Lobby group chief calls for social enterprise pandemic

Doing business for the benefit of society and the environment must become a global phenomenon, the chief executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC) has claimed.

In a rallying call to social entrepreneurs at his organisation's annual conference, Peter Holbrook said while companies which plough their profits into a social, community or environmental cause have made great strides in the UK, the social enterprise approach to business needs to expand internationally if it is to become mainstream.

Opening Voice10 in Cardiff, he said: "The financial crisis has demonstrated that making profits at any cost is no way to do business. It's unsustainable, unjust and dangerous. We are in a great position to play a bigger role. I want to see a full blown pandemic of social enterprise spreading across the world."