Social enterprise in focus: Madlug

Madlug, which stands for ‘Make a Difference Luggage’, has grown in its seven years of operations. It has been awarded Social Enterprise of the Year in Northern Ireland in 2022, and is also a recognised UK B corporation, which is a prestigious global certificate.

Historically viewed as operating on the fringes of the economy, social enterprise is a business model whereby the business uses its profits to reinvest into the community and deliver social value. It has grown in prominence in recent years, with companies like Madlug demonstrating the ability to operate at scale.

With Northern Ireland lacking a functioning Executive, whilst adhering to net zero commitments and trying to increase the circularity of the economy, it is increasingly recognised that social enterprises have a pivotal role in delivering social value from investments in the economy.

Getting started

Linton, a former youth worker, says that he decided to create a social enterprise after he saw a video of children in social care in Northern Ireland who were required to use binbags to transport their possessions when moving between foster families and accommodation.

“It was at that moment that I felt that I had to do something and doing some journeying, reflecting, looking at different models, I chose the social enterprise model as the best means of giving bags to those in need and removing binbags from the care system.”

He adds: “I knew that funding for the charity world was not getting any bigger and was becoming very competitive and I just thought that if you do business and do it well, then business works.”

“I am very proud of Madlug, over 56,000 children have been spared from the indignity of having to use bin bags whilst moving within the care system.”

Whilst Linton believes that there needs to be more government support, he has said that what was provided to him was adequate to get Madlug off the ground.

“There was mentoring and free office space. There was support from our local council and Invest NI, as well as all of the normal bodies. There were also agencies and organisations like Social Enterprise NI that gives ongoing support to social enterprises who are at our stage in the journey.”

Challenges for social enterprises

Linton says that social enterprises are a “deeply rewarding” kind of business to operate and that, despite the challenges of inflation, the Northern Ireland Protocol and space for more enthusiasm from government, that there is room to expand the sector.

“Social enterprise makes sense in that it focuses business on using their profits for the good of society as a whole. Social enterprise is business first, but what we do is use our profits for social impact so I would encourage as many people as possible to consider it.”

The Northern Ireland Protocol has presented Madlug with a unique set of challenges as a UKwide company based in Northern Ireland.

“If we were a business that had more sales into Ireland as a whole island and into the European Union, then the Protocol would be a win for us, but 80 per cent of our market is in the UK. So we are trying to work with the Protocol. If we get bigger as a company, then our administration costs will increase, partially due to the Protocol, and that is a cost to a business that others do not have to carry.”

Plans for the future

Linton says that, in the next 10 years, Madlug aims to set up operations in at least one other country, and to increase the amount of bags donated from 56,000 to 300,000.

“We want to be a recognised UK-wide brand, not just as a social enterprise, we want to be taking on the big players as a social enterprise in the business world.”

Linton believes that the Executive, if reestablished, needs to be more enthusiastic about the facilitation and potential of social enterprises in Northern Ireland.

“If you look at the Department for the Economy, they support social enterprise, in my opinion, because they feel that they have to, but they don’t show us the same value as they might do for so-called ‘proper business’.”

Linton concludes by stating that there needs to be a broad consensus reached to define exactly what a social enterprise is.

“Social enterprise struggles to define itself. It can be a community project of two or three people donating food and it having huge impact in a very small area, or it can be a national brand like ours.”

APG on social enterprise re-established

The all-party group (APG) on social enterprise has been re-established following the Northern Ireland Assembly elections in May 2022.

Without a functioning Executive, Stormont is unable to conduct its usual business in the chamber or at committee level, thus increasing the relative importance of APGs.

11 MLAs have signed up as member of the Social Enterprise APG. Six of them are from the Alliance Party, one is from Sinn Féin, two are from the Ulster Unionist Party, and two are from the Democratic Unionist Party. Five of the members were also members at the end of the last mandate of the Assembly. These members are: Stewart Dickson MLA (chair), John Stewart MLA, Kellie Armstrong MLA, Andy Allen MLA and Mike Nesbitt MLA.

