Environmental sustainability
Environmental sustainability is important to us all. Sustaining the quality of our natural environment and tackling the problem of climate change is a huge challenge. Many social enterprises work to provide environmental services including renewable energy generation, recycling and reuse, community transport, education and awareness raising, and sustainable land management.
Many more have environmental concerns as part of their core social values and all social enterprises can work to improve their environmental impact.
Environmental social enterprises offer the world a model where the results are truly triple bottom line: environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. As awareness of the importance of combating climate change and pressures on resources increase, there are tremendous opportunities for social enterprise to make an even greater contribution.
Environmental considerations span the full remit of the Government, from national carbon reduction targets to local authority commissioning of waste services. It is important to make clear to the Government the key role that social enterprise can and should play in delivering on these aspirations.
Defra Social Enterprise Strategic Partnership
SESP Meeting - 11th February 2010
The role of social enterprise in contributing to Defra's objectives was highlighted at a Defra lunchtime policy seminar (11th February 2010). Peter Couchman of the Plunkett Foundation, outlined the multiple outcomes, that social enterprises do and can deliver. The event was received very well by all who attended and the SESP will continue to look at ways to encourage social enterprise solutions in Defra's policy making.
Background to SESP
On 3rd November 2008 Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) officially launched its third sector strategy.
The strategy includes the Defra Social Enterprise Strategic Partnership. This partnership formalises the Defra Social Enterprise Forum (composed of the Coalition, Co-ops UK, the DTA, the Plunkett Foundation and RISE) which has been involved in influencing the strategy, other Defra policy and developing our relationship with Defra over the past year.
The strategy also launched the Greener Living Fund and the Defra Third Sector Advisory Board to succeed the Compact Group. It will need members with an understanding of the distinctive needs and characteristics of social enterprises, not only the Compact.
We are continuing to develop our environmental policy position. We have signed the third sector declaration on climate change.
Events
The Third Sector Taskforce on Climate Change Launch - 9th March 2010
The report on the joint Ministerial and Third Sector Task Force on Climate Change, the Environment and Sustainable Development was formally launched at an event on 9th March 2010. In summary, the report is a vision of how the Government and third sector organisations will work together over the next five years to tackle key environmental issues such as climate change and sustainable development.
A statement of support for the third sector declaration on climate change was signed by the Ministers, present at the event, to reaffirm the Government's support of this initiative. SEC made a number of significant commitments as a result of the Task Force report.
These included ways of improving the sharing of knowledge and best practice within the social enterprise sector. SEC will also seek to provide information to their social enterprise members and the movement on ways to become greener. Specifically, SEC will soon be publishing links to sustainability and green enterprise expertise on this website.
The panel at the launch reflected the diversity of third sector members of the task force alongside three of the Task Force Ministers present. Stuart Etherington (Chief Executive of NCVO), Sir Paul Ennals (Chief Executive of the National Children's Bureau) and Sylvia Brown (Chief Executive of Action with Communities in Rural England, ACRE) represented the sector on the panel. Huw Irranca-Davies MP (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Defra), Joan Ruddock MP (Minister of State, DECC) and Angela Smith MP (Minister for the Third Sector, Cabinet Office) were present on behalf of the Government.
The report can be downloaded from here.
Consultations
BERR consultation on UK Renewable Energy Strategy (September 2008)
DEFRA on the promotion of energy end-use efficiency and energy services (March 2008)
DEFRA Towards a Third Sector Strategy (February 2008)
Response to Planning for a Sustainable Future White Paper (doc)
Position papers and publications
Think Piece "Social Enterprise and DEFRA's Objectives: An Agenda for Collaboration" (February 2008)