Verified Social Enterprise
The Verified Social Enterprise (VSE) label is a certification that recognises businesses dedicated to generating positive social and environmental impact. This certification helps strengthen the social enterprise ecosystem through recognition and trust.
What is the Verified Social Enterprise label?
Launched in December 2022, the Verified Social Enterprise label allows Austrian social enterprises to get a certification and be listed in the Austrian Business Services Portal and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber’s A-Z Business Register for easy identification.
This certification has a duration of 3 years and is specifically aimed at companies, cooperatives and associations that work to make a contribution to society, social or environmental, in any industry.
The label is awarded by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Economy (BMAW) and handled by Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (aws) in close cooperation with the Social Entrepreneurship Network Austria (SENA) and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ).
In 2023, the first VSE Label ceremony was held against the stunning backdrop of the Hofburg Palace during Impact Days. The event took place in the presence of Eva Landrichtinger, Secretary General of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Economic Affairs, and Bernhard Sagmeister, Managing Director of AWS.
Benefits
Credibility
The VSE Label is a commitment to rigorous standards in social and environmental responsibility, strengthening trust and recognition among stakeholders.
Visibility
Certification creates opportunities for funding, partnerships, and media exposure, elevating enterprises in a competitive impact landscape.
Pathway to Systemic Change
VSE certification strengthens the entire impact ecosystem by uniting social enterprises under shared standards, creating a collective voice that can influence policies.
How to apply?
In order to apply for the Verified Social Enterprise label you need to register on the aws funding manager. The following documents will be required to complete your application:
- An Impact Report;
- A structured pitch deck;
- A Voluntary commitment (if available on the basis of the articles of association or statutes or statutes).
Templates are available for the first two mandatory documents in the downloads of aws Verified Social Enterprise. If one or more required documents are not available or if the requirements are not available, the application will be rejected for formal reasons.
As soon as the application has been submitted, it will be checked according to formal criteria and for completeness of the documents. All applications that are complete and comply with the specified conditions of participation will be evaluated by the jury. The label advertiser might be asked to submit documents if necessary.
The approval period depends on the submission figures and can take between 3 and 6 weeks.
Contacts
Austria Wirtschaftsservice
Monday–Friday: 8am – 2pm
- +43 1 501 75 - 606
- verifiedsocialenterprise@aws.at
Frequently Asked Questions
I do not yet have a company, can I get the Verified Social Enterprise label?
Only social enterprises (companies, cooperatives, associations) that were founded to make a social or ecological contribution and with a publicly accessible impact report can apply for a label.
To what extent is the impact report required?
The template provided is a guide to creating an initial impact report. The impact jury pays priority attention in the evaluation to the presentation of the effect logic. If no impact report is available at the time of the application, it is not expected to upload a final version of a comprehensive impact report, but to provide a solid presentation of the solution to a social problem, as well as the added value generated on the basis of an impact logic or Impact staircase.
Can I upload my existing impact report?
An existing impact report can be uploaded directly and does not have to be adapted to the template.
Who cannot apply for the VSE?
Two cases:
- Companies, cooperatives, associations and research institutes that do not have a registered office or permanent establishment in Austria;
- Companies, cooperatives and associations that cannot demonstrate an impact on the basis of impact documentation.
In which language is possible to submit the application?
The application documents should preferably be written in German, but submissions in English are permitted.
How does the relabel process work after 3 years?
After 3 years the label bearers will be re-checked. In this review, the further fulfilment of the conditions of participation is checked using a questionnaire. If successful, the label will be issued again for 3 years.
If one or more criteria of the conditions of participation are no longer met, the label will be withdrawn with immediate effect.
What are the criteria assessed?
The 3 main criteria that are taken into consideration during the assessment are:
- Social Problem:
- Extent;
- Causes and
- Consequences;
- Effect logic:
- Services (output and target groups);
- Intended effect (Outcome and Impact);
- Self-commitment:
- The voluntary commitment in the company contracts/statutes/statutes or as an independent confirmation is suitable for reflecting the nature of a social enterprise in its essential criteria (impact first, profit-use).
