Creating a Social Value Economy: A collective vision from the Social Value 2032 programme partners

Global collaboration will help unlock millions of hours for women and girls to improve quality of life, saving time for learning and income-generating activities. 15 April 2024 The Washing Machine Project, a grassroots organization that provides off-grid manual washing machines to people in low-income and displaced communities, announced today it is collaborating with the Whirlpool Foundation to deliver 10,000 manual washing machines to communities and households across the world over the next five years. The work is expected to impact an estimated 150,000 people and address a significant barrier to their advancement and quality of life. Recognized by The Washing Machine Project and the Whirlpool Foundation as the ‘Global Washing Divide,’ this collaboration will focus on the estimated 60% of the world’s population–or 5 billion people–that rely on washingclothes by hand. This new collaboration with Whirlpool Foundation will expand the reach of the innovative Divya manual washing machine and alleviate the burden of hand washing clothes for communities across India, Latin America, Mexico and Africa. The new partnership will enable The Washing Machine Project team to install over 10,000 Divya manual machines in 6 countries, impacting 150,000 people. In its first five years, the collaboration will help unlock approximately 17 million hours for women and girls to improve quality of life and halve overall water usage, bringing efficient and sustainable washing solutions where they are needed most. According to the World Health Organization, 70% of households worldwide depend on women and girls for water collection and laundry, which is amplified by the estimate that up to 20 hours each week are spent hand washing clothes in underserved communities globally. The collaboration will help save time and create opportunities for learning, income-generating activities and more time with family. “We are honoured to partner with the Whirlpool Foundation, whose legacy as a pioneer in home appliance innovation is only superseded by their passion to foster community development and improve life at home for people around the world," said Navjot Sawhney, founder and CEO of The Washing Machine Project. “This collaboration is a testament to what can be achieved when compassion meets technology. Together we are set to revolutionize laundry practices globally, paving the way for a more equitable and prosperous future for hundreds of thousands of people.” Divya Washing Machine Impact At the initiative's core is the Divya Washing Machine, the world's first flat-packable manual washing machine that allows users to wash their clothes without electricity or a connected water source. Its simple design reduces the prolonged physical effort usually required to hand wash clothes, replacing it instead with a simple manual machine that can be used frequently and safely, saving the user up to 76% of the time compared to hand washing clothes. As a portable unit built with commercial-grade components and stainless-steel construction, the machine is easier to fix remotely and has the potential to be recycled at the end of its life. Divya, the machine's namesake, is named after Navjot Sawhney's former neighbour, whom he became close friends with during a work assignment in India engineering cook stoves. He was struck by how much time Divya would spend doing back-breaking chores, including hand-washing clothes for hours each week. At that time, he promised to return to Divya with a manual washing machine and help makeher life a little easier. In March 2024, in a joint trip with the Whirlpool Foundation, he did just that. “We greatly admire the mission and work of The Washing Machine Project and see an opportunity to help impact more lives collectively than either of us could individually," said Pam Klyn, Whirlpool Corporation executive vice president, corporate relations and sustainability. "Driven by shared passion and purpose, Whirlpool Corporation employees are lending their time and talents to help make this long-term vision a reality, recognizing that this initiative goes beyond washing clothes. It is about reclaiming time and improving lives for these individuals who will now spend much less time doing laundry, which opens the door to new opportunities.” In the first five years of its collaboration with Whirlpool Foundation, distribution is planned for underserved populations in rural and urban areas in India, Mexico, Brazil, the Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Uganda. Implementation will be tailored to meet the partnering regions' specific cultural, economic, and environmental conditions, ensuring the solution is effective and relevant in local contexts. Since The Washing Machine Project was founded in 2019, the organization has conducted ethnographic research in 13 countries and interviewed more than 3,000 families in India, Uganda, Jamaica, Nepal and the Philippines to gain insight into their clothes-washing tendencies. In addition to completing successful pilot studies, The Washing Machine Project has distributed Divya washing machines