Certification

Wondering about Social Traders certification?

Social Traders has developed a rigorous and flexible process whereby they certify social enterprises that meet the social enterprise definition. This definition is based on Australia’s landmark research Finding Australia’s Social Enterprise Sector (FASES) conducted in 2010 and 2016 and benchmarked against international standards.

Social Traders certification confirms a social enterprise has been verified by Social Traders. This ensures that the enterprise meets the definition of a social enterprise in that it:

• has a defined primary social purpose, environmental or other public benefit
• derives a substantial portion of its income from trade
• and reinvests 50% or more of annual profits towards achieving the social purpose

Various stakeholders, including government and other businesses, rely on third party certification when they work with social enterprises. It’s how they can manage the risks of suppliers misrepresenting themselves as social enterprises.

There are market advantages for social enterprises and so there is an increased significance in legitimate use of the label.

By becoming Social Traders certified, you will be seen as a social enterprise that can supply products, services and social impact to business and government buyer members, as well as other stakeholders interested in working with social enterprises.

Find out more about certification here.