Fruitful Office is socially recognised by more than 40 municipalities in the Netherlands. These include Amsterdam, Amstelveen, Rotterdam, The Hague, Delft, Leiden, Gouda, Breda, Den Bosch and Maastricht, as well as several other municipalities across the country.
That sounds formal. And it is. But more important is what it means. Social recognition is not about a label, but about the role you play as an organisation within your region.
What does social recognition mean?
More and more municipalities are working with Social Return on Investment, SROI for short. In tenders and municipal contracts, organisations are asked to add social value alongside their services. For example, by creating employment opportunities for people distanced from the labour market.
When a municipality recognises a company socially, it confirms that the company demonstrably contributes to those objectives. It is thus not a marketing term, but a recognition within municipal policies around inclusion and labour participation.
What can you do with it as an organisation?
For organisations with an SROI obligation, this is concretely relevant. If social return is part of an agreement, you must be able to show that part of the contract sum is spent on social impact.
If you work with a socially recognised company such as Fruitful Office, then depending on the municipality and the applicable regulation, part of the invoice amount can be claimed for your SROI justification. Regular purchases, such as a fruit subscription for work, can thus contribute to your social return objectives. Without separate routes and without extra administrative layers.
Why we are socially recognised
More than 15% of our team is distanced from the labour market. That percentage is not an afterthought, but part of how we are organised. With us, it’s not only about what’s in the crate, but also about who works on it.
Since the beginning, we have been working with people with a working distance. Since 2014, we have been a Social Enterprise. In addition, we are PSO-Tier 3 certified, the highest step within the Social Enterprise Performance Ladder.
We cooperate with organisations that guide young people towards employment and with social work companies in various municipalities. In this way, we offer structural employment to people for whom access to the labour market is not self-evident.
Social recognition by municipalities is consistent with this. They recognise that we demonstrably contribute to regional labour market objectives and social return policies. You can read more about our approach on our page on sustainability and impact.
What does this deliver?
For municipalities, it means more sustainable workplaces and a more inclusive labour market. For organisations with an SROI obligation, it offers a practical way to fulfil social return through existing procurement.
For us, it confirms something that has long been the foundation of our business: profit is not only in euros, but also in opportunities. In development. In people.
A fruit subscription remains just fruit in the office. In many regions, it is also a recognised contribution to social objectives. This makes the impact visible and demonstrable.
Wondering how this is regulated within your municipality?
Want to know how social recognition and SROI are set up within your municipality? Feel free to contact us at admin@fruitfuloffice.nl or call 088 06 40 100. We will be happy to tell you how this works and what is possible.
Is your municipality not yet listed? Please let us know. There is a good chance that we will qualify for social recognition there too.
