Corps Security seeks to build on attainment of Social Enterprise status

Ethical consumerism has become a significant trend in recent years, with buyers more and more concerned about where their money’s going. Large corporations such as PwC, Barclays and Johnson & Johnson are all pledging to spend their money with those organisations determined to prioritise their social, governance and environmental impact.

It’s now a Boardroom-level commitment for many companies to allocate their procurement budget with those suppliers who align with – or otherwise complement – their own environmental, social and governance goals. Choosing to ‘buy social’ within the diverse supplier and social enterprise community affords consumers and companies a transparent, ethical and accountable way in which to spend their money.

Diverse suppliers and social enterprise businesses – often, the two go hand in hand – range in size and are spread across a wide variety of sectors. From coffee and water suppliers through to design agencies and security companies, there are plenty of organisations to choose from when it comes to meeting diverse supplier spend targets.

What is a Social Enterprise organisation?

To become a certified Social Enterprise organization, businesses must satisfy several key criteria include having to prove how profits are distributed and invested as well as company ownership status and evidence of a social mission.

Social Enterprise UK is the leading global authority on social enterprise and the biggest network of social enterprises in the UK. It’s a strategic partner to Government departments and has pretty much led public policy on social enterprises for 15 years.

Social Enterprise organisations are founded on a social or environmental mission and, like any successful business, are committed to making profit. Unlike other businesses, their profits must be reinvested or donated to charities or sustainability projects rather than paying dividends to shareholders.

Working with social enterprises and diverse suppliers is a simple way in which larger corporations can make a powerful ethical difference.

In 2016, Social Enterprise UK launched the Buy Social Corporate Challenge, representing the world’s largest commitment to social procurement. The Government-backed initiative sees a group of high-profile businesses working together to maximise their engagement with social enterprise suppliers. These partners now include over 27 global companies, among them Zurich Insurance, GSK and property giant CBRE.

Social procurement through Social Enterprise

More than ever, large corporations are now concerned about the social and environmental impact they realise. Many have established a strategy to bring diversity, innovation and sustainability to their supply chain. Social Enterprises can help deliver on this strategy.

“More and more, businesses are recognising just how powerful the impact, either positive or negative, of their day-to-day business spend is on society,” stated Janette Evans-Turner, head of sourcing and procurement for the UK  at Zurich Insurance. “Our ambition is to see our procurement practices drive positive social, environmental and ethical outcomes. A core part of our strategy is engaging with business partners who can bring diversity, innovation and sustainability into our supply chain. The good news is that there’s a ready-made solution out there which delivers all of this – social enterprises.”

Adrian Dalmedo, procurement director at CBRE, added: “Supply chain diversity is increasingly important for CBRE and our clients. CBRE has made a commitment to spend $1 billion with diverse suppliers in 2021 and to treble this figure over the next five years. We firmly believe that a diverse supply chain is a catalyst for innovation, creativity and doing good.”

Triple bottom line ethos

Since its inception back in 1859, Corps Security has followed what it calls the triple bottom line ethos of ‘people, planet, purpose’. That’s over a century and a half of social value.

Corps Security was originally founded to help veterans returning from the Crimean War to find gainful employment. To this day, the Corps Security model still actively seeks to employee ex-military personnel.

In July this year, Corps Security gained Social Enterprise status. This not only acknowledged the good work with which the business has been involved since its beginnings, but also sets it apart from competitors in the security sector.

Mark Rogers, sales and marketing director of Corps Security, explained: “Social Enterprise status brings many benefits. For our business, it guarantees that our social mission remains at the very heart of all we do and ensures that we continue to operate in an ethical, transparent and accountable manner. It also means that our customers can increase their own environmental, social and governance credentials by choosing to work with us. My ongoing hope is that, together, we can achieve great things for our people and our planet, while at the same time supporting our purpose.”

Reinvestment of profits

In common with all other Social Enterprise organisations, Corps Security reinvests its profits back into the business to support its front line teams. The company also makes considerable charitable donations to create positive social change within the ex-military community.

Combat Stress is its preferred charity and having Social Enterprise status means that Corps Security can secure regular funding for the charity. This helps to pay for research, clinicians and counsellors to support ex-military personnel with their journey into civilian life and any mental health care they may need.

Since the withdrawal from Afghanistan on 17 August, Combat Stress has seen an increase in the volume of calls to its Helpline with many veterans feeling let down, angry and frustrated. Recent coverage may be triggering difficult thoughts and feelings and could be re-traumatising some veterans or worsening existing conditions like PTSD.

Thanks to Corps Security’s clients, Combat Stress has funded 109 days for the Helpline. That’s 4,500 calls of which 2,070 were new callers seeking help for the first time. They have given 131 veterans individual sessions with a psychiatrist, funded 575 one-to-one trauma-focused sessions and 862 video therapy sessions at home. In addition, 2,632 participants can attend one-to-one peer support group meetings across the UK.

As well as meeting Social Enterprise criteria earlier this year and joining the growing number of companies able to offer that ‘diverse spend’ option, Corps Security has also recently been awarded the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award. This is in recognition of outstanding support for the Armed Forces community.

Corps Security has been a Living Wage Foundation-recognised service provider since 2020 and is also a carbon neutral company, funding projects across the world and offsetting 477 tons of carbon per annum.

*Further information is available online at https://www.corpssecurity.co.uk/why-choose-us/social-enterprise/