Thought Leadership

Launching this September, award-winning social enterprise and maker studio Cockpit presents The Cockpit Edit, a new ecommerce platform with a curated selection of work from leading artist-makers based across Cockpit’s studios in Bloomsbury and Deptford. Design-led work will feature for the first eight weeks, with 35 makers in the spotlight. Collectors and craft lovers alike will have the opportunity to discover and purchase more than 80 unique pieces directly from the charity’s online shop, with insights into the individual makers and their practice. Works will be available to purchase from 15 September, aligning with London’s annual celebration of international design, London Design Festival. Each item in The Cockpit Edit design edition has been hand-picked and represents the very best of Cockpit. Featured craft disciplines include ceramics, glass, fine jewellery, leather, textiles and weaving, woodturning, printmaking, and contemporary sculpture. Prices start from £45. Cockpit CEO Jonathan Burton says: ‘We’re delighted to launch this new initiative and share some of the exceptional work that Cockpit’s makers create each month. It creates an opportunity for the wider public to access new work directly and for Cockpit to extend our support for our maker community, creating a new sales channel.’ This is the first in Cockpit’s planned series of ecommerce drops, with a holiday gifting edit to follow in mid-November 2025, featuring hand-selected gifts available ahead of the festive season. shop.cockpitstudios.org (from 15 September) About Cockpit Cockpit is a centre of excellence in contemporary craft and one of the top 100 UK social enterprises on the NatWest Pioneers Post SE100 Index for over a decade. For nearly 40 years, Cockpit has nurtured and supported craftspeople at the fragile, early stages of their careers, equipping talented makers with the tools they need to succeed creatively and commercially. The UK’s only incubator for craft businesses, Cockpit is home to a community of over 175 independent creative businesses – metalsmiths, jewellers, weavers, woodturners and ceramicists – at two London locations. Thanks to funded studio space and in-house business support and coaching, Cockpit makers thrive, with many going on to become international leaders in their fields. Bridging the gap between talent and opportunity, Cockpit’s education and careers programmes open pathways into creative employment for young Londoners from all backgrounds. Cockpit received the Prove It: Social Impact Award at the 2023 UK Social Enterprise Awards and an honourable mention for the Education, Training & Jobs Social Enterprise of the Year Award at the 2024 UK Social Enterprise Awards. cockpitstudios.org

What if your soap could do more for people and planet? Growing social enterprise Amplify Goods has launched SUDZERØ™ for Net Zero and with over 84% less carbon than standard hand wash products, it’s a game changer for consumers, education, public venues and businesses alike.  SUDZERØ is an innovative powder-to-foam hand wash that is redefining handwashing and how we care for people and planet. Designed as a circular solution for Net Zero, it reduces carbon, cost and waste compared to traditional liquid soap, all while creating real living wage work experience for people facing barriers to work, including homeless and disabled people. Camilla Marcus-Dew, co-founder of Amplify Goods said: “I’ve been working for a decade in the soap industry, and this is by far my proudest moment. This innovative launch takes us closer than we’ve ever been to a truly Net Zero handwash and paves the way for real social impact at scale through the creation of even more living wage work, and the dignity and pride that comes with it.” SUDZERØ for Net Zerø Backed by a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), SUDZERØ is estimated to deliver over 84% carbon savings compared to traditional liquid soaps. It cuts emissions across the entire lifecycle, from raw materials and manufacturing to transport and end-of-life. No shipping water. No single-use plastic. Just clean hands and a cleaner planet. SUDZERØ for Søciety Finishing, labelling and packing every pack of SUDZERØ creates about five minutes of vital work for someone facing barriers to employment. Since moving to the Crisis Warehouse in Canning Town, East London, in 2024, Amplify Goods has supported homeless and disabled people, refugees and prison leavers to earn money, build confidence and plug that CV gap. Mariusz was the first to join Amplify Goods in September 2024, and the SUDZERØ launch falls on the anniversary of him getting back into work. During this time, he’s got off the streets and is now looking for full time warehouse work. As SUDZERØ grows, organisations of all sizes can help to create opportunities for many more people who want to work. To date, Amplify Goods have already supported 18 individuals with over 740 hours of paid work experience, delivering over £820,000 in social value and offering stepping-stone opportunities that