Am I the only social entrepreneur who finds this deeply disappointing and problematic? Thread: https://twitter.com/SEIreland/status/1359863798027460608

DCC Plc is one of Europe's largest fossil fuel businesses, with major interests in gas, petroleum and oil. On their website they state that they're committed to the continued growth of these businesses. They've also expressed an interest in expanding to LNG i.e. fracked gas.

The environment section on their website is bizarre. All it shows is that they've gotten more energy intensive in the last three years and it has no mention of any actual environmental or sustainable ambitions or plans whatsoever.

It's clear that DCC have no interest in addressing the climate emergency (the biggest social problem of all time), which leads you to ask, what is their interest here.. If the answer to that isn't greenwashing their brand then maybe somebody could enlighten me..?

Or am I alone in thinking that fossil fuel money shouldn't be funding Ireland's social enterprise agenda? If DCC are committed to impact shouldn't they be repositioning their business to renewable energy, electric car infra or any of the other dozens of green opportunities?

Social entrepreneurship is about leading transformative change and if the most well recognised socent organisation in the country is beholden to fossil fuel money then we have a huge problem. How do we challenge the status quo? Will we have any credibility when we try to do so?

I don't take any joy in calling this out. I have dozens of friends and colleagues across SEI staff, board members, alumni & funders, all of whom I admire & respect deeply. But the reality of the climate crises is that we're facing famine, 7 metres of sea level rise & extinction.

We each have to make a choice about what side of the fence we're on and how future generations will remember us. I personally find it deeply wrong that at the core of what should be a radically progressive movement for positive change, we have a fossil fuel giant. It's not ok.

I'm genuinely sorry, but SEI can't have my support until they drop DCC. Orgs & entrepreneurs committed to positive change loose all credibility by helping DCC greenwash their role in a climate disaster. If socents aren't going to be at the forefront of climate action, why exist?