Social Enterprises are companies founded to make a societal contribution – either social or environmental. Their objectives can generally be aligned with the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Profit generation is secondary to these societal goals (Impact First) and is primarily understood as a means to an end, namely to finance the impact.

The Verified Social Enterprise label is awarded by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy and administered by Austria Wirtschaftsservice Gesellschaft mbH (aws) in close cooperation with the Social Entrepreneurship Network Austria (SENA) and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ).

A prerequisite for this is a self-commitment, documented in an Impact Report that includes a compelling impact logic.