Green-Works is an award winning social enterprise and registered charity dedicated to helping the environment by diverting redundant office and school furniture from landfill by providing reused and remanufactured furniture to small business, charities, schools and community groups whilst providing training and real work experience to the unemployed.

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Green-Works awarded ethical business award

20 April 2010

The Social Enterprise Mark is the brand for social enterprises and was launched 1st February, 2010. The Mark identifies businesses which meet defined criteria for social enterprise, and consumers will recognise that businesses displaying the Mark are trading to benefit people and planet.

Green-Works joins other ethical businesses that have been recognised by being awarded the Mark such as the Eden Project, Hill Holt Wood, Bristol Wood Recycling Project and the Co-operative Group South & West.

The Social Enterprise Mark builds off the pilot run by RISE, the voice for South West social enterprise. Government data estimates that there are 62,000 social enterprises across the UK, contributing 24 billion to the economy and employing around 800,000 people.

Recent research found that social enterprises are twice as confident of growth compared to typical small to medium enterprises (SMEs), with 48% of social enterprises saying they are positive about the future as opposed to just 24% of SMEs (The Social Enterprise Coalitions State of Social Enterprise Survey 2009).

Social enterprises are working to make a difference across the UK and beyond, but not enough people know what they are or how they work. The Social Enterprise Mark aims to raise awareness of what social enterprises do in order to get more people to buy from, engage with, start up and work for social enterprises.

Green-Works provides a highly unique furniture reuse programme for surplus office and school furniture, ensuring nothing goes to landfill through reuse, remanufacture and recycling; providing these high quality items to charities, SMEs, Social Enterprises, community groups, School and members of the public.

Now in its 10th year of operation, Green-Works is proud to have diverted over 65,000 tonnes of furniture from landfill, helped over 5,000 organisations reduce their equipment costs and provided training and employment to over 200 people.

Colin Crooks, Green-Works CEO said, Were really proud to have been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark.Green-Works is absolutely committed to supporting sustainable businesses and consequently helping local communities to thrive and prosper.

Lucy Findlay champion from the Social Enterprise Mark Company (manager of the Mark) advised: We are delighted to award the prestigious Social Enterprise Mark to Green-Works. Social enterprises come in all shapes and forms so it's great to see a vital, local organistion understanding the importance of being part of the wider social enterprise brand

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