to families and communities in India, Iraq, Lebanon, the United States, Mexico, and Uganda. In 2024 The Washing Machine Project plans to scale across numerous countries, partnering with organizations like the Whirlpool Corporation and international development and humanitarian organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Save The Children, Oxfam, Care International, and Plan International. About The Washing Machine Project Founded by Nav Sawney, The Washing Machine Project is a grassroots social enterprise based in the U.K. aiming to alleviate the burden of hand washing clothes and empower women by providing remote, low-income and displaced communities with an accessible, off-grid washing solution. The Divya Washing Machine - a manual, off-the-grid washer-dryer helps save up to 50% of water and 75% of the time compared to hand washing clothes. About Whirlpool Foundation Since 1952, the Whirlpool Foundation has been making real, positive differences in local communities where Whirlpool Corporation families live and work. Whirlpool Foundation shares our vision that communities and displaced people everywhere should have access to sustainable washing solutions; improving lives by reducing the physical impact and reclaiming the amount of time it takes to simply wash clothes. thewashingmachineproject.org

Unity Trust Bank, which supports organisations to deliver positive social impact around the UK, has reported a record level of lending in its annual results for 2023. Exceeding £1 billion for the first time in its 40-year history, almost half of Unity’s financing last year (45.3%) went into areas of high deprivation.  Overall lending increased by 21% to £1.01 billion (2022: £836.6m) while after-tax earnings rose to £48.9m (2022: £22.8m), resulting in a strong CET1 capital ratio of 19.7% (2022: 18.3%). Colin Fyfe, CEO at Unity Trust Bank, said: “Surpassing £1 billion in lending for the first time is testament to the principles that Unity was founded on 40 years ago – that a bank can deliver social purpose as well as sustainable commercial returns. “Our 2023 objectives were achieved against a backdrop of turbulent economic conditions, and supporting our customers continues to be at the core of our strategy. “The higher bank rate environment, alongside balance sheet growth, increased financial returns for Unity in 2023 and enabled us to continue to advance our purpose and our investment in customer services.” By only using customer deposits to lend to organisations that deliver quantifiable impact in local communities, Unity’s funding in 2023 helped to support 1,458 care home spaces; 572 day care and education spaces and 7,143 jobs. It also provided affordable homes for 1,225 households and 452 properties benefited from retrofitting activities. Unity continued to strengthen its support to customers in 2023, introducing a new digital banking platform and establishing sector specific customer hubs. Committed to developing the way it measures and manages its own contributions to people and planet, the bank joined the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) and released its first financed emissions reporting; strengthening its commitment to understanding its role in supporting customers facing the impacts of climate change. Unity also maintains its carbon neutral status for its own emissions through continued engagement with the Housing Association Charitable Trust’s (HACT’s) award-winning Retrofit Credits programme. Colin added: “Unity’s vision is to become the market leader in ethical banking in the UK and we will continue to help improve the lives of local communities into the next 40 years through responsible financing.” In 2023, employee-led Unity & Me initiatives continued to make Unity a great place to work and support positive outcomes for customers and communities. Unity increased its discretionary donations fivefold from 2022, supporting 26 organisations to deliver positive outcomes for the most vulnerable in society. It also maintained its partnership with the Prince’s Trust and volunteered with 123 young people throughout the year and increased its overall staff volunteering days by 2.5% compared to 2022. About Unity Trust Bank Unity Trust Bank is an award-winning, independent, commercial bank that uses banking to improve the lives of UK communities. Living by its principles of banking with integrity, Unity’s purpose is to help create a better society, not simply maximise profits. Now in its 40th year, it has supported like-minded organisations that share its values and address social, economic and environmental needs. With offices in Birmingham, Manchester and London, Unity offers a range of banking services, including current accounts, savings accounts and loans. Unity is a Real Living Wage Trailblazer and Disability Confident employer, holder of the Investors in People Gold standard and a member of the Global Alliance for Banking with Values, and its memberships ensure it’s engaged with best practices in the UK and globally as a bank with a social conscience. Visit www.unity.co.uk for more information. You can also follow Unity Trust Bank on Twitter and Facebook, or go to its LinkedIn page.

