We’ve built our business on helping conscious businesses grow, and we knew becoming a B Corp was the logical next step for us. BUT during the certification process we realised there were a bunch of things we could be doing more consciously. We started by taking these 5 Small Steps towards becoming more ethical in the way we operate. Then it was time to kick it up a notch.
If you’re looking to build some turbo impact into your business, we hope our 5 Big Changes will give you some ideas to help you do that. Here we go!
We wanted our bank to be a reflection of our values. Before starting Harvey, it wasn't an area we’d given a lot of thought to. We started paying a little more attention, and learned that our money wasn’t just sitting there, it was being invested.
And by choosing an ethical bank it meant that our money was being invested in industries we were aligned with. And most importantly, did not invest, trade in, or have exposure to any of the following:
Fresh from making the switch, Simon shared a yarn and some helpful tips about Choosing a Bank For Good, which you can also read on this here!
For us, calling ourselves a conscious business meant ensuring every business decision we made considered our supply chain. One of the ways we tackled this was by tracking our preferred suppliers and trying to work with B Corps whenever possible, as we knew their supply chains had been thoroughly assessed.
In fact, the B Corp assessment provided us with a framework and criteria to use when choosing suppliers, like if they’re owned locally or were founded by people from marginalised groups.
In Harvey land, this goes back to how we assess clients and our target of working with companies that are doing good. When we take on a new client we evaluate them in line with the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs).
We rate each company against each of the 17 SDGs as being either destructive, negative, neutral, partially/indirectly positive or directly tackling an issue. Then we go one step further. Based on their points, they fall into 3 categories: good, great or amazing. If they are ‘great’ we offer a 30% discount and if they are ‘amazing’ we give a 50% discount. To help guide the process we have set ourselves a target to do 10% of our work for companies that are good, 80% that are great and 10% that are amazing.
This was a tough one for us, which took a bit of soul searching. You can read more about it in We’re Officially a B Corp! As part of the B Corp certification process, we worked through a section called ‘designed to give. It was a hard decision, but in the end it all came down to values. Inspired by something Justine Flynn, our friend and founder of Thankyou, used to say to Beck: ”You can never lose by giving,” we chose to give 5% of our annual revenue to Greening Australia.
Not profit, actual revenue. The decision changed everything for us as a business because it meant that we were living our values.
Accountability is fundamental for us. Not only does it create transparency between ourselves, employees and clients, it shows how far we’ve come and gives us an idea of how much further we have to go.
Our annual report shares how we’re going across a range of areas; from customer satisfaction, donations and client feedback, but most importantly, it gives people the opportunity to have an honest look into what we’re doing and decide if we’re up to scratch.
If you want to talk through any of these steps or find out more, just drop us a line. We’d love to chat.
We spend a lot of time thinking about ways we can help create a sustainable future for our planet and the people on it. Businesses have the power to be a constructive or destructive force, which is the reason we’re selective about who we work with. By helping conscious businesses grow, we can help them increase their impact..
When taking on a client, we assess whether they contribute to one or more of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
If they’re destructive on any goal we won’t work with them. Simple. If they’re making real change for good we offer a low-bono rate, investing additional time into their business.
We acknowledge Aboriginal Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and pay respect to their cultures and Elders past and present.
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