How Handprint is enabling businesses to be more sustainable
5 minute read
Can companies do better with their businesses, with just a few clicks? Introducing Handprint, a platform that empowers companies to engage in greater sustainability efforts with cost-efficient technology.
From reforestation, coral reef reconstruction to access to clean drinking water, Handprint has helped their clients across different projects to plant over 100,000 trees, clear 5 tons of plastic from the ocean, and provide access to clean water for over 400 people. They have also recently launched a new coral reef reconstruction initiative.
We sit with Mathias Boissonot, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Handprint, to find out about their mission and how Sleek has helped their back-office operations to become more sustainable.
Overview:
Blockchain to scale environmental impact
Founded in 2019, Handprint is an Impact-as-a-Service platform that is customizable and cost-effective. The company helps businesses to engage in various environmental causes and projects directly, instead of going through intermediaries.
Mathias first met his two co-founders, Ryan Merill and Simon Schillebeeckx, when they were publishing a research paper commissioned by the United Nations. One of the key findings was that “80% of costs channeled toward reforestation were absorbed by intermediaries due to old bureaucratic legacy systems”.
He decided to develop a solution with them to tackle this issue. Eventually, they were able to achieve their goal by using blockchain and machine learning technology.
“I thought the entire world should benefit from this technology, so I convinced them to join forces and create commercial applications of this technology to address larger markets: this is how Handprint was born,” he recounts.
Creating greater transparency
One of the most important pillars for a truly impactful sustainability programme is transparency, and Handprint is committed to being as transparent as possible.
They do so by ensuring the following in their regular impact reports:
- Displaying how the money is used on the ground.
- Exact breakdowns of how every contribution benefits the planet in accordance with Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) metrics such as carbon capture, biodiversity support, and social impact.
“Using Handprint, companies become truly Regenerative for the planet, making a positive impact [for causes] that resonates with them,” continues Mathias.
A fruitful experience
What does a typical day in the business look like? Mathias describes their company operations as a multi-sided marketplace. On one hand, the team is busy developing value-adding products for their growing clientele and tracking data points in real-time for impact projects.
On the other hand, they provide corporate consultation, such as advising companies on their environmental pledges and educating them on the myths surrounding “carbon neutrality” and “net-zero” buzzwords. They also support on-ground impact projects together with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social enterprises.
The team is always on the hustle for greener pastures. To date, Handprint’s team has grown from 4 to 21 in the last 12 months. They are also encouraged whenever they help clients create business value for their sustainability. “We are so happy when data shows that our integration enabled a small shop in Australia to increase their conversion rate by 23%!” adds Mathias excitedly.
How Sleek partners with Handprint for greater impact
As a company that believes in paperless and sustainability efforts, Handprint naturally chose Sleek for its effortless digital company incorporation, corporate secretarial services, and SleekSign tool.
Through its platform and tools, Sleek has also helped Handprint to save on paper in contracts signed, paperwork for their company setup with the help of digitization. As a fellow advocate for business for good, Sleek has also partnered Handprint in our carbon neutrality journey by offsetting and reducing our carbon footprint.
“What I like [about Sleek] is that everything is digital and accessible from everywhere in one dashboard. To say the least, I am not very good at admin so I really feel reassured to have everything in a digital format accessible at the click of a button. I also like Sleek’s resource center that is full of guidance and helps navigate the maze of corporate admin,” Mathias adds.
Just getting started
Mathias and his team of “Handprinters”, as they fondly call themselves, are developing an open science model for quantification of positive impact. This is so that platforms and mobile applications can integrate a “handprint” profile within their own digital experience, for users to keep track of their impact easily.
“We want to become the trust and quantification backbone of positive impact for the internet.” he continues.
Handprint aims to transform the way businesses and consumers see impact as part of their business mission, to change this economy that just consumes, into one that gives, and benefits the planet and its inhabitants. Their vision is that “positive impact becomes so core to one’s identity and handprint” for every business and individual.
Ready to kickstart your own social business journey? Talk to us today to get started!