help people into long-term work. SUDZERØ for Cøst Saving SUDZERØ reduces costs to the planet and to supply chains. SUDZERØ weighs 98% less and takes up 97% less storage space than ready-to-use soap meaning reduced costs in warehousing, transportation and storage. Foaming hand wash is known to save water, estimating around 300ml less water in every wash, and with this SUDZERØ reduces cost-in-use too. Plus, the compostable sachets and refill-first approach reduce costs in end-of-life and waste management, when compared to bulky empty soap bottles. This is an innovative solution for sectors like travel, public venues and education, where cost, weight and storage limitations are a real challenge. SUDZERØ the All-Røunder SUDZERØ embodies Amplify Goods refill-first model, helping organisations shift away from single-use plastics and take steps towards a circular economy. On top of massive carbon savings and unique work creation opportunity, SUDZERØ is UK made with 94% naturally derived ingredients and scented with essential oils, plus offers: Home compostable sachets that are 100% plastic and micro-plastic free Each pack of large SUDZERØ sachets avoids the equivalent of over 66 single-use plastic bottles Uses over 65g of repurposed materials including boxes uniquely cut from repurposed cardboard. SUDZERØ is a high-performance, low-impact product helping organisations meet their Net Zero goals without compromising on quality or cost. This is a soap that challenges the ‘all foam and no action’ status quo. Kirsty Wivell, SUDZERØ Launch Manager said: “We’re proud to bring SUDZERØ to market to drive circularity, Net Zero and social value and to prove that innovation can go hand in hand with creating valuable jobs for people in our communities, and saving money too.” Turning Ambition into Action SUDZERØ has been a vision since Amplify Goods was founded in 2021, driven by a mission to create the most circular soap on the market and help organisations reach Net Zero while generating real social value. SUDZERØ has been trialling with key supply chain partners since May this year in readiness for the launch. Schools and universities alone use an estimated 20 million litres of soap annually. If just this sector switched from liquid soap to SUDZERØ, it could save over 44,000 tonnes CO2e - which is the equivalent of 22,000 long haul flights from London to New York, or the carbon that 2 million mature trees can absorb each year. It could also save up to 582,000kg of plastic and generate over 81,000 hours of paid work for people facing barriers to employment in the UK. Camilla Marcus-Dew added: “Now imagine small businesses, offices and football stadiums joining the movement too. Could something as simple as hand wash help build a better society? Amplify Goods is proving it can. “This is more than hand wash. By choosing SUDZERØ, customers support a growing social enterprise, reduce their environmental impact, and contribute to a model of business that puts people and planet first”. Business for Good Amplify Goods is a certified social enterprise redefining what everyday products can do. With a track record creating net-positive suds and scents designed to eliminate single-use plastics, support a circular economy and create stepping-stone opportunities for people often excluded from work. Working with major distribution networks across the UK and Ireland, Amplify Goods products help organisations big and small turn ambition into action within their supply chains. “At Amplify Goods we design for impact - reducing waste and single-use plastic, avoiding unnecessary and harsh ingredients, encouraging reuse and refill, and creating real social impact,” said Pasha Michaelsen, Co-Founder Amplify Goods have an honest, action-oriented approach to impact with a dual mission to soften their footprint on the planet and strengthen their handprint in communities. From working with diverse, local, SME suppliers, having verified carbon- and plastic-neutral operations, to reinvesting over 50% of profits into initiatives at the intersection of climate and wellbeing. Amplify Goods show what a net-positive business can look like. Amplify Goods’ vision is that all suds and scents circulating in the UK are designed for impact and packed with purpose—so that no brand is ‘all foam and no action’. Be First to Make the Switch Whether you're a school, business, venue or organisation on a Net Zero journey, SUDZERØ helps you cut carbon, costs and plastic, while creating real social impact in the UK. Pre-order SUDZERØ today and be part of the movement transforming hand wash into a force for good. Join the refill revolution. Pre-order now at amplifygoods.org/sudzeroOr contact us directly at interest@amplifygoods.org

