Words by Smiley Team
Circular economy pioneers and Bcorp Wob – formerly World of Books – is a business that has made a huge commitment to positive impact in the past year.
In April 2022, Wob was announced as one of only seven companies to achieve two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in 2022 - winning both the Sustainable Development Award and the International Trade Award.
The secondhand bookshop has reduced its carbon footprint by 50% across the group in the last five years and saved over 26,000 tonnes of new paper – but it also has a true commitment to charity impact.
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Graham Bell, Chief Executive Officer of World of Books Group, tells Smiley News: “Since our foundation, World of Books Group has been committed to balancing profit and purpose - and we are extremely proud of the work the team has done so far to live true to this mission.
“We continue to drive the reuse revolution forward, working towards an ambitious pledge to donate one million books a year by 2025 and have already donated over 270,000 books in the UK and abroad.
"Plans are in place to significantly step this up in 2022 through partnerships including Books2Africa, Own Books and The Book Fairies.”
Additionally, more than £100,000 has been raised by the group for good causes through a Virgin Money Giving partnership.
“And, via our Shopiago software World of Books Group is helping over 600 charity shops - including branches of Marie Curie, British Heart Foundation, The British Red Cross and others - to generate online revenue from donations for much needed causes through selling online,” adds Graham.
“Knowing that our business exists to leave a positive impact on the world is what drives us. I can speak on behalf of the team when I say working at Wob is much more than a job - it’s a privilege to be involved in a business that is both expanding and focused on creating good for the world."
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