Belu receive ‘People + Planet First’ Certification from SEWF

This week Belu received our ‘People + Planet First’ Certification from SEWF (Social Enterprise World Forum) in partnership with SEUK (Social Enterprise UK).

SEWF’s goal is ‘to strengthen the global social enterprise movement to accelerate the transition to a new economy that allows us all to thrive within the means of our living planet’.

So, what does this mean?

To put it simply, it means that Belu is a purpose-driven company that focuses on the impact it can have on both people and the planet. SEWF measure this by looking at five key areas; Purpose, Operations, Revenue, Use of Surplus and Structure.

Purpose: Your enterprise exists to solve a social and/or environmental problem.

How did we do here? Belu was set up initially to show business could be done differently and has always operated with purpose at the heart of all that we do. To put it simply, we are on a mission to change the way the world sees water.

Operations: Your enterprise prioritises purpose, people and planet over profit in operational decisions.

What’s Belu’s take? For us, profit is not a dirty word. We give 100% of our net profits to WaterAid but would never prioritise profit over our environmental principles. We make operational decisions guided by our purpose, from working with ENCIRC (our glass manufacturer) to ensure that each of our glass bottles are 100% recyclable and made from at least 35% recycled glass, to committing to all our bottles only being shipped within the UK. We think environment first, always.

Revenue: Your enterprise has a self-sustaining revenue model or is working towards one.

Belu has a sustainable revenue model through both B2B (business to business) transactions and D2C (direct to consumer) sales, as well as other revenue generators such as our lightweight glass patent royalties. As a social enterprise, we don’t make profit our sole priority (it’s a tool for us rather than a driver). If you would like to find out more about how our Purpose P&L works, Check out our impact report.

Use of Surplus: Your enterprise reinvests the majority of surplus towards its purpose.

Belu is proud to be committed to giving 100% of our net profits to WaterAid, having raised £5.5 million since 2011 and counting. We don’t dictate how they use this money and give on an unrestricted funding basis. This ensures those who need help urgently, such as communities hit by flooding, droughts and other natural disasters which impact water access. .

Structure: Your enterprise has chosen legal structures and financing that protect and lock-in purpose long term.

Accountability is at the heart of all that we do. It underpins the structure of Belu as a whole and ensures that we meet our over-arching aim – to change the way the world sees water by 2030. As a financial structure our business model has proved to be sustainable and the business continues to expand and grow year on year, including our extension of our filtration services to Hong Kong. Our board and leadership are committed to making decisions which are tied to our purpose and do not compromise our commitment to think environment first.

Commitment to our purpose

We are proud to have been recognised among such fantastic company and are committed to putting people and the planet first in all that we do.

Find out more about SEUK: https://www.socialenterprise.org.uk