Four Social Enterprises in Thailand You Should Know About

In Thailand, the concept of social enterprises goes a long way back. According to "The State of Social Enterprise in Thailand," a study commissioned by The British Council and supported by HSBC, co-operatives that most could fit the definition of a social enterprise have been around the country for more than a hundred years.

The latest wave of social enterprises in the country came to the fore in 2010. As per the study, which surveyed 146 social enterprises across the country, 53.4% of the enterprises reported their year of establishment between 2008 and 2017, while 24% were established from 2018 onwards and 11% between 1998 and 2007.

This makes social enterprises in Thailand usually young, so there’s lots of potential for their number to grow. This doesn’t mean, however, that there’s a shortage of ventures creating a positive impact on Thai society. These four existing ones are proof of that.

Cabbages & Condoms

Cabbages & Condoms is one of the better-known social enterprises in Thailand. Considered as one of the country's finest restaurants, Cabbages & Condoms began as a small vegetable stand at the premises of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) office. Today, it has multiple restaurants, resorts, and inns all over Thailand, as well as two restaurants in the United Kingdom. All Cabbages & Condoms' profits are used to support the PDA's programs focusing on primary health, education, HIV/AIDS, rural development, environment, and water.

YoungHappy

YoungHappy, which calls itself "the happiness community for seniors," aims to bridge the gap between the increasing ageing population in Thailand and socio-civic engagement and participation. According to the social enterprise, although there are active elderly people engaged in society, there are also those who are retired and inactive, bored, lonely, and prone to depression. YoungHappy thus provides a safe space for the elderly to have fun and be valued by offering community-building activities, offline events, online materials, and more.

Opendream

Opendream, a social enterprise founded in 2007, utilizes cutting edge digital technologies to create tools for different organizations the world over to tackle social problems in the areas of health, education, and livelihood. Some of Opendream's projects include creating a chatbox for safe sex and comprehensive sex education, developing a mobile self-care application, and producing two digital games – one to promote awareness about corruption among teenagers and the other to educate teenagers on safe sex practices – among many others.

Moreloop

Social entrepreneurs Thamonwan Virodchaiyan and Amorpol Huvanandana founded Moreloop in a bid to reduce textile waste by upcycling surplus fabric from garment factories. These fabrics are then curated so small and medium enterprises can have access to quality but affordable textiles. Moreloop's mission is to "make circular economy a reality." According to the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act via the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a circular economy “uses a systems-focused approach and involves industrial processes and economic activities that are restorative or regenerative by design…”

Moreloop offers natural, synthetic, and mixed fabrics, as well as ready-to-wear garments and other accessories on its website. You can also have Moreloop produce the garments for you by filling out its production form.