SEE What You Are Buying Into Ltd (SEE Ltd) has created and operates the SEE scheme. We provide evaluation and benchmarking services to businesses seeking to assess and improve their social, environmental and ethical (SEE) policies and practices, we license the use of the SEE logo and run the SEE website to identify SEE listed companies.

Business vision

We envision a world where:

People can easily identify businesses with credible SEE policies and practices

Businesses are transparent, accountable and trustworthy, and clearly and honestly describe both their successes and failures in addressing SEE issues

Businesses do not greenwash

Businesses compete on the basis of their commitment to best SEE practice and innovation as well as on the price and quality of their goods and services

Our economic system is pro-business, pro-planet and pro-people

Business philosophies and beliefs

We believe that:

Businesses are vital in building a more equitable and sustainable future

Businesses should be able to justify their decisions and responses to SEE issues as fair, reasonable and rationale

SEE challenges present new opportunities for businesses rather than costs or burdens

The most successful, profitable and enduring companies will be those with deep rooted commitments to best SEE policy and practice

Lack of trust in business is a fundamental obstacle to the adoption of SEE business practice and policies

Business Values

Trust
Innovation
Knowledge
Professionalism
Openness

Business mission

SEE What You Are Buying Into Ltd's mission is to make the world a better place by:

building trust in business by promoting transparency and accountability; and

empowering people to buy from, work for and invest in SEE responsible businesses.

Business Information

Date established:: May 2003
Contact details: Michael Solomon or Clare Hall info@SEEWhatYouAreBuyingInto.com 020 3372 4504
Business structure Help Basic business structures under UK law include: sole trader, partnership, private company limited by shares, private company limited by guarantee, community interest company, public limited company, private unlimited company, and franchise.: Private company limited by shares
Address of company headquarters: Cityside House 40 Adler Street London E1 1EE
Countries of operations: Predominantly in the UK. Market research conducted in USA and New Zealand.
Countries where goods and/or services are sold: Predominantly in the UK
Size of workforce: Team of 5
Financial year Help The 12 months used as a company's accounting period. This may or may not be a calendar year.: 1st January to 31st December
Turnover (last financial year) Help Income that the business receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. Also known as total revenue, total sales or the top line.: c. £15,000 in year ending 31st December 2008
Profit (last financial year) Help Gross profit is the total turnover minus cost of sales. Net profit is the turnover minus all expenses, including payroll and tax. Businesses are asked to state gross profit, net profit or both. This field can be left blank.: No profits yet earned
Details of owners: Majority owned by Michael Solomon (founder) and Robert A. G. Monks (company's first major investor) and Halloran Philanthropies (company's second major investor) with circa 20% owned by other individual investors.
Directors' other business interests Help Businesses are asked to list other directorships held by their directors and company secretary: Michael Solomon is the founder and sole director of SEE Publishing Ltd, the company originally set up to develop the SEE concept. This company is still registered but is dormant.

Goods and Services

SEE Ltd manages the SEE scheme which includes the SEE brand/logo, the SEE Questionnaire on-line evaluation tool and the public SEE website.

SEE Ltd also offers business evaluation and benchmarking services.

Business Responses

All business responses to the SEE Questionnaire are made available for public scrutiny, comment and rating.

If you wish, please offer comments and ideas of your own and rate responses for clarity and/or policy quality. A business can use your ideas and suggestions to improve their SEE practices and performance. If you don't think what the business says is accurate, or think it is incomplete or misleading, please challenge the response.

Click on a topic area to reveal business responses:

Community Relations

Community Relations is about a business in a social and economic context. A business can strongly influence the quality of life not only for employees, but also for the wider community in which it operates. It is recognised that a sustainable community promotes sustainable business.

Corporate Governance

Corporate governance is about how a business is structured and whether rights, responsibilities and duties are clearly set out and understood. These issues are critical in maintaining accountability and providing strong decision-making functions.

This section provides an opportunity for a company to indicate how it remains honest, transparent, equitable and reputable in its conduct. These objectives are relevant to any business whether large or small.

Donations and Payments

To whom and exactly how companies make donations and payments, including those to charitable organisations, professional associations and government, are extremely complex issues. It is important that companies disclose their corporate donations, publish their payments and explain what they hope or expect to receive in return.

Environment

Natural resources are vital to sustain our lives and lifestyle. This section looks at the impact business operations have on the physical environment. It is not always easy to address the challenges, but companies have the opportunity to show the problems they face and how they tackle them.

Human Rights

This section is about how businesses ensure that their operations do not violate the fundamental rights of individuals and communities at home or abroad. Businesses have the opportunity to examine this issue with regards to their own practices, supply chains and business relationships.

Marketplace Ethics

This section is about how businesses handle consumer rights and wider welfare issues. Many of the questions cover areas where there is a fair amount of legislation and regulation: it is an opportunity for businesses to show how they go beyond a legal minimum to address ethical issues in the marketplace.

Workforce

It is widely acknowledged that people are the most valuable asset to any business. In this topic, the questions are addressing the treatment of workforce. It is quite diverse but the focus is on promoting a fair, equitable, honest and supportive work environment.