CRITERIA Capacity to catalyse SDG localization
Focus on specific vulnerable groups / communities / territories Systemic change
Multi-actor processes and dynamics
Multi-level territorial processes and dynamics
Institutionalization
Social/transformative resilience
Potential replicability
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE Quid Quid social enterprise, by definition, explicitly pursues its social mission and vocation by promoting job inclusion and a sustainable, environmental-friendly business model. As such, it explicitly and concretely pursues and catalyses SDGs 5, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 17 through sustainable and socially inclusive solutions. Quid purposely employs and offers job placement programs and training to people belonging to disadvantaged social categories, mainly women from vulnerable social groups and backgrounds, but, more broadly, also any other people living in a condition of fragility. Quid managed to set up a sustainable, territorial and multi-actor infrastructure of collaboration and partnership. In fact, this collaborative infrastructure is encompassed by the social enterprise inclusive and circular business model where high-end fashion industries are its suppliers, waste is turned into high-quality products, people at the margins of society and of the job market are supported, trained and employed, local partner social cooperatives receive more work orders and business training, financial institutions invest for Quid social impact. In fact, in 2018, Quid experimented with its first social impact investment instrument by Impact Investment Fund Opes. Moreover, Quid also aims at ‘contaminating’ with its sustainability practice the industry partners and suppliers with a vision of overturning the fashion and textile industry in an inclusive, ethical and sustainable industry. Hence, this innovative, inclusive and sustainable practice and business model has the full potential to bring about systemic change and to positively influence the territorial functionings both at a small and a larger scale. The collaboration among different actors is an important feature for long-lasting interventions, since it allows to take into consideration different perspectives, needs and interests in tackling specif ic issues. Indeed, Quid actively collaborates and partners with different types of actors partnering with both the private and public sectors, as well as third sector organizations. In fact, the social enterprise partners with actors ranging from for profit high-end fashion companies and industries, national health institutes, public universities, financial institutions and philanthropic foundations, as well as local social cooperatives. Quid has attracted both local and international Foundations which support its social impact projects. Moreover, Quid has expanded its range of impact by piloting an international pilot project (Crisalis) funded by the European Commission Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund - AMIF. Involving and leveraging national and international processes and players indeed fosters new connections and innovative collaborations to solve common problems. The innovative and socially inclusive development strategy and social practice pursued by this case study have gone beyond a citizen movement, a philanthropic practice or a voluntary practice. Instead, Quid operates, as for its legal form, as a social cooperative and qualifies as a social enterprise. In fact, in the Ita lian juridical framework, the legal status of social enterprise is recognized by the legislative decree n° 112/2017 and to which all social cooperatives are entitled to by art.1. This legal status allows the experience to be embedded and recognized within an institutional and juridical system ensuring potential for its sustainability and longlasting impact. Quid’s capacity of social and transformative resilience has been visibly shown in particular by its quick and flexible response to the current Covid19 pandemic. The social enterprise, in fact, was able to respond to the newly emerging needs and to guarantee its employees’ salaries by converting its production into the first prototypes of washable and re-usable face masks. In addition, during the pandemic, Quid accepted mask orders exceeding its production capacity and, in turn, decentralized the production to other cooperatives in the area to which it provided support and training and an opportunity to economically survive the pandemic. Hence, Quid, during the pandemic, rediscovered itself with a new role, that of a territorial network coordinator. Instead of adopting a competing market logic, Quid strengthens the entrepreneurial capacity of other territorial social cooperatives, sharing its know-how, its suppliers, partnerships and its samples and prototypes. This in turn creates more employment opportunities and market opportunities in the territory. Quid experience and its circular and inclusive business model show a great degree of potential to be replicated in other contexts. Both the circular business model based on the reuse of industries’ stock excess as well as the job placement practice of people belonging to vulnerable social categories are, indeed, replicable in other contexts. Quid showcases that human fragility and unutilized resources can be subverted into strengths and strategic opportunities which are, at the same time, human, social, economic/market and environmental opportunities. This alternative logic and approach can indeed be applied in various and different sectors and fields where there are material waste and leftovers, as well as socially and economically marginalized and unvalued people. Source: Authors
44