We're delighted to reveal the shortlist for the UK Social Enterprise Awards! The Awards are a celebration of everything that makes the social enterprise sector so special, and this year's shortlist really does show the strength, impact and diversity of the social enterprise movement up and down the country. Join our finalists at the Southbank Centre on 26 November for an evening of celebration, networking and hope. Get your tickets here. Here's who's made the shortlist this year: UK Social Enterprise of the Year Sponsored by Keegan & Pennykid The overall award for a social enterprise that has a clear vision, excellence in impact, and that has demonstrated and promoted social enterprise beyond the sector. BRAG Enterprises Change Please Down to Earth incredABLE London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) Platfform Tarem Services Limited The Centre for Information Resilience CIC Useful Simple Trust One to Watch Award Sponsored by PwC The One to Watch Award is for a start-up social enterprise. Key to winning this award is an ability to clearly articulate their future vision and how they are going to achieve it. BALDILOCKS Cairde na Cille Circular Design EcoCoach CIC Forests With Impact Little Green Change Our Voice Our Journey CIC Re_Store Remade Worcestershire CIO Richmount Rural Association/Macha's Orchard Prove It: Social Impact Award Sponsored by Linklaters For a social enterprise that can truly demonstrate and communicate their impact with their stakeholders. ChangeKitchen CIC Change Please Community Shop The Skill Mill Therapeutic Activities Group CIC Turning Point Waste to Wonder Worldwide ‘Buy Social’ Market Builder Award Sponsored by Corps Security For a social enterprise, public sector body or private sector organisation that has demonstrably made efforts within its own organisation and remit to create more opportunities to buy from social enterprises. BDO LLP CBRE Global Workplace Solutions ESES Communities Capital City Partnership Ernst & Young LLP Foodbuy National Highways Siemens Plc Social Investment Deal of the Year Sponsored by Good Finance For an organisation that has been part of a great investment deal in the last 12 months that has helped the social enterprise to grow or the movement as a whole to develop and flourish. Big Issue Invest - Great Oaks College Charities Aid Foundation - Oaks Rise CIC  Firstport - For You Training Livv Investment - Make CIC Resonance - Community Ventures Ltd Middlesborough   Social and Sustainable Capital (SASC) - Social adVentures Wales Council for Voluntary Action - The Community Impact Initiative CIC and Tai Heulwen CIC Public Services Social Enterprise of the Year Sponsored by GLL For a social enterprise for whom the majority of their income comes from the public sector and which delivers public services (for central or local government, NHS, criminal justice or other statutory body). Cumbria Health East Coast Community Healthcare FCMS (NW) Include Me 2 Club SCIO Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise Platfform The National House Project (NHP) Consumer Facing Social Enterprise of the Year Sponsored by Expert Impact Speakers For a social enterprise that delivers a retail product or service to the general public. Community Shop Oakhaven Care Tea People Ltd The Dusty Knuckle Bakery Y.O.U Underwear Zaytoun Education, Training & Jobs Social Enterprise of the Year Sponsored by Amazon Business For a social enterprise in the education, training or employment sectors that can demonstrate excellence in vision and strategic direction, and clearly evidence their social, environmental and community impact. Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company ICENA LTD Social Enterprise Kent CIC The Community Impact Initiative CIC Well Grounded Jobs CIC WYK Digital Environmental Social Enterprise of the Year Sponsored by Landmarc For a social enterprise in the green and environmental sector with a clear evidenced environmental impact. ChangeKitchen CIC Datblygiadau Egni Gwledig (DEG) Seagulls Re-Use Ltd The Highland Weigh The Skill Mill Useful Simple Trust Waste to Wonder Worldwide Y.O.U Underwear Social Enterprise Building Diversity, Inclusion, Equity & Justice Award Sponsored by Diversity Forum Social justice is fundamental to the social enterprise movement. This category is open to all social enterprises who are addressing issues around diversity, inclusion and equity. Growing Well Hatch Enterprise Nemi Teas Proud Futures QueerAF CIC Signalise Co-op The Tax Academy CIC Wonder Women CIC Social Enterprise Women’s Champion of the Year Sponsored by David Gold For a woman working in the senior leadership team of a social enterprise who represents excellence in her field of work. Felicia Mattis-Rome - Business Launchpad/Tooting Works Dawn Hewitt - CHUMS CIC Jenny Williams – Habitat for Humanity ReStore Erin Hutton – Scran Academy Helen Davies - Sunflower Lounge Anna Lane - Women in Banking and Finance Camilla Rigby and Rachel Mostyn - Women's Work Lab Ria Hebden - Wonder Women CIC Hannah Oyewole - Young Ladies Club International Impact Award Sponsored by Social Partnership Portal For a social enterprise working internationally, and which are having a big impact in their field. This award is open to UK-based organisations only with existing international operations. Change Please Stand4 Socks Tea People Ltd The Centre for Information