We all know this year has been a challenging one for our teams, our customers and the communities we serve. As an extra thank you for the hard work our employees have put in this year, Amey’s Executive Team made the decision to give all 16,000 Amey employees a festive hamper full of goodies.
It was a no brainer; from the outset we wanted this hamper to have maximum impact by procuring the goods from UK SMEs in communities across the country that we know have been hard hit by the pandemic. And, importantly we wanted to use our spending power for good, by where possible ‘Buying Social’.
Last year, Amey spent £4.7m with Social Enterprises – organisations that use their purpose and profit for social or environmental good – and have committed to spending £40m with Social Enterprises by 2023. Sourcing from social enterprises for the festive hampers was an ideal project to contribute to this ambitious target!
Here are two fantastic social enterprises that are featuring in the hamper, and the impact spending with them has.
Rubies in the Rubble
If food waste was a country it would be the third largest carbon emitter after USA and China. Rubies in the Rubble has made it their mission to change that. Their condiments are packed with delicious ingredients that would otherwise have been wasted - not because they taste any different, but often because they’re the wrong shape, size or colour.
In other words, they’re all about less waste, more taste. To date they’ve saved enough fruit and veg to offset over 255 tonnes of C02e, the equivalent to driving around the world 36 times.
Grace Chocolates
Grace Chocolates are lovingly handmade by women who have experienced the criminal justice system and are choosing to make positive changes in their lives. Grace chocolates give these women opportunities to gain new skills, qualifications and work experience, to improve their self-esteem and career opportunities.
They’re able to make a real difference to the women they work with, they know this because they get told “I love my wee job”. The opportunities they can provide through chocolate has truly changed their lives.
Long-time social enterprise and partner of Amey, Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company has also had a hand in the project, and the packing and putting together of the hampers wouldn’t have been possible without their help. In doing so, we’re helping veterans and those with disabilities to access sustainable employment.
So, where will you be spending money this Christmas?
Every person, every business has the opportunity to create social value through what and where they choose to buy. In doing so, we can all provide a pathway for social enterprises to grow and to thrive – the more we spend with them, the more positive impact they can have for people and the planet. We want to encourage all businesses to consider spending with social enterprises, both this Christmas and beyond - and they’ll quickly see the fantastic impact they can have.