Social Enterprise Mark
Social enterprises solve social or environmental problems through their business activities. They spend most of their profits on promoting their social objectives.
Social enterprises do good
Social enterprises are socially responsible. These companies have sustainable, long-term business activities and they use at least half of their profits to develop their operations or donate them to a designated charity. Companies that have been set up to tackle social or environmental problems are eligible for the mark. Transparency and openness are also important criteria. The company must define its social objective and the way it uses its revenue in its articles of association, regulations or some other review.
Social Enterprise Mark companies
The mark has been issued to a wide variety of companies and associations. The mark is used by many companies in the care sector, by operators in the environmental and forestry services sector, by education and employment service providers and many others. What these companies have in common is that the mark reflects the social good they do.
Access granted by the Key Flag Symbol Committee
The Finnish Social Enterprise Marks are granted on the basis of applications, which are processed by a committee consisting of independent experts. The mark is generally granted for three years at a time; however, the committee may also grant the mark for a shorter time. The information required for using the mark is reviewed annually.
What are social enterprises?
Social entrepreneurship means business that is strongly committed to values, economically profitable and sustainable. There are estimated to be thousands of social enterprises in different sectors in Finland.
Social enterprises are characterised by the fact that they:
1. Reform service structures
2. Deliver welfare services in a humanely and economically sustainable way
3. Employ and develop services from a local perspective
4. Use their profits to improve the well-being of their local community
5. Develop viable solutions to environmental problems
Social entrepreneurship is a growing trend around the world, and in the UK, for example, there is a Social Enterprise Mark similar to the Finnish Social Enterprise Mark. Although Finland has a tradition of social entrepreneurship through cooperatives, social entrepreneurship is still a relatively unknown concept in Finland.
In addition to Finnish Work, the Finnish Association of Social Enterprises ARVO, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Centre of Expertise for Social Enterprises YYO promote social entrepreneurship and the prerequisites for social enterprises.
Research: Why apply for a Social Enterprise Mark?
Social enterprises are socially responsible. They spend most of their profits on promoting their social objectives. Companies that have been set up to tackle social or environmental problems are eligible for the mark. Transparency and openness are also important criteria.
76%
consider it at least fairly important for companies to communicate openly about their social actions and their impact
Source: Changes in Consumption 2022,
Taloustutkimus
95%
of Social Enterprise companies say the mark supports sales of products and services in Finland
Source: Membership Survey 2024
52%
think the Social Enterprise Mark has a positive impact on the employer image of the company
Source: Changes in Consumption 2022,
Taloustutkimus
Submit an application
Fill out the preliminary information form below and we will email you a link to the application.
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Mark criteria
Detailed criteria for the issue of the Social Enterprise Mark and the rules for using the mark.Read more -
Issue of the mark
Composition of the Social Enterprise Mark Committee and the next dates for issuing the markRead more -
Membership fee calculator
The fee for using the mark consists of a membership fee and a mark fee. The fee is based on the turnover of the company.Membership fee calculator