Social Entrepreneurship Programmes

In 2012, Inditex provided support for social entrepreneurship as a clear priority to contribute to improving the economic situation in Spain. In this context, to complement the creation of direct and indirect employment generated by its operations, Inditex has carried out various activities to promote social entrepreneurship, in conjunction with non-profit organisations, with the aim of helping integrate especially vulnerable people into the labour market.

Job Creation Programme for People at Risk of Social Exclusion

The two year programme of Job Creation for People at Risk of Social Exclusion is a joint Inditex and Cáritas initiative which seeks to contribute to accessing and developing employment through entrepreneurship, and with funding of 2 million euros provided by Inditex.

The programme supports entrepreneurial projects that facilitate the economic and social development of disadvantaged people. During 2012, support was provided for 34 social economy projects, both individual and collective, in the following lines of action:

  • Employment enterprises: support for 17 enterprise creation projects in emerging sectors or opening new lines of business
  • Social cooperatives: start-up of two associated work cooperatives
  • Self-employment: support for four individual entrepreneurial initiatives, with orientation, monitoring and microcredit initiatives
  • Training: 11 projects aiming at the qualification of the beneficiaries and the establishment of agreements with the business sector, to subsequently contracting qualified people.

Through the financial support provided, the programme has managed to help these companies grow and start to become financially sustainable through the market, generating the social impact they are looking for.

In this context, Inditex has provided non-returnable funding for the items required to create or resize enterprises in the framework of the above-mentioned lines of action, such as:

  • Equipment: investment in the equipment needed to develop the proposal (furniture, installations, computer equipment, investment in technology, etc.).
  • Materials and supplies: material needed to develop the activities: consumables, office materials, study publication and editing costs, expenses and materials for skills training, costs of publicising activities, among others, directly related to the actions associated to the proposal.
  • Personnel: costs of personnel working directly on the actions of the proposal.
  • Infrastructures: new constructions and/or refurbishment of properties owned by the applicant body, justified for development of the project.

For&from programme

The for&from programme, parallel to the integration of people with disabilities into the labour market, also aims to contribute to the development of social entrepreneurship in Spain. The project is based on creating an enterprise network based on the model of Inditex brand franchises, characterised by management through social organisations which grow and become financially sustainable through the market. To do this the model is based on the supply of out-of-season clothing sold at very competitive prices by these organisations. Thus, after an initial contribution by Inditex to build the store, the model makes the organisations self-sustaining through the offer of products on the market.

In brief, the programme seeks to facilitate the growth of social entrepreneurs working with people with disabilities to make their companies sustainable and help a highly vulnerable population group, with high rates of unemployment.

More information on the for&from programme in the Sustainability Balance Sheet.