Green Jargon buster
We find that people are often confused by some of the woolly language that surrounds the sustainability sector, which is why we have created our very own green jargon buster! It is not designed to be a definitive guide, but is simply an explanation of our own definitions and understandings.
We would like to credit socialenterprisemag for some of these definitions and would recommend their website for more jargon busting.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR or CR)
A wide ranging set of concepts that relate to businesses conducting their activities responsibly. Factors include environmental impacts, employee and customer health and safety issues, participation in local communities (being a good neighbour), good corporate governance, other social issues and ethical and fair trading. CSR proponents argue that these issues are core to the long term sustainability of all businesses and apply equally to both small locally based businesses and large multi-national listed companies.
Ethical Investment
Investment which is screened to ensure it has no links to activities which the investor would not wish to support.
Fair trade
A term that refers to an alternative approach to international trade. It implies a trading partnership that aims to encourage sustainable development for excluded and disadvantaged producers. Supporting partner businesses seek to do this by promoting and providing better trading conditions, conducting awareness raising activities and campaigning.
Social Enterprise
Social enterprise means doing business with social aims. ‘Doing business’ means trading goods or services, in a responsible way, and making money from it. The social and environmental aims of a social enterprise can range from creating employment and regenerating communities to preventing tonnes of waste going to landfill unnecessarily. You can find out much more from the Social Enterprise Coalition: www.socialenterprise.org.uk
Social entrepreneur
Somebody who identifies and brings to life new business opportunities but who is motivated by public and social good rather than the need for personal profit.
Social Media
This refers to a new set of internet tools that enable shared community experiences, both online and in person. Common social media platforms include Facebook, Myspace, Wikipedia, YouTube and Flickr. The key feature of social media as opposed to traditional media is that the content is user-generated.
Sustainability
This term can refer both to the financial stability of an organisation and to the adoption of environmental policies and practices which minimise the impact of the enterprise on the environment. String Films uses the term in the latter of these definitions.