Resilience CIC UK Starfish Project WildHearts Office Ltd Community-Based Social Enterprise of the Year Sponsored by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation This award is for a social enterprise that trades for the benefit of their community, making a real local impact. Bath Spa University Bùth Bharraigh Social adVentures Social Enterprise Kent CIC Spark York CIC Tap Social Movement The Fern Partnership Therapeutic Activities Group CIC Social Enterprise Innovation of the Year Sponsored by Fusion21 A new award is recognising a social enterprise that has brought something truly innovative to market in the past year. Amplify Goods CHUMS CIC City Health Care Partnership CIC GLL Holistic Hoarding CIC Tarem Services Limited WYK Digital Tech for Good: Technology Social Enterprise of the Year Sponsored by Mitie For a social enterprise that uses technology to achieve social impact. Beam Datakirk Digital Boost Nimbus Disability Pocket Power Signalise Co-op Talent People We are pleased to be working with Cwmpas, Social Enterprise Northern Ireland and Social Enterprise Scotland to deliver the Awards. Awards Sponsors If you're interested in sponsoring the Awards read through our sponsor pack or contact christopher.morgan@socialenterprise.org.uk.

North Northamptonshire has been officially named a Social Enterprise Place by Social Enterprise UK - marking it as a national hub for businesses tackling social and environmental issues through enterprise. This status – awarded to just 35 places across the UK - brings national recognition to the area’s thriving network of social enterprises – organisations that reinvest profits to benefit local people and the planet. Social enterprises are businesses that reinvest their profits to tackle social or environmental issues. In North Northamptonshire, they include community cafés, ethical retailers, arts organisations, employment services and transport schemes – all delivering local impact while supporting the economy. Alison Holland, Chair of North Northamptonshire Social Enterprise Network (NNSE) and founder of social enterprise Brightwayz, co-ordinated the bid to become a Social Enterprise Place. “This is a major step forward for North Northamptonshire,” said Alison. “Being recognised as a Social Enterprise Place gives our local businesses a stronger voice and a platform to grow their impact. “Social enterprises are amazing at addressing social and environmental issues in nimble, creative, ethical, effective ways. We know there is strength in numbers and that by being better connected to other Social Enterprise Places we will be able to learn a lot - and share a lot too. This award is not just about local social enterprises but also about those partners around us such as North Northamptonshire Council who collaborate with and support us”. Peter Holbrook, Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK, said: “Congratulations to North Northants on being named a Social Enterprise Place. Social enterprises make a huge contribution to the county - from providing community energy and affordable housing to running leisure centres, creative projects, workspaces, credit unions and social care. “Of course, this isn’t possible without the strong resilient network of purpose-led businesses in the area, and North Northants’ social enterprises are already playing an incredibly important role in supporting communities, providing critical services to the public, improving the environment, and helping to grow the local economy. “We hope that getting Social Enterprise Place status will help act as a lightning rod to galvanise the social enterprise community, supercharge the sector's growth and deliver the economic transformation needed for the communities of North Northants so that they can realise their full potential.” Cllr Jan O’Hara, Executive Member for Planning and Economic Growth at North Northamptonshire Council, highlighted the importance of social enterprises in the local economy: “It’s great to see how our local social enterprises are coming together and thriving. Congratulations for achieving this status and we are proud to be supporting this. The newly published North Northants Economic Strategy recognises the importance of local social enterprises for the future growth of the county alongside all the community benefits and added social value these businesses bring.” The NNSE network connects, supports and promotes social enterprises in the county. The group currently has more than 40 social enterprises and welcomes new members from across the area. Its aim is to ensure these organisations have the financial, practical and collaborative support they need to grow and deliver real social and environmental benefit. NNSE is also one of six Aspire NN partner organisations. Aspire NN, funded by North Northamptonshire for three years, supports the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector across North Northamptonshire. Membership of the NNSE network is free to local social enterprises. See www.nnse.org.uk for more information.

