Last updated:
Dec 23, 2022
Our mission is to unlock the potential of the new economy to leave behind a better world. At all times, we primarily work with companies who are helping move the needle on some of the pressing issues of our time through their work – either directly or indirectly. Importantly, we don’t work with organisations who are being destructive.
This is a 6 part report looking back at the year that was.
“The term ‘conscious business’ is an important one for us, as it reflects the belief that to be a good business owner you need to be aware of the world you’re doing business in. We were really careful to choose the word ‘conscious’ rather than ‘purpose’ because we understand nobody’s perfect. All businesses are unethical in some way or another. We’re interested in working with businesses that are looking for ways to be better.”
– Simon Smallchua
“All businesses are unethical in some way or another. We’re interested in working with businesses that are looking for ways to be better.” – Simon Smallchua
First up, our mission is to unlock the potential of the new economy to leave behind a better world. At all times, we primarily work with companies who are helping move the needle on some of the pressing issues of our time through their work – either directly or indirectly. Importantly, we don’t work with organisations who are being destructive.
We created a system to evaluate each company we work with, in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).This process is helpful because it gives us a framework from which we can make informed and conscious decisions about who we do and don’t want to work with. We also offer 30% and 50% discounts to businesses that make a genuine positive impact.
We assess each company against each of the 17 SDGs as either destructive, negative, neutral or positive (partially, indirectly, or directly). Each company then gets an overall negative or positive score. It works like this:
It’s important to note that it’s a subjective process. We ask questions, do research and validate where we can, but we are constantly improving how we do it.
Through 2020, we ended up spending 4.82% of our time on good (down from 10% in 2019), 85.05% on great (up from 45%) and 9.67% on amazing (down from 44%). Over the course of the year, that means 95.18% of our work received discounts, with the total amount of work discounted coming in at $196,243.
Additionally, we donated 15-20 days’ of our time to work on projects we believe in.
All told, we’re pretty pleased with that. We’re almost on target; we delivered slightly more discounted work than we targeted, which means our revenue overall was slightly down so we had to be a little tighter in some areas without compromising on our donation commitment.
We’ve already mentioned how we rank our clients next to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In 2020 we worked with 39 clients, up from 25 in 2019. Of course we love them all equally, but here’s a little more info about some of them:
About
Bank Australia is a customer owned, B Corp-certified bank with a purpose to inspire and empower customers to use their money to create a world where people and the planet thrive.
Impact
The choice of your bank can have a huge impact on the world. This is because the money you put in your account is used by banks to make loans and investments. The types of loans banks make can go to industries that do good or those that do harm, so where your money goes ultimately shapes the world we all live in.
Bank Australia’s money is clean because it is never loaned to those industries that do harm like fossil fuels, live animal export and gambling. Instead, they use money to help create positive impact for people, their communities and the planet like investing in eco housing, renewable energy and non-profit organisations.
- UNSDG 7 - Affordable and clean energy
- UNSDG 13 - Climate Action
- UNSDG 12 - Responsible consumption
What we did: Brand, Marketing Technology, Website
Website: bankaust.com.au
"Harvey brought clarity, fresh perspective and set clear direction for our marketing tech, website and brand."
- Nicole Hunter, Head of Marketing
About
Jasper Coffee is a 100% Carbon Neutral Specialty Coffee Roaster. Established in 1989, they stock Australia’s largest selection of Single Origin beans, Blends, Fairtrade, Organic & Specialty Coffees. Jasper Coffee is obsessed with exploring the full potential of exotic origins and ethically sourced coffee by forming impactful partnerships and friendships with coffee growers around the world.
Impact
Jasper Coffee has been pioneering sustainability in the industry since its inception. Sustainability is at the core of their business and has manifested in Certifications for Organic, Fairtrade and Carbon Neutral, along with our search for Shade Grown coffees, the cleaning products they use, the cars they drive, compostable packaging, and the economic and social benefits direct to producers.
- UNSDG 12 - Responsible consumption
What we did: Ecommerce, Brand, Digital Marketing, CMO
Website https://www.jaspercoffee.com/
"Harvey listened. Harvey considered all our business needs and personality as a business. There was always a sense of inclusion in all discussions and directives and a sensitive balance between business needs and moral endeavours. Harvey has constructed a new dialogue for our business to work with and we would be happy to continue to have further guidance from them . The point of importance for us, was the willingness to listen and promptness of the delivery of achievements." - Wells Trenfield, Founder & Director Jasper Coffee
"Harvey has constructed a new dialogue for our business to work with and we would be happy to continue to have further guidance from them ."
- Wells Trenfield, Founder & Director Jasper Coffee
About
Plenty of beauty brands claim to be ethical. But at Kester Black, sustainability and social justice aren’t just glossy marketing buzzwords. They’re the driving force behind this good-weird kind of beauty company: the kind that’s certified carbon neutral, that donates 2% of all revenue to social causes, and that makes vegan and sustainable products that are both all class, and all conscience.
Impact
10/10 rabbits prefer Kester Black. With Cruelty Free, B Corporation, Halal, Vegan, and Carbon Neutral certifications, it’s not just beauty bloggers and environmentalists that are singing their praises. The world’s most rigorous ethical standards mean no testing on animals. If our furry friends could, they’d be singing our praises too.
- UNSDG 12 - Responsible consumption
What we did: Customer Research, Brand, eCommerce, Digital
Website: https://www.kesterblack.com/
"We love the way Harvey works - agile, strategic and no fuss."
- Anna Ross, Founder
About
Dog & Bone is a certified B Corp independent technology advisor working to help NFPs and Social Enterprises enhance their technology and telecommunications to improve their impact.
Impact
While technology is all about improving our clients businesses, Dog & Bone reduce their costs significantly. Last year alone they identified $16M of savings for their NFP clients. That's real money that NFPs can invest in the important work they do and directly help people in need.
- Multiple UNSDGs - through their various clients
What we did: Brand, Website, Impact Comms, CMO
Website: https://www.dogandbone.com.au/
Let’s take a look back at the year that was (before wrapping up with some of our goals and intention-setting for 2021).
This is a pretty long article, so we've created an executive summary version here, including a summary of each section.
To keep things simple, we’ve broken this report up into six parts, that speak to six areas that were particularly important to us this past year:
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.
.jpg)
