Five Major Companies Sign Declaration in Support of Social Enterprises

Delta Holding, Coca-Cola HBC Serbia, Courtyard by Marriott, Banca Intesa, and A1 Serbia are the first companies in the country to sign a joint Declaration supporting the development of an ecosystem for the growth of social enterprises, such as Naša kuća, Etno mreža, Bioidea, Avlija održivog razvoja, Zelena plantaža Iva, Radanska ruža and others.

The Declaration was signed during the workshop “From Inspiration to Partnership – Integrating Social Enterprises into the Supply Chains of Large Companies”, organized by NALED as part of the activities of the Social Entrepreneurship Hub, with the aim of building a bridge between large corporations and social businesses.

During the workshop, participants jointly mapped administrative-financial, logistical-operational, and marketing-communications challenges, identifying more than twenty issues in each category and proposing concrete solutions.

“Our enterprise, like many other social enterprises, was created out of the need to support those who face the greatest challenges - people with disabilities, the long-term unemployed, single parents, and other vulnerable groups. It is important to us to create jobs, opportunities for development, and a sense of belonging. We see events like this as a chance to showcase our products and services, connect with companies that value social responsibility, and enter their supply chains. This gives us the opportunity to participate in socially responsible public procurement and secure long-term sustainable operations through partnerships,” Spasov concluded.

Social entrepreneurship in Serbia has strong potential for social and economic impact, but it requires greater support and visibility to grow. The adoption of the Law on Social Entrepreneurship was an important step forward, but in practice the regulatory framework alone is not sufficient - only around 20 social enterprises have formally registered their status, while estimates suggest there are between 200 and 500 operating in the country.

“Adopting a Social Entrepreneurship Development Program would be a key step to motivate entrepreneurs to register for social enterprise status, especially since there are currently no support programs dedicated to this category. In the coming period, through the Social Entrepreneurship Hub, we will work on connecting companies and social enterprises to give them the opportunity to enter supply chains and thus ensure continuous and predictable income,” said Irena Đorđević Šušić, Head of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Unit at NALED.

The workshop “From Inspiration to Partnership – Integrating Social Enterprises into the Supply Chains of Large Companies” was organized as part of the Core Days conference and within the project “More Efficient Public Procurement and Sustainable (ESG) Supply Chains for Enhancing Competitiveness”, implemented by NALED with the support of Sweden.