A new zero-rate funding product has entered the UK social investment market. The product, which is the first of its kind in the UK, was developed by Kamran Rashid, CEO of Impact Hub Yorkshire, following consultation with organisations and social enterprises most affected by financial exclusion.  The Local Access Bradford District (LABD) programme, which is chaired by Kamran Rashid, will use the new interest-free loan to support social impact makers within the district to access investment to help them scale up and grow. Its purpose is to create investment models that better reflect the realities and needs of communities.   The product is not only the UK’s first zero-rate social investment tool, but also fully Shariah-compliant and open to all. Designed with ethical finance principles at its core, it offers a more inclusive approach to investment that removes interest-based barriers and supports values-led enterprises, regardless of sector, background, or faith.   Commenting on the new loan product, Kamran Rashid, CEO of Impact Hub Yorkshire, said: “Through this new type of investment loan we are prepared to lend organisations up to £250,000 to help them unlock potential to deliver social impact. This may take the form of taking on an asset, renovating an asset, or bringing in a team to help take on new work. Its purpose is to remove the financial barriers to enable businesses to generate an income through doing good.  “The product functions as a zero-interest, unsecured loan tailored to the social economy and is compliant with Islamic finance principles but it is open to all.”  The product is currently open to eligible organisations operating in the social economy, including CICs, charities and mission-led businesses. Social investment of between £25,000 and £250,000 are available, with flexible repayment terms supported by Key Fund and LABD. The model has been developed to comply with Islamic finance principles — ensuring no interest is charged — but it is designed to serve all communities, regardless of faith or background.  The first application of the product is supporting Brilliant Healthy Smiles (BHS), a new social enterprise dental care initiative in Bradford led by Dr. Fraz Ali. The practice aims to provide accessible, affordable treatment by mirroring NHS pricing structures while maintaining long-term sustainability.  Dr. Fraz Ali, founder of new Brilliant Healthy Smiles clinic, said: “Navigating social investment initially felt like a minefield, but working with LABD partners like Impact Hub Yorkshire made the process streamlined, transparent, and supportive, even with dentistry being a niche market.”  “This new lending product will help Brilliant Healthy Smiles give the people in our city access to the care they deserve.”  Andy Croft, investment manager at Key Fund, concluded: “There is every confidence across the stakeholders involved within this journey that Brilliant Healthy Smiles will be successful. We’re committed in helping Dr Fraz address the identified big gap in the market, particularly to help BAME communities who otherwise wouldn’t be able to access a dentist.” 

A big hole in the government’s coffers can be plugged by backing small businesses which reduce the gigantic cost of reoffending, saving us all money. Trying to rebuild your life after leaving prison is tough. A stable life needs income, but 74% of ex-offenders are unemployed six months after being released and if you’re not earning a wage, how are you supposed to keep a roof over your head?  A Ministry of Justice (MOJ) report found that financial problems and unemployment are a major factor in people reoffending and 59% of unemployed ex-offenders will reoffend within one year of release from prison.  A government focused on growth needs more people working and contributing taxes; what it doesn’t need is a £18bn hole - the cost of reoffending - in the budget.  One growing business has a simple answer to this: get people ready and qualified for work before they leave and employ prison leavers where they can. Tap Social Movement is proving this model works.  How a beer company reduces reoffending  Appropriately, the idea of Tap Social Movement was first discussed over a few beers; the difference is they still thought it was a good idea in the morning. Tap’s three co-founders all had experience of working in the criminal justice system. Tess Taylor had been working to clear criminal records at Canada’s National Pardon Centre, Tess’s sister Amy was formerly a Policy Advisor at the MOJ, and fellow co-founder Paul Humpherson worked as a criminal barrister.   In 2016, Tess Taylor was visiting different breweries while working for an early pioneer of the independent craft beer movement that has changed the name on beer pumps nationwide. She thought the welcoming, non-judgmental culture of the scene might be the right environment for people to re-enter society. Meanwhile, Amy Taylor had connected with Mark Edwards, Governor at Spring Hill prison, through her work at the MOJ. She’d successfully pitched the idea of getting prisoners on-day release ready for life outside prison by offering them employment while they served the final part of their sentence.    