentcriteriatoensure
thattheconditionsofproductionandtradeofall
Fairtradecertifiedproductsaresocially,
economicallyfairandenvironmentally responsible.

10. Social Enterprises – Deceptively Innovative?
SEs often referred to as ‘inherently innovative’
(e.g. Vega & Kidwell, 2007 or Perrini & Vurro, 2006)
yet spend relatively little on R&D (Jones et al., 2007).
In practice they often acted as social innovators by
creating new types of relationships or business models
in fields like housing and recycling.

11. Sustainable Innovation & Social Enterprise:
Still ‘Below the Radar’?
WhenEntrepreneurship & Regional
Development: An International
Journal, didaSpecialIssueonInnovationin
SocialEnterprise(2010)– howmanypapers
relatedtoanyformofenvironmentalsustainability
orientatedinnovation?

12. Tourism – On the Front
Line for Sustainability
Why?
1. Enlightenedself-
interest;
2. Tourismasasolution;
3. Tourismasanextractive
industry.

13. Social Enterprise in Tourism:
A Growing Momentum in Practice
– InsomecountriessuchasItalyandPoland, recent
changestolawshaveencouragedthecreationof
newsocialenterpriseventuresintourismandagri-
tourisminparticular.
– Emergenceofagri-tourismcooperativesmanaged
bywomeninGreece.
– Majorecologicaltourismprojecttofoster
appreciationforthenaturalandculturalheritageof
theAconcaguaValley, Chile.
– Growingnumberofmuseumsestablishedandrun
associalenterprises

14. Key Benefits of Social Enterprise as a Mechanism
for Sustainable Community Tourism Projects
– Vestedinterestinmaintainingenvironmental
qualitywithinthecommunityarea;
– Provenabilitytogenerateviablebusinesses
withindisadvantagedcommunities;
– Strongtrackrecordinpublic-private
partnership;
– Lowerprofitthresholdthan
conventionalbusinesses;
– Tendstowardsaconsultative
anddemocraticapproachto
governance;
– Involvesmanylegalforms
basedaroundcollective
ownership;

15. Çirali Sustainable Tourism project in Turkey
Establishedasanalternativeto
intensivehoteldevelopment‘to
promote
environmentally and
socially sound
development
through integrated
planning, traditional
and alternative
economic activities
and biodiversity
conservation’.
Awardedthe2002UNHabitat
Dubai InternationalAwardfor
‘Best Practices in
Improving the Living

16. Kemer & Çirali
Twentymilesapart– buttravellingverydifferent
paths

18. The Social Enterprise Potential
In the current (and foreseeable future) situation of economic and
environmental challenges, SEs can play an important part as:
- Firms who can make a profit, but do not have to;
- Community focused employers & service/product providers as
the economy rebalances from global to local;
- Cost-effective public service deliverers;
- Innovators in delivering low environmental impact solutions
and services (such as lower carbon housing and distributed
energy solutions);

19. Social Enterprise – Active Where it Counts
– 75-80%ofenvironmentalimpactsofhousehold
consumptionrelatetofood, housing&home
energy, andpersonalwork/leisuretransport(EIPRO
study);
– Clothingandfootwear, furniture, telecoms,
healthcareandeducationaccountedformuchof
therest;
– Astrongmatchbetweenareasofgreatest
environmentalimpactandsocialenterprise
activity;

20. Social Enterprise, A Potential Role in Developing More
Sustainable Communities, Livelihoods and Businesses Through..
– more localised food systems;
– more affordable and less isolating housing;
– communal and lower carbon solutions for personal
mobility and energy;
– retaining material value via supply ‘loops’ & networks;
– care for our aging population;
– greater global equity through international development
and less ‘extractive’ tourism;
– a return to less ‘exciting’ financial services;
– useful work derived from our communities rather than
global supply chains;
...... in other words – a more sustainable future.

21. Conclusions
WehaveavitalandexplicitroleforSocialEnterprise
inhelpingsocietytomovetowards
(environmentallyandsocially)sustainablesystems
ofproductionandconsumption, livelihoodsand
waysofliving.
WecurrentlyhaveaSEresearchagendathatisvery
inwardlyfocusedanddominatedbythesocial
contributionsthattheymake.
UnlesswestarttoappreciateandresearchSE’s
potentialrolein‘savingtheworld’ more
thoroughly, theopportunityforittodosomaybe