Entrepreneurs turned philanthropists. Ethical retailers. Not-for-profit game-changers. These entrepreneurs are running ground-breaking, profitable businesses – with a difference. This new breed has a social conscience.
One Water: Duncan Goose founded One Water in 2004 to raise money for water pumps in Africa.
Holts Academy: Hatton Garden has been home to the London jewellery trade since medieval times.
Shiply: A quarter of all lorries in the UK travel empty.
New Model School Company: Parents suffer sleepless nights trying to get their children into their school of choice.
Unpackaged: Packaging has irritated environmentalists for years.
Media for Development: Media for Development (MfD) runs radio and TV projects for neglected communities such as prisoners, Gypsies and the homeless.
Bikeworks: If the social enterprise movement had a symbol, it would be the bicycle.
Brighter Future Workshop: Peter Cousins was almost on the scrapheap himself after a spinal condition put him in a wheelchair at the age of 50.
JustGiving: If you’ve sponsored a friend on a charity fun run or a bike-trip across the Andes, you’ll be familiar with Zarine Kharas’ JustGiving.com.
Women Like Us: Getting mums back to work is a problem the government has pretty much given up on...
Spruce Carpets: Kate Atkinson was working as a volunteer for a furniture recycling organisation in 2003 when she realised the demand for low-cost carpets.
Pants to Poverty: Ben Ramsden is the pin-up boy of social enterprise...