As challenging and unexpected 2020 was, it helped us rally around our purpose to help create a more sustainable and equitable society in whatever way we can. We unpack what that looked like in this report.
Along with navigating the pandemic and all that came with it, we also welcomed our baby Margie, celebrated our B Corp certification, expanded our little team and even managed to grow our impact!
When we started Harvey just two years ago, I would never have imagined that we’d have made the impact we have. We’re so excited to be sharing it with you!”
Let’s take a look back at the year that was (before wrapping up with some of our goals and intention-setting for 2021). 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 part year:
As you might’ve picked up by now, our second proudest achievement in 2020 (after Margie, of course) was that Harvey became a certified B Corp in August.
The certification means the world to our little business, since it not only confirms that we are on the right track now, it also gives us a robust framework to use to help us grow while increasing our positive social and environmental impact.
More on that hereIn early 2020, Simon moderated a panel at Melbourne’s Pause Fest featuring Lily Dempster (CEO of One Small Step), Shannon Bourke (environmental and social initiatives manager at Patagonia) and Ben Jeffreys (chief of ATEC Biodigesters). The theme of the panel was that ethical, sustainable and regenerative business models don’t have to come at the expense of profit. If anything, the opposite is true.
For us, that’s really important to consider. It’s by being profitable that we’re able to make our donations to Greening Australia and other partners, and it’s why we’re able to offer our services and expertise pro bono and run our academy. While our capitalist systems are a long, long way from perfect, we believe there are ways of harnessing that system to be of greater benefit to the planet and our communities. And the more people we can encourage to do it with us, the better off we’ll all be in the long run. That’s the power of good business.
Thanks so much for taking the time to dig into this report.
So, what’s the point of all this? In short, we think it’s important to recognise the opportunities that our current system provides to us. Sure, we could’ve set up an NGO and relied on donations or government funding to support the kind of work we want to do. But by setting up a for-profit business, we’re able to make an impact both through our work and by donating to and supporting causes we believe in.
If you have any questions about anything we’ve mentioned in this report, or would like to talk to us for any tips or advice on setting up your own for-purpose business, you can get in touch with us on the email address provided below.
Let’s take a look back at the year that was (before wrapping up with some of our goals and intention-setting for 2021). 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 part year:
We acknowledge Aboriginal Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and pay respect to their cultures and Elders past and present.
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