Verified Social Enterprise

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On November 20, 2023, we received the coveted “Verified Social Enterprise” (VSE) label!

The VSE label is awarded to social enterprises — these are companies, cooperatives or associations that were founded not only to achieve economic success, but above all to make a sustainable contribution to society, whether in the social or ecological sector. For us, this is not just an award, but a confirmation of our mission and values.

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Why is this label awarded?

Since 2022, you can register your company as a “Verified Social Enterprise.” This is a huge step for the Austrian social entrepreneurship community. You can then officially call your company with a social orientation as a social enterprise.

This massively increases credibility with customers, target groups, funders and other supporters and makes communication easier. Above all, with the VSE, the social entrepreneurship sector can finally be made tangible and addressable. The label is an important signal for building trust. Until now, every company has been able to claim to be a social enterprise, there is now an external body that checks the actual existence of the necessary criteria. As a result, targeted support measures and framework conditions for the sector can also be called for and offered in the future.

Who supports this and where can applications be submitted?

Initiated by SENA to represent the interests of Austrian social entrepreneurs, this label was implemented under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy in cooperation with the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.

The VSE can be applied for via the submission portal of Austria Wirtschaftsservice Gesellschaft mbH (aws).

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