#INTRO

Recently, a YouTuber said that Amorepacific must become a social enterprise that fulfills its social responsibilities. When I speak with employees and the management, they stress that we are living in a time when all companies must adapt to the changing trend, such as the rise of ESG issues, as social enterprises. However, it seems that they are mistaken about the term “social enterprise.” According to Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency (KoSEA), a social enterprise is a corporate organization that falls somewhere between being a for-profit organization and a non-profit organization that is focused primarily on social objectives but, at the same time, engages in sales activities, such as the production and sales of goods and services. In legal terms, a social enterprise is an entity certified to pursue social objectives aimed at enhancing the quality of life of community residents by providing vulnerable social groups with social services or job opportunities or by contributing to the communities while conducting its business activities, such as the manufacture or sale of goods and services (Article 2.1 of the Social Enterprise Promotion Act).

As of the end of last year, the number of certified social enterprises reached 3,794 and there are as many as 3,081 preliminarily social enterprises. Only companies that are officially certified by the Minister of Employment and Labor are entitled to be referred to as a social enterprise, and the Ministry of Education, the Cultural Heritage Administration, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Unification, the Korea Forest Service, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor are responsible for designating preliminarily social enterprises. In other words, you can’t apply the term social enterprise to for-profit companies like Amorepacific. What’s more, fulfilling social responsibility and being a social enterprise are very different. Just looking at one of the certification criteria for using profit for social objectives specifies that when distributable profits are generated by the fiscal year, more than 2/3 of the profit must be used for social objectives. Thus, for-profit companies cannot be social enterprises. This was a long introduction, but I’ll introduce different types of social enterprises in this column as well.

Beautiful Store, creating a beautiful world of sharing and circulation

The Beautiful Store Foundation I introduced in Part 1 has the intention of building an environmentally friendly world by promoting reuse and recycling. They support marginalized groups and public interest activities both in Korea and overseas, contributing to increased awareness among the citizens and the advancement of grassroots communities. There are over 110 Beautiful Store branches across the country, and they are reusing and sharing resources using donations from people, volunteer activities, and buying things. The nearest branch from here is nearby Sookmyung Station on Line 4. When you are organizing your things before moving or getting married, when the new season has arrived, or when your clothes don’t fit anymore after you’ve gained weight, or lost it, you can donate your stuff to the Beautiful Store. It will be registered as a donation, and you’ll feel great about the fact that you have contributed to resource circulation. We no longer collect donations on a large scale as we did in the old days as a company, but now apartment complexes and individuals often donate their things to the Beautiful Store. I also recommend that readers give it a try. Even if you don’t donate, simply shopping from the store in itself would support the cause of resource circulation.

Touch4Good, touching the discarded resources and the minds
of the people that throw them away

Touch4Good recycles resources that are used briefly and then discarded, such as banners and billboards. They then make one-of-a-kind products and develop educational programs on the environment. People with low-incomes and those with disabilities produce these products. It is a social enterprise that has been growing quite well since it was founded in 2008 and it has now become a major player in the social enterprise sector. Before, they made jumping ropes by recycling plastic containers from Amorepacific and turned water bottles discarded by 10,000 people who joined the Pink Run event into lap blankets. A couple of years ago, Amorepacific employees took part in a Touch4Good’s voluntary activity where they investigated the ecological environment of swallows. We located swallow nests that remained in Seoul and input the data in a related app to help solve urban environment issues. Touch4Good has the technical know-how for discovering materials that can be recycled and how to process different materials, so I’m sure they can provide support tailored to each brand.

Antenna, designers of everything visible from graphic design
to architectural design

Antenna was also founded in 2008 and they support young artists in Munrae-dong where you can see many ironworks lined up along the street. They are also running ARTXSTAY, a coworking space for artists. It is designed to provide a physical and emotional foundation that is needed in artists’ creative activity. They create graphic design works that promote culture and arts throughout different fields in society and find solutions to issues, thus providing better services to local communities. In recent years, they have also been taking interest in discovering local creators and the problems faced by young men and women. To that end, they are now undertaking a social housing project. They are offering creators, young people, and newlyweds an opportunity to move into a co-living house in close proximity to a subway station, with a reasonable price, and community programs. They are proactive in their approach to local issues, so it’d be wonderful to collaborate with them when looking for a solution to local problems.

BEAR.BETTER, promoters of sustainable employment for
people with developmental disabilities

When a person with a developmental disability has a job, they reportedly feel a high sense of self-esteem as a member of the society. Their families are relieved and feel happy, while their neighbors are reminded of the meaningfulness of living as a community. Bear.Better develops duties that are easy to be performed by people with developmental disabilities. They build an environment where people with developmental disabilities can work for many years in an inclusive atmosphere among people who understand them. Developmental disability is a generic term for autistic spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities. It is the toughest disability when it comes to getting a job because people with developmental disabilities find it very challenging to adapt to social norms or communicate with others. However, they perform the duties given to them well, and their inclination to stick to rules and routines helps them complete the job without giving up. So, Bear.Better prints name cards; delivers high-quality printing, including cutting, binding, post-processing, packaging, and shipping; delivers coffee, s, and flowers; cares for pot plants; and offers anniversary products together with people with developmental disabilities.

Zero Space, promoting co-existence of people and the planet
and offering sustainable design that reduces waste

Zero Space is a social enterprise that delivers social design programs to empathize with social problems, share solutions, and co-exist with local communities. They produce local designs that invigorate the community, as well as content that promotes sustainable cities. They also work with organizations that pursue social value to provide a total branding solution that touches on the entire brand experience, such as brand strategy consulting, logo, product design, website design, and architectural design. Customers can also make and sell their own unique goods. So far, 2,569 artists have made 27,247 custom-made goods using 6,890 artworks. They also recycle industrial waste that generated during the mass-production process. Their emphasis is on design so if you’d like to add value to design, try collaborating with them.

LOVE RE PAPER, a human company drawing love

Does it make sense if the ultimate goal of a company is to flop beautifully? Well, here is a company that intends to do just that. Meet LOVE RE PAPER, a company advocating friendliness toward the elderly and nature. They support senior citizens who collect discarded paper to feel proud as recycling activists as they collect and carry discarded resources. These elderly people take heavy steps towards a junk store as they pull hand carts filled with paper waste that only sells at 50 won/kg. LOVE RE PAPER purchases the paper at a higher price of 300 won/kg to help them take lighter steps. The company then uses that paper to make paper canvas art with artists who donate their talent. It’s said that there are as many as 1.75 million senior citizens who collect wastepaper in Korea. Now, we understand LOVE RE PAPER’s sincerity and what they meant by saying that they will close down beautifully when the day comes when elderly people’s lives change.