The Next 25 Social Enterprise Stars: Ecological Stewardship

As part of RSF Social Finance's campaign to add 25 social enterprise stars to our loan portfolio over the next year, we’re looking for new borrowers in all three of our focus areas: Food & Agriculture, Education & the Arts, and Ecological Stewardship. Because it’s not always obvious whether an enterprise is a fit for us, we’re delving into what we look for in each area. In past months we covered Food & Agriculture and Education & the Arts. Up this month: Ecological Stewardship.

In this category, we’re seeking social enterprises that practice integrated, systems-based, and culturally sensitive approaches to regenerating and preserving the earth’s ecosystems. In general, borrowers in this area help mitigate climate change, reverse the depletion of natural resources, and support biodiversity. We’re particularly interested in enterprises focused on ecosystem preservation; resource recovery, reuse and recycling; and water and energy efficiency in buildings. These examples from our current portfolio illustrate what we’re looking for:

• PACT Apparel makes its Fair Trade-certified line of super soft cotton underwear from 100 percent organic, non-GMO cotton and ensures its farms and factories treat workers ethically and pay living wages in addition to engaging in sustainable farming practices. RSF provided PACT with an asset-based line of credit for a bridge loan.
• IceStone, which came to RSF for working capital, makes a gorgeous, durable, hard surfaces for countertops and the like using recycled glass, portland cement, and pigment. The material is Cradle to Cradle certified and free of plasticizers and resins that emit harmful fumes; it reduces dependence on imported mined natural stone and keeps millions of pounds of glass from the waste stream.
• RecycleForce deconstructs electronic waste and other recyclables, separates the reusable materials, and disposes of the waste safely and cleanly using a workforce of recently released ex-felons. Financing from RSF enabled RecycleForce to equip its facility to divert millions of pounds of electronic waste from landfills while training and supporting a marginalized workforce.

If you know of enterprises in any of our focus areas that could expand their impact with greater access to capital, send them to Wanted: Social Enterprise Stars.

And please pass our quest for borrowers on to your network! The more #SocentStars posts there are on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, the more social enterprises we can reach and assist. Many thanks to all those who’ve been tweeting and posting so far.

Here are a few post ideas:

1. Are you an eco enterprise looking for #funding? @RSFSocFinance has loans for #socents: bit.ly/1tH0ytE #SocentStars
2. Does your #socent need capital to grow? See if you qualify for an @RSFSocFinance loan: bit.ly/1tH0ytE #SocentStars
3. Pass it on: @RSFSocFinance has loans up to $5M for the next 25 #SocentStars: bit.ly/1tH0ytE #socent