After convincing a brewing expert to join them, pooling their savings, finding a cheap business unit, and buying secondhand equipment, Tap Social Movement was up and running. They took their first employee from Spring Hill Prison six weeks after opening and have never looked back. In nine years, the business has grown to four venues: three tap rooms across Oxford and Banbury along with Proof Social Bakehouse, a bakery and cafe established in their first brewery premises. Plans are also well underway for the launch of an ambitious new venue in early 2026.  Around a third of their staff are ex-offenders and over the years they have employed 60 people with experience of prison.   "From day one Tap Social treated me like family. Nobody asked what I’d done, and nobody judged me. All they wanted from me was that I did my best. And my best is what I did. They brought me out of my shell, showed me I had skills I didn’t know I had, and treated me as a human - like I wasn’t just a number to be locked behind a door or another body counted at roll call," said Terry, who worked at Proof Social Bakehouse after leaving prison.  In stark contrast to the grim statistics at the top of this article, none of their employees reoffended within one year of release, and just 6% reoffended after one year. The conclusion is simple: having a reason to get up every day and earn money means it is less likely someone will reoffend. Some of Tap’s employees move onto other work, but 89% of them are still in employment one year after prison.    The next stage of growth  This year will see further growth for the business. A recent fundraise on crowdfunding platform CrowdCube saw Tap Social raise more than £600,000, part of which will help fund a planned fifth venue, but also to promote their beers being available in 220 stores of a well-known national retailer this autumn.    “It's the first time we've had a listing of this size, so we’re really excited, but we need to make sure the rate of sale is good and strong. We need a proper marketing and PR budget to ensure the beer shifts on the shelves and that people are picking it up,” Tess Taylor said.   Small businesses like Tap Social Movement are the backbone of the British economy, with 99% of all UK businesses being SMEs. The growth of the social enterprise will mean more employment opportunities for ex-offenders, reducing the cost of reoffending, and helping save taxpayers money. For a government intent on breaking down barriers to opportunity and one focused on good jobs and productivity, Tap Social Movement provides a blueprint for achieving the change the Labour Party successfully campaigned on.  tapsocialmovement.com

Growing an economy needs entrepreneurs, and long-term growth also requires sustainable use of resources.  One growing business ticks both boxes. After arriving from Australia as a backpacker in 2002, Michael Amos probably wasn’t expecting to be leading a recycling business 23 years later that has supported 1,500 schools in 44 countries. Waste to Wonder Worldwide offers a B2B ethical office clearance service, transforming redundant office furniture into life-changing resources. On average, 97% of furniture and equipment they receive is redistributed to schools, charities and community projects in the UK and globally. Any items not fit for reuse are responsibly recycled. Apart from the obvious feelgood factor, another attraction for clients, which include HSBC, IBM and Honda, is detailed ESG (environmental, social and governance) reporting based on the carbon saved and social impact it makes through its donations. Waste to Wonder report that, on average, their work has saved five million kilograms of CO2 being released into the atmosphere annually. In short, reusing furniture means less trees have to be cut down. “Not only does the Waste to Wonder solution help us to support charities and schools globally, but by donating waste furniture rather than sending it to landfill, we're significantly reducing our carbon emissions,” said Amy Baer, Global Executive Director ESG and Procurement at global commercial real estate services and investment firm CBRE. “Our most recent report highlighting the benefits of the CBRE and W2W partnership demonstrated total savings of 1.3m kg of carbon across its projects.” A measure of Waste to Wonder’s growth is the success of their ‘School in a Box’ programme. Each ‘School in a Box’ is a 40-foot container packed with approximately £25,000 worth of redundant furniture cleared for companies who prioritise reuse rather than recycling. The first School in a Box was delivered to Morocco in 2003 and by 2010 the total had reached 100.  