SEE What You Are Buying Into Ltd was created as an entrepreneurial response to the need for companies to communicate 'corporate social responsibility' credibly. (For more on CSR, see our FAQs.)

The company was founded in 2003 with financial backing from friends, fools and family: a handful of people who liked the idea of genuine business transparency and who each invested a few thousand pounds to give it a chance of becoming a reality.

Within a year, the first SEE Questionnaire was compiled and the first website built. Adnams, Digital Unite and Listawood became the first companies to list on the directory website. Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC) and Manifest became the first partners.

The scheme and the company grew slowly in the early years but significant progress was made once substantial investment was raised. This happened at the end of 2007 and again in the middle of 2008. In February 2008 a second generation SEEcompanies.com website went live with two dozen companies participating. After a major rebrand, this third generation website was unveiled in November 2008 as SEE What You Are Buying Into.

As SEE has grown and developed, the potential of full transparency and accountability to drive change in business performance has become even clearer. SEE What You Are Buying Into is now a labelling scheme and a community of shared values. The SEE Questionnaire is now in its fourth edition and a fourth generation website is in development.