What is a social enterprise?🤔

We are not asking for your spare change. Join us to change the system.

 At Ripple, we talk a lot about being a social enterprise. It’s proudly stamped across our website and socials, but if you’ve ever thought, “good for you… but what is that exactly?” you’re not alone. Let’s break it down.

Social enterprise: a business that exists for good

A social enterprise is a business like any other, except instead of existing just to make money, it exists to solve a social or environmental problem.

The key difference? Social enterprises earn revenue through trading (like selling a product or service) and reinvest those profits to fuel their mission.

In our case, Ripple exists to:

🧒 Support tamariki living in material hardship by redistributing essential clothing and shoes in our Gear Boxes
♻️ Tackle textile waste through reuse, repair, and recycling (and our RePack)
🌏 Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by keeping clothes out of landfill

But instead of relying on donations or grants to make it happen, we charge to process unwanted clothing - turning waste into impact and customers into changemakers.

Why not just be a charity?

Honestly? Because we’ve been there. After working in the charity sector for years, I saw how much time, energy and overhead goes into fundraising - time that could be spent delivering impact.

New Zealand already has over 28,000 registered charities. That’s something to be proud of, but it also means there’s fierce competition for every donated dollar. We wanted a model that could stand on its own two feet.

By becoming a social enterprise, Ripple gets to do the work - not spending time raising money to be able to do the work. We can focus on solutions, scale our impact through trade and bring in new revenue streams that feel fair, empowering and sustainable.

Business as a force for good

Social enterprises are part of a global shift. From B Corps to for-purpose startups, the lines between traditional business and charity are blurring. People are waking up to the idea that you can build something financially viable and values-driven.

At Ripple, our goal is to grow a circular system that works for people and the environment. To create meaningful work, redistribute resources and with hopefully show that purpose-led models can thrive even in tough economic times.

Choosing the social enterprise route over becoming a charity was a bit of a gamble. But if we can get through the short-term, I believe it will set us up sustainably for the long term.

Because when business becomes part of the solution, the ripple goes further. 🌱