Five pioneering organisations in Scotland have successfully met strict criteria to be the very first social enterprises in Scotland, to receive the Social Enterprise Mark.

Senscot have been working with RISE (managers of the Mark in England) to bring the brand for social enterprises to Scotland. Bookdonors CIC, The Engine Shed, Out of the Blue Arts & Education Trust, The Wise Group and Recycle Fife all join other visionary social enterprises using the Mark in England, such as Hill Holt Wood, Sunlight Enterprises, Eden Project, Sandwell Community Caring Trust, Emmaus and the Co-operative Group.

Senscot is the network for social entrepreneurs in Scotland. Over the last four years, it has been working to support the establishment and development of a series of Local Social Enterprise Networks. To date, there are 16 such Networks, representing over 200 social enterprises. Over the last six months, Senscot has been paving the way for social enterprises to apply for the Social Enterprise Mark in Scotland.

Colin Campbell, Senscot`s Development Manager, said:

“We’re very pleased to bring the Social Enterprise Mark to Scotland, for the new ‘Scottish champions’. Working alongside RISE and the first Scottish Mark holders, we can show other social enterprises in Scotland how they will benefit from applying for the Mark when it’s launched nationally, later this year.”

“This is just the beginning, and we believe many more social enterprises in Scotland will want the Social Enterprise Mark because Scottish customers want to understand when a business is trading for ‘people and planet’. The Social Enterprise Mark shows people when a business is truly socially motivated.”

Jackie Dunsmuir, Chief Executive of Recycle Fife, said: “We’re very proud to be leading the way in Scotland with the Social Enterprise Mark. For Recycle Fife and our customers, it offers an instantly recognisable label to identify social enterprises; reminding them that by choosing a social enterprise they are helping to create real benefits for people and for the environment.”

To read the full report, please visit: socialenterprisemark.co.uk

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