LONDON, UK — August 25, 2021 — SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced that it has been named as a finalist in the UK Social Enterprise Awards in the Market Builder category for ‘Buy Social’.
As the official technology partner of Social Enterprise UK, the national membership body for the UK’s social enterprise sector, SAP aims to facilitate better connections between corporate buyers and other employees with social enterprises, helping them spend better and in a more socially and environmentally sustainable way.
Through its 5 & 5 by ‘25 commitment and its work with Social Enterprise UK, SAP aims to channel millions of pounds of procurement spend within its own supply chain to organisations with a certified social or environmental mission. SAP has already diverted more than £800,000 of its own UK procurement spend to social enterprises and pledged to increase this spend as part of a €1/4 billion investment in the UK over the next five years.
Social enterprises are businesses which trade for a social or environmental purpose. There are 100,000 social enterprises in the UK contributing £60bn to the UK economy, each one being set up to tackle some of the biggest challenges we face from homelessness to the climate emergency.
The UK Social Enterprise Awards run by Social Enterprise UK recognise the nation’s most pioneering social enterprises. SAP will be joining other shortlisted organisations at the prestigious awards ceremony held at London’s iconic Guildhall on 8 December.
This year the Awards featured two new categories one recognising a Social Enterprise Building Diversity, Inclusion, Equity & Justice and the other for the Social Enterprise Team of the Year – a category specifically acknowledging those teams which have demonstrated the strength, passion and resilience so characteristic of the social enterprise sector over an extremely challenging year.
Previous winners have included a company set up to tackle furniture poverty, an IT consultancy employing people with autism and a community energy co-operative – demonstrating just how diverse the social enterprise sector is.
Alexandra van der Ploeg, Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Global Corporate Affairs said: “Partnership must be the foundation for a sustainability strategy to create a lasting, positive change in the world. We are honoured to be shortlisted for the UK Social Enterprise ‘Buy Social’ – Market Builder Award, but even more excited about the momentum we are building in social procurement working in partnership with organizations like Social Enterprise UK. Together, we are accelerating progress to achieve our goal of 5 & 5 by ’25 and in turn, helping the world run better and improve people’s lives.”
Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK Peter Holbrook, said: “The UK Social Enterprise Awards are back, bigger and better than ever before. We have had a record number of applications this year, all of which have showcased the strength, dynamism and resilience of the social enterprise community through what’s been an incredibly difficult and uncertain period.
“Over the course of the pandemic social enterprises have been going above and beyond the call of duty to support their teams, the individuals, and communities they work with, showing the grit, determination and innovation so inherent to this sector. They’ve been operating directly on the frontline of the crisis, launching new products and pivoting their business models to meet the needs of communities and society as a whole.
“The Awards are all about celebrating the achievements of the UK’s social enterprise movement, which is showing us that another way of doing business is possible – one which has never been more important as we look to build back better and address the climate emergency.”
Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @SAPNews.
