Page 72 - Social Enterprise A New Business Paradigm for Thailand

In addition to collaborating with the government on social initiatives, the private sector also
began to support civil society in undertaking socially oriented activities. Large corporations

initiated programs to reinvest a portion of their profits into society by allocating funds for
donations or implementing projects aimed at alleviating social problems. These practices, initially
referred to as corporate social responsibility (CSR), eventually evolved into what is now known as
ESG (environmental, social, and governance), a development discussed further in Chapter 9.

A prominent example is the Premier Group, which codified in its articles of association a mandate
to allocate 5% of its profits toward social initiatives. The company channels this funding to
affiliated foundations, including the Yuvabadhana Foundation, owner of the Pun Pun Kan shop
project, which supports educational programs; the Khonthai Foundation, which works to develop

mechanisms enabling young people to engage meaningfully in social work through initiatives such
as social enterprise incubators and an online donation platform (Taejai.com); and OpenDream, a
company that leverages digital technology to address social challenges. These efforts led to
collaborative missions across a network of nonprofit organizations. For example, the
Yuvabadhana Foundation partnered with the Rural Reconstruction Foundation to act as a wind
beneath the wings of a new generation of social enterprises, supporting both individuals with no
prior business experience and young innovators seeking to develop new socio-economic
mechanisms for alleviating systemic social issues.

This momentum gave rise to a new class of social actors capable of designing innovative solutions
that move beyond traditional charitable models. One such example is the EnLive Foundation,
which focuses on environmental work and collaborates with the Anti-Corruption Organization of
Thailand. Their joint efforts have enabled the emergence of social practitioners who create novel
social innovations, rather than relying solely on conventional forms of charitable activity.

Toward the end of this period, the idea of formal legislation to support social enterprises in
Thailand began to take shape. The initiative was led by former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva,
who had studied in the United Kingdom and observed the operation of social enterprises

firsthand. Convinced of the model’s potential, he advocated for the drafting of social enterprise
legislation and the establishment of a dedicated support agency. This vision materialized a decade
later with the creation of the Office of Social Enterprise Promotion (OSEP).

3. The Emergence of Social Enterprises (2007–present)
The concept of social enterprise first took root during the administration of Prime Minister Abhisit
Vejjajiva. In 2010, the government established the Office for the Promotion of Social Activities,
supported by funding from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth), to lay the
groundwork for future legislation and the creation of a dedicated agency to promote social

enterprises. Later, in 2017, a coalition of social entrepreneurs and organizations involved in
advancing social enterprise convened to consolidate feedback on the draft Social Enterprise

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