Updated July 2024 One of our most asked questions about In Good Company's platform is "How do you select your good companies?" Here is a summary of the latest on our process in choosing the businesses that we promote to our users. You can read the full criteria here.
We are the only platform dedicated to helping people find the best ‘good’ brick and mortar businesses, therefore we want to ensure that our web app only promotes businesses who are just as dedicated to sustainable and ethical business practices as we are. We frequently update our guidelines to ensure thoroughness.
What is a ‘Good Company’?
For us, good companies encompass all businesses and organisations who are applying entrepreneurial spirit to tackle the environmental and societal challenges we face in the world today. They are actively trying to make things better for our planet, and all those who live here, and have those principles embedded in their service and business practices. They are driven by a purpose and believe that business isn’t just there to make money.
How do we determine whether they are good?
Not only must our businesses align with our definition of being a “good company” but they must fit these six criteria:
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Have a clear purpose above making a profit which is about making a positive difference to people, the planet and/or a community.
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Have this purpose clearly integrated into how they do business and operate.
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Have a recognised accreditation with an established body or have it built into their legal status.*
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Be going over and above the bare minimum of environmental and good operating principles that all businesses should be doing today i.e. not just recycling or paying a living wage.
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Have a physical presence - i.e. shop space/ market stall/ pop-up shop.
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Be consumer-facing.**
You can read the full criteria here.
* We do recognise that especially for very small and new businesses, they may not yet have an accreditation but are clearly operating as a good company. We will review these on a case-by-case basis, following the process set out below, and if their purpose is made clear publicly available information or conversations with the business, we will include them on the platform, with an explanation of why. We will also encourage and support them to seek out relevant accreditations with our partners too.
**We only focus on consumer facing, physical businesses because we found a gap in the market for places to go to spend our money that make us feel good, meet our needs, and are doing good in the world. There are several great aggregators of e-commerce good businesses (see Social Supermarket and Good Market) so we've chosen to highlight physical businesses and experiences.
How do we find companies?
We follow a five step process to find the companies we promote:
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We identify companies through research, word of mouth or via an accreditation partner. Companies can nominate themselves too.
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We check their accreditations and legal status. There is a large and growing number of different accreditations, rating systems and voluntary codes which cover issues related to sustainability and ethics, and they each work slightly differently. Some cover the whole organisation (like B-Corp), some are specific to a group (like social enterprises), some are for a specific area of operations (like paying workers a real living wage) and some are for a specific vertical (like fashion). We look at all the ones we are aware of and are relevant.
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We review publicly available information. This includes information the company has published themselves (including on their website, company reports, social media, interviews, blogs etc.) as well as information from third parties, including reviews and sector awards.
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We then make an informed decision about whether they meet the criteria set out above and should be listed.
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For organisations who have met the criteria, we then create a comprehensive listing for the organisation. If we cannot find any substantive information to back claims – for example saying food served is sustainable but not explaining why this is the case – then we will not include it. We share all listings with the businesses (where we can find contact details) and they can review and amend information and opt out should they wish to. We will soon be introducing the ability for businesses to claim and manage their profiles.
*A selection of our accreditation and memberships partners
We are always looking to expand our platform and include as many businesses as possible. If you believe your business fits our criteria or you know of one that does, email us at hello@ingoodcompany.org.uk.
