Buy WISEly is a European project that brings together Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) and regular companies (MBs) to promote sustainable B2B partnerships. After 18 months, the results and advice of this project were presented in Brussels on November 14.

The Buy WISEly “closing event”: https://www.ensie.org/projects/buy-wisely presented a wide range of insights on how WISEs and MBs can strengthen each other through sustainable B2B collaborations. These partnerships contribute to social and economic impact, focusing on both inclusive employment and business growth.

Inspiring practical examples and success factors

During the panel discussions, experts from different countries shared inspiring practical stories. Edwin Jong from Deloitte explained that by scaling up B2B collaborations, WISEs can significantly increase their social impact. Deloitte contributes to this with advice and long-term partnerships that lead to more jobs and higher turnover. The realization that employees with support needs have enormous added value strengthens and deepens business relationships between WISEs and regular companies.

Best practices from Europe for sustainable cooperation

Experts emphasized that complementarity and equality in relationships between WISEs and MBs are the basis for successful relationships. In addition, personal interactions and shared goals increase the chance of success and awareness about the benefits of working with WISEs is crucial.

Online platforms stimulate the social economy

Under the guise of Buy WISEly, De Omslag’s online platform “socialezaken.info”: https://socialezaken.info/ has undergone a renewal. This innovation was shared during the conference. Accessible digital tools, such as the updated database “socialezaken.info”: https://socialezaken.info/, help WISEs and MBs find each other. This supports social purchasing and meets social return obligations. With user-friendly tools and extensive support, the site now makes social purchasing even easier for all companies.

Policy interventions for impactful collaboration

The event ended with a call to action: policy interventions at local, national and European levels are needed to strengthen collaboration between WISEs and companies. For example, by standardizing social purchasing criteria and creating awareness around the impact of WISEs on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This made the final event not only a look back on four years of collaboration, but also a call to translate the resulting insights into action. Therefore, join us and “pledge yourself”: https://socialezaken.info/nl/informatie-support/pledge to set up, stimulate and implement crucial collaborations between WISEs and MBs. Together we build an inclusive and sustainable labor market for the future!