The award-winning service for adults with disabilities, Nickel Support, and their unique retail project, Interestingly Different, have started a brand new, revolutionary and bespoke retail training programme in order to address the shocking situation around employment opportunities and support for adults with learning disabilities and Autism.  Meet Charlie. Charlie is an amazing young woman with not only a smile for everyone she meets, but she also has a huge amount of potential, with a strong drive to work and have a purpose. However, Charlie also has a learning disability - which means that her ambition and goals are often met by hurdles and challenges. When Charlie started attending Nickel Support 9 years ago she struggled with confidence in communicating, and lacked support to achieve her potential. Throughout her time at Nickel Support, Charlie has grown in confidence and in her self belief, and has proven just how much adults with learning disabilities can achieve when they are given the chance to shine. She is now one of the trainees who is in paid employment at Interestingly Different, which forms the retail branch of Nickel Support.  Interestingly Different re-launched in 2023 opening their beautiful shop in Carshalton and introducing their online shop. They are a gift and homeware store with a difference - selling an incredible selection of high quality gifts, homewares, gift boxes and corporate gifting options from more than 30 social enterprises. However, Interestingly Different’s core goal is to provide training and employment opportunities for their trainees, all of whom have faced the same hurdles and barriers as Charlie, and to enable them to lead a purposeful and fulfilled life.  Since the re-launch, the team realised more needed to be done to provide training and employment opportunities - especially as government initiatives such as the Access to Work scheme, have lengthy, climbing waiting lists. Hence they set about creating an adaptable training programme to ensure that trainees gain necessary skills for employment. The programme was created in-house, and incorporates a variety of visual, written and audio materials in order to break down the barriers seen in mainstream training. It is delivered on a one-to-one basis, by trained Support Workers who not only understand learning disabilities, but who get to know each trainee, meaning they can tailor the training to their individual needs.  The training course has been set up with a true sense of urgency, as the employment situation for adults with learning disabilities and autism is shocking. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions recently comissioned The Buckland Review, in order to identify the barriers to autistic people securing and fulfilling employment. Published in February 2024, the report found that  “despite their wish to work, the latest official statistics show that only around 3 in 10 working age autistic disabled people are in employment.” And worse yet, we know from other sources that only 5.1% of adults with all types of learning disabilities in England are in paid work.  The Buckland Review found what Nick Walsh and Elena Nicola, co-founders of Nickel Support have long known - there is a wide range of potential barriers to work for autistic people [the same applies to people with any learning disability]. Even after finding work, maintaining long-term employment remains a challenge. Many do not receive the necessary support or adjustments to enable them to fulfil their role in the face of inaccessible sensory and social environments.  The current reality is sad and shocking, but Nickel Support and Interestingly Different are proud to see a positive impact even in the early stages of this project. When asked how she feels about the new training programme, Charlie commented, “The training I’ve already had has given me the self belief and confidence to work. I used to find it hard talking to customers, but now I feel confident to do that.  I am excited to start the new training programme because I think it is going to help me and the other trainees to learn new valuable skills”. There are currently five Interestingly Different trainees in paid employment, a number they intend to increase as they roll out the training programme.  Seeing Interestingly Different trainees embark upon their training is truly a wonderful thing - you can really sense that this is a place where they are valued, and are being equipped with vital skills for the workplace. Elena Nicola, says, “Seeing the trainees being given the opportunity to expand their knowledge, gain skills and move on to potential employment is so exciting, especially when all the evidence, and our first hand experience, shows that this is not something that is currently happening regularly in society. Sadly our story should not be news, but currently what we are doing really isn’t the norm. We eagerly look forward to the day when it is, and will not stop working to achieve that.”  Interestingly Different sources and sells a wide range of products from over 33 other UK based social enterprises, all of whom are working with adults with disabilities or facing life challenges.  Interestingly Different is open Monday - Saturday from 10am to 5pm, and their  website, https://interestinglydifferent.co.uk/ not only sells their full product range, but also offers a fantastic insight to the work that they do. They also work with corporate clients providing monthly subscriptions of office supplies such as tea and coffee, alongside making gift hampers for staff and clients. Each and every purchase helps towards the greater goal of an inclusive society where adults with disabilities are able to meet their potential and live a purposeful and fulfilled life. Interestingly Different was one of the Small Biz Saturday’s top 100 small businesses in the UK in 2023, and has since also been named as one of Theo Paphitis’s Small Business Sunday Winners.