Social enterprise, Sustainable development and the FairShares model

This paper explores how the fields of social enterprise and sustainable development can be aligned by applying the FairShares Model to co-operative development. The adoption of public policies on sustainable development goals (SDGs) challenges our current conceptions of wealth. Using materials published by the FairShares Association and International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), we advance a theoretical framework based on six forms of wealth creation (natural, human, intellectual, social, manufactured and financial). We deploy this to explore inter-relationships between social enterprise and sustainable development then use a case study to show how applying the FairShares Model enfranchises stakeholders, alters the distribution of wealth and power, and helps to realise SDGs. Recognising and rewarding each form of wealth makes the connections and dependencies between them more visible. The FairShares Model offers a coherent development philosophy that acts as a bridge between the fields of social enterprise and sustainable development.