Luxembourg’s union for the social and supportive economy has shifted its focus in response to the rapid rise of impact-driven companies.
Twelve years after its creation, the “Union Luxembourgeoise de l’Économie Sociale et Solidaire” (ULESS) will now be known as “Entrepreneurs Impact Luxembourg” (EIL) and will focus exclusively on Societal Impact Companies (SIS).
The shift “marks a historic turning point: for the first time in Luxembourg, an organisation is fully dedicated to these hybrid companies that are reshaping the economy by placing societal impact at the core of their business models,” the EIL said in a statement.
A SIS refers to a company structure designed to balance business with social good, often compared to a “B-Corp” in Anglo-Saxon countries, but with stricter legal rules.
The SIS label is granted by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy to companies meeting a list of criteria. To be eligible, companies must have a clear social or societal purpose and reinvest most profits into the mission. According to the EIL, the number of impact-driven companies has doubled every year since 2022 with an estimated over 80 SIS companies active in Luxembourg in 2025.
“We are witnessing the emergence of a new economic paradigm,” explains Virginie Ducommun, President of EIL and entrepreneur, adding: “SIS companies demonstrate that it is possible to reconcile economic performance and societal impact without relying on state funding. Our role is to structure and amplify this movement.”
