Our thinking

Going online

4 March, 2021

Exciting news in the social enterprise space is the new ‘eBay For Change’ programme.  

The programme offers a dedicated online platform through the eBay For Change hub, which directs customers to products sold by companies with a social purpose and whose profits are reinvested into the communities they support. 

Directing customers to social enterprises is a great way to showcase how business can be used for the good of society, as well as making it easy for people to make smart choices while they shop. Take Stand4Socks that matches a pair bought with a pair donated to homeless organisations. Or Good Wash soap whose profits help resolve social issues. Both can be found on the eBay hub. 

But eBay isn’t stopping there. It’s removing fees for social enterprises and has also partnered with UnLtd, an organisation that supports social entrepreneurs to develop their businesses. They plan to work with 100 social start-ups in the first year, offering them advice and financial support to grow their businesses.  

This partnership is an investment that will grow the whole sector, resulting in more social enterprises coming through the pipeline, ready to sell their products on eBay. It’s also the first e-commerce training programme for social start-ups.  

We’re excited to see businesses helping other businesses. As the centre of gravity of retail shifts online, it’s good to see e-commerce being used to support businesses with a purpose (read our story on Ocado’s new ‘search by B Corp’ function here). And with eBay’s 29 million shoppers, the potential for social enterprises to grow and support their communities further is huge. Happy shopping! 

By Cara McEvoy