Purposes

1.

Increase intercooperation and alliances between SSE organisations, social enterprises, international organisations and public administrations

2.

Initiate social innovation projects and social and environmental impact from the Social and Solidarity Economy

3.

To become a benchmark player at European level in business and social entrepreneurship

4.

To disseminate the knowledge of social entrepreneurship through awareness-raising actions, research, and support for the creation of companies and social projects

5.

Promote the creation of European partnerships to initiate medium- and large-scale projects

6.

Incorporate and promote diversity in all the projects developed

What do we mean by social enterprise?

A social enterprise is a sustainable enterprise whose main objective is to solve a social problem and not to generate dividends. The profits generated by the company’s activity are reverted to the organization itself, in order to make its ultimate purpose more effective and sustainable: to create positive impact and generate social changes.

The social enterprise combines the social and environmental objectives characteristic of the public sector and third sector organizations with the efficiency and economic sustainability of a traditional enterprise.

To this we add the principles of the social and solidarity economy which, in addition, promote democratic governance and participation in organisations, putting people and the environment at the centre of the activity.

Professor Yunus laid out the seven principles that every social enterprise must follow:

1

The company’s objective is to overcome poverty or one or more problems (such as education, health, access to technology and the environment) that threaten people and society; not profit maximization

2

Financial and economic sustainability

3

Investors, if any, only recover the amount of their investment. No dividends are given beyond the money invested

4

When the amount of the investment is returned, the company’s profits remain in it for improvement

5

It incorporates the gender perspective, intersectionality and the eco-social approach

6

Women workers receive a living wage by promoting quality employment in all its aspects

7

… We do it with pleasure!