A brave new business world
Social enterprise: it’s a term we hear more these days, reflecting a growing movement that focuses on changing the way business is done and emphasises consumers’ ability to do good with their purchasing power
According to Social Enterprise Auckland, “Social enterprises are hybrid organisations that trade goods and services to achieve social, environmental, economic and cultural outcomes.”
This global movement responds to what some see as the failure of the market-led economy, leading to burgeoning social and environmental issues that younger generations will inherit.
As a result, there’s more demand – especially from millennials – for financial models where business gives back to society as well as making a profit. Increasingly, millennials want to work for these kinds of organisations too.
NZ’s social enterprise juggernaut
Nearly three years ago, Lisa King realised children in this country were going to school hungry, and often lacked lunch as well. She couldn’t shake a sense of injustice. So, quitting her job as a food marketing specialist, she developed a bold vision, to ensure no Kiwi child at school goes hungry. Eat My Lunch (EML) was born.
The initiative is based on the buy-one, give-one model. When a donor buys a lunch from EML, they also purchase lunch for a child in need. Donors can choose which of the elected 48 low-decile schools the lunches go to, and volunteers make the lunches early each morning, ready for delivery to schools by lunchtime.
“I think with my generation, soon to be leaders of NZ businesses and this nation, that there’s a growing demand for ethical business. This is absolutely the future.”
Bonnie Howland, Indigo & Iris
“We thought we’d make about 100 lunches a day, not thousands [at time of publishing, they’ve made approximately 630,000 lunches], and we never envisaged we’d create a vehicle that would bring people together.