Fast forward to 2025 and 150 School in a Box shipments are now sent every year. Office furniture to the value of £45 million has now been donated and in 2024 Waste to Wonder reached a major milestone, donating its one millionth item. The company also supports many projects in the UK. It has provided kitchens for London’s Community Kitchen (LCK) which works to combat food poverty and reduce waste, including providing hot meals and food parcels for individuals and families facing crisis or hardship. LCK is guided by the belief that access to food is a basic human right. Waste to Wonder has also provided furniture for the University of East London’s Centre of Sustainability, which provides local people, businesses and UEL students and graduates access to affordable workspace alongside programmes to launch and grow businesses and develop the skills of East Londoners. “The natural thing was to talk to Waste to Wonder, and they just amazed us with the amount of quality second life furniture that they could bring into the space,” said Maxine Turney, Account Manager at Wagstaff Interiors Group, the commercial office company that fitted out the Centre of Sustainability. For Waste to Wonder’s Managing Director Michael Amos, the project offered the prospect of something more than furnishing a workspace. “This is an amalgamation of furniture that a large number of companies have decided they no longer need. For so many of our clients, potentially being able to come down and see the environmental impact of reuse is fantastic,” said Michael. There are many different kinds of growth. Waste to Wonder’s furniture is helping to grow a generation of entrepreneurs in East London. For their clients, seeing their office furniture reused shows them how their own businesses can create positive and social environmental impact, contributing to the communities outside of their offices. And Waste to Wonder’s ‘School in a Box’ programme is helping with the education of a new generation of citizens beyond the UK’s borders. To use the government’s own language, it’s the kind of growth that makes everyone better off. wastetowonder.com

One tea company has been ‘breaking down barriers to opportunity’ long before the phrase became part of an election-winning Labour manifesto.  The subject of refugees is part of the political hot potato that is immigration, the associated image for which is the flow of small boats that continue to make headlines. Of those coming across the English Channel in this way, 99% claim asylum once they arrive, according to Oxford University’s Migration Observatory. Small boat arrivals present a vivid image of desperate people taking risks to move from their home country to try and improve their lives, but refugees make up less than 1% of the UK population, according to UN figures.   Of those applying for asylum, 90% are accepted into the UK as someone forced to leave their country in order to escape war, violence and/or persecution for who they are or what they believe. The number of people claiming asylum in the UK rose by 17% last year. Refugees accepted by the UK need jobs to support themselves, and one growing business is showing how this might be done. NEMI teas is a London-based company providing employment to refugees, giving them local work experience and job readiness skills to enter the UK workforce and integrate into broader society. It supplies tea to large corporate offices, hotels, restaurants and cafes across the UK and Europe.  NEMI teas founder Pranav Chopra started the business in 2017 after speaking to refugees at a charity dinner and learning that a lack of UK work experience or references was holding them back from finding employment.  In response he started employing refugees selling chai on market stalls, a venture which eventually evolved to become NEMI teas.   Spotting a gap in the market presented by the shortage of hospitality workers following the pandemic, Pranav opened Trampoline Cafe in 2022 as an offshoot of NEMI, which hires refugees in London, providing them with opportunities to gain hospitality training and work experience, improve their English and better integrate into UK society. There are now two cafes, with the second open at the Royal College of Nursing. To date, Trampoline has successfully employed 28 refugees at the cafe with most trainees moving on to hospitality related jobs.   Ashkan has worked at Trampoline since 2022 after leaving Iran and it has enabled him to build a life here. A former accountant with a passion for coffee and Iran’s cafe culture, he had previously considered changing careers to work in hospitality.   “In a cafe you meet a lot of people and a lot of friends. My English was bad and now it is good. When I started to work in Trampoline, because I have a salary my life changed. I had more freedom to travel, for the cost of living, and I was happy,” Ashkan said. His ambition is to open his own small business – a cafe - in the future.   By strengthening collaborations with contract caterers and successful supplying to corporates across the UK, NEMI has experienced significant recent growth. Company turnover rose from £144,000 in 2020 to £1.74 million in 2024, with clients including PwC, Nationwide and UBS.   "Not only do NEMI provide us with high-quality teas, but we admire the work of Pranav and his team in supporting refugees with work experience, job readiness skills and integration into UK society. One of the values that guides PwC is 'make a difference', and one way we can do that is through our procurement of goods and services," said David Adair, Director of Community Engagement and The PwC Foundation UK.  Business success has enabled NEMI to double their team and significantly increase refugee employment opportunities at their Trampoline cafes. For a government with a mission to ‘break down barriers to opportunity’, NEMI and Trampoline offer a model for integrating new arrivals to the UK, enabling them to contribute to the government’s goal of economic growth.  nemiteas.com trampolinecafe.com