Driving forward ethical, green investment
Posted: 29 November 2021, in News
At Social Investment Scotland (SIS), our mission is to connect capital with communities to make a lasting difference in people’s lives. However, we can only succeed if we have a healthy natural environment to operate within.
People who experience the most inequality are also on the frontline of the impacts of climate change – it affects lives, land, livelihoods, and economies. Climate inequality is intrinsically linked to financial inequalities, among other factors, for individuals and communities.
Through our 10-year strategy 2020 – 2030, ‘Building an Impact Economy’, we seek to minimise harm, maximise positive impacts for people and the planet, and contribute solutions to some of society’s biggest challenges. It’s impossible to do this without placing care for Earth as a central pillar of our work.
We were pleased to recently launch the Social Enterprise Net Zero Transition Fund (NZTF), in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland, to support social enterprises and the wider third sector to make the transition to carbon net zero.
The purpose of the fund is to support social sector organisations (SSO) in their journey to become carbon neutral, and to develop the circular economy. Through the fund, we are interested in supporting activities that will reduce our carbon footprint. Some examples include:
- Reducing energy consumption
- Improving energy efficiency
- Developing or moving to renewable energy sources
- Transitioning to sustainable transport options
- Scaling local food production and supply
- Minimising or re-purposing food waste
- Developing circular economy products, services, processes, and practices.
The fund provides loans from £10,000. SSO’s who have a particular circular economy focus or are proposing specific projects with a focus on re-use, repair, and leasing/sharing models, may also be eligible for a small grant award.
Our transition to net zero is an ongoing journey and continues to be a high priority for SIS. Our approach will be continuously reviewed and updated on at least an annual basis.
Have a read of our current climate action statement to find out more about our next steps.
Find out more about our Social Enterprise Net Zero Transition Fund and do share with anyone who you think might have an interest.
Social Investment Scotland
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