The Buy Social Europe B2B movement has featured a case study on its website showcasing the successful partnership between the social enterprise EkoBag and Erste Bank Serbia. This partnership began 10 years ago at the CSR Forum, an annual conference organized by the Responsible Business Forum and Smart Kolektiv.
EkoBag is the first ecological social enterprise in Serbia. They recycle PVC foil from old advertising billboards, which would otherwise take up to 1500 years to decompose in nature. Out of it, they produce bags, folders, holders and wallets. Erste Bank Serbia’s CSR strategy has a key focus on supporting social entrepreneurs. They are the first bank in Serbia to develop social banking services, and have a policy of using social enterprises as vendors for catering and corporate gifts.
The two organizations met thanks to Smart Kolektiv 10 years ago, and quickly established a strong partnership. Every year, Erste Bank purchases 150 to 300 of EkoBag laptop bags, laptop backpacks, smaller document bags and locker bags for their employees. This partnership has had a positive impact, with nearly 5,000 square meters of PVC foil being recycled into products purchased by Erste Bank Serbia. Additionally, this partnership has led to the employment of two women from the hard-to-employ category at Ekobag.
Read the full case study on the Buy Social Europe website.
Recognizing the importance of cross-sector partnerships for sustainable socio-economic development, Smart Kolektiv initiates and promotes active and open communication among representatives of all sectors, guided by the principles of social responsibility and cross-sector partnership. Over the past 20 years, through various platforms such as the CSR Forum, Social Innovation Forum, and Partnership Fair, we have provided opportunities for over 200 organizations and social enterprises to connect with mainstream enterprises.
Buy Social Europe B2B empowers social and mainstream enterprises to find each other and forge sustainable trade partnerships, aiming to take the social procurement movement in Europe to the next level. The transnational initiative is co-funded by the European Comission and SAP, and unites in one movement 23 partners from 17 countries, including Smart Kolektiv.
