It’s been almost two years since WeTransfer became a certified B Corporation. As one of the first global tech firms to achieve it, we knew that our work was cut out for us in not just assessing our own impact, but also the impact of our employees, partners and community.  The reality is that every company born into or adapting for a digital-first future carries an environmental footprint. Often invisible to the naked eye, understanding the full extent of it is not straightforward but also not an excuse for not doing it.  As our industry grows and matures, so should our collective sense of responsibility. It’s now well understood, if not broadly accepted, that being good and being profitable are not mutually exclusive. More often than not, the former is critical for the success of the latter.

In that spirit, we are publishing our second Responsible Business Report, which outlines – both in hard numbers and facts – what we’ve promised, what we’ve accomplished, and where we’re heading. How can we B-better evaluates the long-term ambitions we’ve set ourselves as a responsible business against key pillars, and invites you and our community to hold us accountable. 

Responsibility by association 

During the 2021 edition we give an extra focus on our advertising business. With our revenue being almost evenly split between our subscribers and brand partners, we want to ensure that we are intentional in how we work together.  We firmly believe that deepening our understanding of the brands that advertise on our platform is one of the most effective ways of broadening our view on responsibility.

In 2021, we began scoring our advertising partners and their social and environmental impact by evaluating clients using a bespoke criteria, which includes their contribution to the UNSDGs and their sustainability reporting and disclosure. With that crucial framework in place, we are turning our focus to ways to incentivise brands, regardless of their growth stage and scale, to improve their scores, including a 20% discount for fellow B Corps, and will be integrating these advertising principles into our own business strategy by the end of the year.

Continuing our efforts to…

1. Lower emissions growth

It's disappointing that our overall emissions have gone up 17%. While it's significantly slower than our growth as a business last year and mainly due to indirect emissions in our supply chain, it's not good enough. We know we can do better as our 'owned' emissions – those we are directly responsible for – decreased 13%, and we are taking the necessary steps to make sure that this overall number will be lower in the future.

2. Improve Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

The diversity of our team in general has seen an uptick: we welcomed more than 91 new employees, and increased the diversity of our organization by 3.6%. However, we know we must continue learning and reflecting on how we can build a more inclusive culture. 

3. Provide tools that serve the needs of the (entire) creative community 

WeTransfer is a company that puts people first, and that means not only our employees but also those that use our product, day in, day out. We owe it to our creative community to ensure that our platform is safe and secure, and that their privacy and data are protected. Improving product accessibility is a priority, and we’re working with a team of experts and partners to actively remove unconscious barriers from our product so that we’re not excluding anyone with situational and ability-based impairments.  Taking a purpose-led approach is an ongoing journey. The report is a timely reminder that we must always challenge not only ourselves but the partners we do business with, to be better. We and I welcome your feedback, and encourage you to take a look.

Illustrations by Franz Lang