How we are using our procurement spend to change lives, support communities and protect the planet
We’re a proud partner in the Buy Social Corporate Challenge, a groundbreaking initiative to bring social enterprises into major businesses’ supply chains.
Social enterprises are businesses trading in aid of a social or environmental mission – and we’re dedicated to buying from social enterprise suppliers, so that our everyday spending has a positive impact on the wider world.
As one of 30 partners in the Challenge, we work with Social Enterprise UK to find suppliers for the products and services we need. One of the initiatives we take part in is the ASSETS programme (Assisting Social Enterprises to Succeed). For the fourth consecutive year, we have invited social enterprises to be part of our ASSETS programme. ASSETS is a seven-month business support programme for social enterprises in the construction industry. Working with Impact Hub London on a business mentoring programme to support social or environmental impact-driven suppliers to improve readiness to scale up and successfully compete UK-wide.
Together with the other Challenge partners, we’ve collectively spent around £123 million with social enterprise suppliers in the last year alone – the most successful year since this work started in 2016 – and more than £475 million in total over the course of the partnership. This means millions of pounds reinvested in social or environmental causes and thousands of jobs created.
We’re leading the way in social procurement, joining a movement of businesses committed to using their everyday spend help people and planet. Find out more.
