Yunus Environment Hub (YEH) is happy to announce that we have joined SEND e. V. – a network with more than 700 members advocating for social entrepreneurship in Germany. The goal of SEND e. V. is to create a society in which everyone profits from progress, and this is done by linking those in the social entrepreneurship sector together, thereby giving them a voice which they can collectively use to achieve their common goal. A network like this is invaluable in improving the situation of social businesses which solve environmental issues in Germany. A report published by SEND e. V. in March 2021 surveyed over 400 social businesses and found that the respondents felt like they experienced a lack of support from politicians in the country. Another concern that six out of ten of those surveyed had was that they thought there was no adequate legal form for social businesses in Germany.
We are convinced that social businesses are key in solving the many environmental issues that make up the climate crisis, so statistics like these are concerning to hear. Clearly better framework conditions are required so that the solutions brought to the table by social businesses can be implemented more easily and without any unnecessary roadblocks. In partnering with SEND e. V., we want to contribute our expertise and knowledge to help develop better frameworks for social businesses in Germany. We are currently shaping the landscape of social innovations in Germany together with the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) through SINA. The goal of SINA is to develop policies that improve framework conditions for social businesses to flourish in meeting Germany’s climate goals. In the future, we hope to do more work in this direction together with the SEND e. V. network.
We are excited by the opportunity to connect with and exchange ideas with other players in the social business ecosystem in Germany. We hope this will allow us to garner more influence in the social business sector which will help us to further the cause of social businesses and bring society closer to systemic, sustainable change.
To stay up to date with how YEH is advancing the cause for social businesses, stay in touch with us on social media. For more info on SEND e. V. you can follow this link: https://www.send-ev.de/.