What is the Buy Social Pledge?
The Buy Social Pledge is a values-led initiative bringing together private businesses, SMEs, academic institutions, and public sector bodies who are looking to make a commitment to bring social enterprises into their supply chains.
The Buy Social Pledge signifies a transformative approach to doing business, where businesses become catalysts for positive change in communities.
Backed by the Scottish Government and supported by several ‘early adopters’, the pledge sees organisations commit to 5 key actions:
- Recognise Fair Work for All –champion fair work principles, prioritise Real Living Wages, narrow the Gender Pay Gap, foster Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and eradicate zero-hour contracts
- Environmental Impact for a Sustainable Tomorrow – embrace a net zero policy
- Support Social Enterprises – onboard and promote social enterprises within their supply chains, helping to foster an ecosystem that nurtures and supports these invaluable organisations, amplifying their positive impact.
- Prompt Payment, Ethical Business – organisations will commit to prompt payment, resulting in ethical business relationships.
- Measure Positive Impact – Commit transparency and accountability by reporting annual spend with social enterprises.
Who we're working with
Why you should get involved:
The Deloitte Gen Z and Millennials Survey 2023 points to key changing attitudes that will shape the future of business. Growing interest in environmental and social impact by investors, staff and consumers means that companies that do business in a way that takes into account ethical, local, and social concerns will be more attractive and find it easier to recruit talent, convince customers, and attract investors.
The Buy Social Pledge recognises the huge role supply chains can play in driving positive change. It aims to make it easier for businesses, the public sector and SMEs to engage with a range of social enterprise suppliers and to embed corporate responsibility and diversity into their core operations, while helping social enterprise organisations to grow their revenues and in turn, the positive social and environmental impact they deliver in communities.