Introducing Telos

We’re delighted, proud and excited to be launching a new social enterprise, Telos. Telos has been built and developed by Social Enterprise UK but will operate as an independent social enterprise headquartered in Dublin.

The SEUK board have long felt it is important for a new subsidiary to have its own distinct brand, look and feel. Given the remit of the work above we felt it was important to have a brand with global potential. Telos is a term used by Aristotle to refer to the final cause of a natural organ or entity, or of human art. We believe the final cause of all businesses should be purpose, and that supply chains are at the heart of achieving this.

The Telos strategy is based on three big beliefs:

1.       Supply chains are the engine room of responsible business

Two-thirds of the average company’s environment, social, and governance footprint lies with suppliers. Business leaders serious about responsible business must invest in improving their supply chain.

2.       Supply chains must take holistic approaches to impact

Procurement leaders are currently responding to risk, compliance and regulatory challenges across the social, economic and environmental spectrum. There is a need for a more proactive, forward looking strategy that sees supply chains as an opportunity for positive impact.

3.       Social enterprises are catalysts of better supply chains

We believe the social enterprise sector holds many of the answers to the above questions for businesses. Bringing them into supply chains, and learning from the way in which they do business will be critical to creating the new responsible supply chains of the future.

Our work is all about how we deliver the above objectives, working with businesses, governments and social economy organisations around the world. Initially this will focus on three key areas:

1.       Programmes – Telos will take over the operation and expand the Buy Social Europe programme launched by SEUK in 2021. This will seek to support 50 businesses to spend €5 billion with social economy enterprises by 2030

2.       Advisory – Building on our knowledge from implementing the Social Value Act in the UK, supporting businesses and governments to look at how they can maximise their impact through their supply chains.

3.       Advocacy - Making the business case for procurement as a force for good through advocacy and publications.

Over the coming months, we’ll be building out the case for our big beliefs and bringing views from across the sector about the issues of supply chains, impact and the social economy.