Social procurement is no longer a niche concept – it’s a movement. According to Social Enterprise UK*, UK corporates spent £179 million with social enterprises in 2023, marking a 46% increase year-on-year. This surge reflects a growing recognition that procurement decisions can deliver more than operational efficiency – they can drive social impact, strengthen ESG credentials and enhance brand reputation.
How Circular Practices Create Social Impact?
Most washroom hygiene paper on UK shelves travels thousands of miles before reaching a washroom and is often made from virgin pulp harvested from overseas forests. Serious Tissues uses circular economy principles (an economic model that aims to minimise waste and make the most of resources by keeping materials in use for as long as possible) to flip this conventional approach with local partners.
Founded with a simple idea – to change the world by changing where people choose to spend their money- gives businesses the chance to opt for hygiene products that go far beyond ‘eco-friendly.’ It tackles three urgent challenges:
• Homelessness in the UK
• Cutting down trees for washroom paper production
• Single-use plastic polluting our oceans
Serious Tissues integrates circular economy principles with a jobs-first approach, creating opportunities for people affected by homelessness in the UK.
The journey starts close to home: sourcing post-consumer wastepaper from UK schools, universities, and offices – materials that would otherwise end up in landfill or low-grade recycling streams. This paper is then converted into pulp at a UK-based facility, where it’s transformed into high-quality washroom hygiene paper products. This model connects material recovery directly to measurable impact, all without compromising product quality or consistency.
Tackling Homelessness with a Jobs-First Approach
Environmental sustainability is only half the story!
In September 2025, Serious Tissue expanded its impact model to address anothercritical issue: homelessness in the UK.
Through partnerships with local organisations and companies – including Bunzl Cleaning and Hygiene Supplies (BCHS) – the Serious Tissue Jobs-First Programme helps individuals affected by homelessness secure meaningful employment in the cleaning and hygiene sector.
Every purchase of Serious Tissues helps create jobs for people rebuilding their lives through the Jobs‑First Programme, while supporting a circular economy. By choosing these products, you’re part of a movement that combines social impact with environmental responsibility- making everyday essentials truly meaningful.
In addition, Facilities Management businesses can sign up to an additional program that directly provides individuals with employment opportunities as cleaning operatives, which is funded through purchases of Serious Tissue products.
Individuals who are onboarded from the Jobs-First Programme into employment will receive their basic cleaning skills training through a unique and exclusive partnership between BCHS and Serious Tissue, where BCHS will provide full access to Advantage Learn.
Advantage Learn is BCHS’s digital training platform coupled with a Learning Management System (LMS) that has been developed by cleaning professionals for cleaning professionals. Participants will follow a set of training modules where basic cleaning and hygiene best practice skills are passed on to the individual via a set of animated training courses, followed by an online assessment, all recorded in the LMS system.
Use of Advantage Learn is an integral part of the Jobs-First Programme and ensures participating individuals start their employment as cleaning operatives ready with the base cleaning skills and COSHH awareness, setting them up for success during and beyond the eight-week programme.
This is social procurement in action: a practical example of how supply chains can be structured to deliver both economic performance and positive community outcomes, aligning with the UK government’s growing emphasis on social value in procurement frameworks.
Why This Partnership Matters?
BCHS is committed to responsible sourcing. The focus is on reducing the environmental impact and supporting sustainable practices within the supply chain. The closed-loop system offers traceability and resilience; the social impact delivered measurable social value, and its UK-based operations support local economies and carbon reduction goals.
● Helping tackle homelessness in the UK.
● Providing direct employment opportunities for homeless people in a sector struggling with labour shortages.
● Rely on a UK supplier with transparent operations, stable availability, and a proven record of ethical practice.
● Report on concrete ESG outcomes: tonnes of carbon saved, trees planted, plastic recovered, and individuals employed.
● Feel confident in a product that balances high quality with genuine environmental credentials.
● Proudly align cleaning and hygiene contracts with suppliers who share your commitment to doing business responsibly.
As the demand for sustainable and socially responsible products grows, Serious Tissues offers a blueprint for what’s possible when purpose drives procurement. Their vision goes beyond reducing harm — it’s about creating systems that actively restore, regenerate, and empower.
In a sector often focused on efficiency and cost, Serious Tissues demonstrates that impact must be part of the bottom line. For organisations looking to lead on sustainability, Serious Tissues is more than a supplier — they’re a partner committed to building a cleaner, fairer future.
Where we spend our money matters – and when those decisions are made seriously, the impact speaks for itself.
Serious Tissues is part of the BCHS’s Purposeful Provider Programme (PPP)
The Purposeful Providers Programme (PPP) is dedicated to fostering substantial, measurable change by forming partnerships with purpose-driven organisations. Social enterprises are regarded not merely as suppliers, but as essential collaborators in the journey towards a more inclusive and sustainable future. By integrating the work of social enterprises into the supply chain, BCHS amplifies their positive impact and demonstrates how businesses can be catalysts for meaningful change.
Through PPP, BCHS seeks to deliver significant social value by increasing the visibility of social enterprises making a genuine difference. By elevating these organisations and embedding them within the supply chain, BCHS enhances their influence and showcases the potential for businesses to serve as a force for good, reinforcing a commitment to responsible and impactful business practices.
For more information on the BCHS Purposeful Providers Programme, click here
*Buy Social Corporate Challenge Year 9 Report | Social Enterprise UK
