Impact Report

Your orders have helped us...

Invest over £244,000 in the social enterprise economy

Introduce over 10,000 people to social enterprise

Illustration of a team working together.

Provide 1,098 hours of employment to individuals with barriers to employment

Our Mission

We imagine a future where you can make a positive social impact with every purchase you make. In order to get there, we need to spread the word about social enterprise and how these amazing businesses can have a positive impact on our planet - and that’s exactly what we aim to do at Social Stories Club!

We curate beautiful, high-quality gift boxes and hampers where each product inside contributes to positive social or environmental change. From delicious chocolate that supports global reforestation projects to Earl Grey tea helping to educate girls in India, each of the products inside our sustainable gifts has been made by a social enterprise or social venture business.

Also included in every order is our story booklet that details the powerful story behind every product/business and the causes they support. So not only are you gifting the person who receives the box but you’re contributing to the wonderful causes these businesses support too!

Our Team

We provide employment opportunities to individuals with barriers to employment who fulfill our orders. We are proud to work with such a diverse team and it’s important to us that everyone feels valued and cared for when they come to work for Social Stories Club. We believe in equality, equal opportunities and fair wages. Earlier this year we were thrilled to receive our Living Wage Employer accreditation and it is our hope that this shows our growing team how much we value their hard work.

Our Sustainable Gifts

Carbon Offsetting

This year we were excited to announce that all of our deliveries are now carbon neutral! This means that whenever we send out one of our sustainable gift boxes, the carbon emissions released during its transport will be offset.

So far this year, your orders have helped us protect an area of forest the size of 2,817m2 and offset 12,845 metric tonnes of CO2.

Sustainable Packaging

From biodegradable boxes and mailer bags, wood wool sourced from sustainable timber forests, and reusable hampers made from paper rope, we carefully source the best sustainable materials to ensure our packaging has as little impact on the environment as possible.

United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

From the start, the UN SDGs have acted as our guide and illustrated all the areas that we need to work on in order to make the world a better place and make the most impact. With each social venture partner we take on we are looking to see which of the SDGs they support and how they do this. The SDGs also help us keep variety amongst our social venture partners and ensures we are supporting as many goals as possible, and where we might be lacking we can then actively seek out brands that support that specific goal.

We currently support 12 of the goals with the aim of supporting all 17 by 2022.

Read more about our work towards this

UN Sustainable Development Goals poster.

Social Enterprises we work with

We currently work with over 30 social enterprises and social venture businesses from around the UK. We are constantly growing our product range and aim to bring you variety and high quality in every single gift box.

Full list of brands we work with

Case Study - Arthouse Unlimited

One of the social ventures we support is Arthouse Unlimited. Arthouse Unlimited is a collective of artists living with complex epilepsy and learning disabilities and difficulties, all of whom require varying levels of support. The artists work alongside instructors to create artworks which are developed into designer products for sale. All the artwork is derived from the skills each artist brings to the enterprise and every contribution holds real value. Offering a sense of purpose lies at the heart of Arthouse Unlimited's’ philosophy in line with their belief that feeling truly respected improves health and well-being. They strive to challenge perceptions and to create better acceptance and inclusion for all people living with disabilities. As they grow, they hope to offer more opportunities to people in other towns across the UK. 100% of sales revenue sustains the enterprise, enabling them to expand and evolve.

Woman presenting artwork from Arthouse Unlimited.

People showing off a piece of artwork from Arthouse Unlimited.

Man drawing a picture of a horse for Arthouse Unlimited.

Future Impact

This holiday season, we will hire ten more individuals with barriers to employment to help pack our gift hampers. We will work with individuals with barriers linked to age, ability, language, gaps in employment, and more. It is very important for us to provide quality employment opportunities to those who may struggle to find work while helping them learn new skills in a safe work environment.

Looking ahead to 2022, we will continue to work on our carbon neutral journey. We hope to partner with 15 new social venture partners and introduce 100,000 people to social enterprise. Also, we are going to provide ongoing job and training opportunities to individuals with barriers to employment all year around.