Hot on the heels of claiming the England prize in the Young Person’s Social Enterprise of the Year category, Plymouth College company Ecovation has taken the runners-up spot in the UK final of the Social Enterprise Awards.
Held as part of Voice 11 (the UK’s biggest social enterprise event) at the O2 Arena, Ecovation was competing alongside other social enterprises from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Set up by a team of inspiring sixth-formers in September, Ecovation builds and sells products to help the environment, including the Ecofeeder, a birdfeeder which turns household kitchen food waste into bird food to help reduce landfill.
Despite missing out on the top prize, which went to a social enterprise from Stonelaw High School in Scotland, Ecovation didn’t come away empty-handed, selling 150 birdfeeders to a garden centre, signing a manufacturing deal with a company in Nottingham and securing £15,000 in funding. The company also sold an Ecofeeder to Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Ecovation has pledged to give away a percentage of profits to help improve the local and global environment. Beneficiaries will include the Wildlife Trust and Real Ideas Young People’s Social Enterprise Start Up Fund. The team turned down an offer of private investment because they want to stay true to their values.
Olympic diver and Plymouth College pupil, Tom Daley, is Ecovation’s Director of Marketing – he also helps to make the birdfeeders at lunchtime. Although he had to miss the O2 event because of diving commitments, Tom is really proud to be part of Ecovation.
‘I got involved in the company because I was really keen to do something a bit different at school,' said Tom. ‘Obviously a lot of my time is spent training or at competitions, so I really relished the chance of learning a whole new set of skills.
‘Having the opportunity to run a business has been a fantastic experience for someone of my age. We work really well together as a team, and the fact that we are helping the environment with our product, and making a financial contribution to a business start up fund for young people, is an added bonus.’
There are 62,000 social enterprises in the UK, contributing over £20 billion to the economy and employing nearly a million people. Social enterprises are businesses, but exist first and foremost to make a positive difference to society or the environment. Profits are reinvested rather than given to shareholders and owners. They operate in almost every industry in Britain, from health and social care to renewable energy, from retail to recycling, from employment to sport, from housing to education.