Six members who served at the end of the last term will not be returning: Michelle McIlveen MLA, Rachel Woods, Robbie Butler MLA, Pat Catney, Harry Harvey MLA, and Chris Lyttle.

All-party group on social enterprise: Membership

Stewart Dickson MLA (Returning member) Party: Alliance Party Constituency: East Antrim Role: Chair About: First entered politics in 1977, when he was elected to Carrickfergus Borough Council. He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2011, and has since been re-elected three times. In addition to his duties as an MLA, Dickson is a trustee of OG Cancer NI; an Honorary Treasurer of the Northern Ireland Association Winston Churchill Fellows; and a trustee of the Greenisland War Memorial Sports Club.

Ciara Ferguson MLA (New member) Party: Sinn Féin Constituency: Foyle Role: Vice-chair About: Entered politics in September 2021 after being co-opted to replace former Sinn Féin MLA Martina Anderson. She was subsequently reelected in Foyle in 2022. Before entering politics, the Strabane native was a community development worker for 20 years, and a social survey researcher for 10 years.

Diane Forsythe MLA (New member) Party: Democratic Unionist Party Constituency: South Down

About: Newly elected in 2022 after being selected by the DUP to replace the long-serving Jim Wells. She became the first female unionist ever to have been elected in South Down. Before entering politics, Forsythe was an accountant.

Kellie Armstrong MLA (Returning member) Party: Alliance Party Constituency: Strangford About: First entered politics in 2013 when she was co-opted onto Ards Borough Council, before being re-elected onto the new Ards and North Down Borough Council in 2014. She was first elected to the Assembly in 2016 and was subsequently re-elected in 2017 and 2022. She is the Alliance Party’s spokesperson for communities, and was the deputy chair of the Committee for Communities in the last mandate of the Assembly.

Mike Nesbitt MLA (Returning member) Party: Ulster Unionist Party Constituency: Strangford About: First elected to the Assembly in 2011. In 2012 he became leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, subsequently resigning after the party’s disappointing results in the 2017 Assembly elections. Before entering politics, Nesbitt was a journalist with UTV for 14 years. Nesbitt is also the chair of the board of governors of Movilla High School.

Deborah Erskine MLA (New member) Party: Democratic Unionist Party Constituency: Fermanagh and South Tyrone About: Having been elected to Fermanagh and Omagh District Council in 2019, Erskine was co-opted to the Assembly in 2021 after Arlene Foster’s resignation. She served on the Health Committee and was re-elected in 2022. Before entering politics, she was a journalist with the Ulster Herald before becoming a DUP press officer.

Peter McReynolds MLA (New member) Party: Alliance Party Constituency: Belfast East

About: The newly elected MLA is a former Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, who served on Belfast City Council from 2016 until his election to the Assembly in 2022. He also worked as a policy officer for Alliance leader Naomi Long MLA. John Stewart MLA (Returning member) Party: Ulster Unionist Party Constituency: East Antrim

About: First elected to the Assembly in 2017. He was deputy chair of the Committee of the Executive Office during the last mandate. In addition to his duties in Stormont, he is a member of the British Army reserves, and formally worked as sales director of his family’s shoe business.

Patrick Brown MLA (New member) Party: Alliance Party Constituency: South Down

About: Newly elected to the Assembly in 2022, having previously served as a councillor in Newry, Mourne, and Down District Council between 2014 and 2022. He holds a PhD in universal basic income and conflict transformation.

Danny Donnelly MLA (New member) Party: Alliance Party Constituency: East Antrim

About: Newly elected in 2022, having been a councillor on Mid and East Antrim Borough Council between 2019 and 2022. He is a nurse by profession, and a former member of the Green Party, for whom he stood as a candidate in the 2011 local elections.

John Blair MLA (New member) Party: Alliance Party Constituency: South Antrim

About: Co-opted into the Assembly after the retirement of former Alliance leader David Ford. He was a member of the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in the last mandate. He is also a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, and chair of the board of governors of Ballyhenry Primary School.