GWÖ Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie

• Sotronik Gemeinwohl Bilanz - Short Version DE
• Sotronik Gemeinwohl Bilanz DE

«Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie» refers to an economic system based on values that promote the common good. It is a lever for change at an economic, political and social level.

The Gemeinwohl-Economy is

• A viable, practical alternative for companies of various sizes and legal forms at an economic level. The purpose of economic activity and the evaluation of corporate success are defined on the basis of values oriented towards the common good.
• A driver for legal change at a political level. The aim of the commitment is a good life for all living beings and the planet, supported by an economic system oriented towards the common good. Human dignity, solidarity, ecological sustainability, social justice and democratic co-determination are the core values.
• At a societal level, an initiative to raise awareness for systemic change based on the joint, appreciative actions of as many people as possible. The movement gives hope and courage and seeks to network with other initiatives.

It sees itself as an open-ended, participatory, locally growing process with a global reach - symbolized by the dandelion seeds in the logo.

The Gemeinwohl-Bilanz measures success according to new standards: The goal is not only financial profit, but also an increase in the common good.

The individual contribution to the common good is defined and made assessable on the basis of the common good matrix (see next page for definition). This enables a systematic view of all activities from a 360° perspective and sharpens the focus on the essentials:

• What impact do economic activities have on the general quality of life, today and tomorrow?
• Is human dignity respected?
• Is social justice being promoted?
• Is ecological sustainability ensured?
• How transparent, solidary and democratic are corporate goals achieved?

When the company was founded in 2000, the idea of an engineering firm organized as a cooperative existed. This did not come to fruition, but the motivation behind it was incorporated into the business philosophy. The two founders were influenced by the movements of the 1980s, which, among other things, sought alternatives to today's capitalist economy. The ideas and principles of the GWÖ are therefore very close to the Sotronik spirit.

Since its foundation, Sotronik has been committed to the well-being of its employees and the environment and is involved in various charities and organizations. This is also anchored in the mission statement and is practiced in everyday life.

It also pursues a zero-growth strategy. It does not believe in the capitalist assumption that growth is necessary for a functioning economy. Shortly after its foundation, Sotronik grew to its current size of around 8 employees. The shareholders of Sotronik are engineers and mainly want to work on projects in this capacity. The time spent on management is about 3 days a week, which is divided between the members of the management board. Because we do not invest in growth, we have time and resources left over for public welfare aspects.

«Why we as a company prepare the Gemeinwohlbilanz and what this process brings us»

Sotronik is committed to greater sustainability in business and society. We take corporate responsibility for our products, services and actions. We want to be a "beacon" for sustainability in our industry and have decided to prepare the common good balance sheet in accordance with the new Matrix 5.0. We are broadening our horizons, gaining new ideas when working on the 20 criteria and developing measures in the peer group and in our company for further improvement in the direction of sustainability, future viability and a focus on the common good.

What matters to us is not the points we receive in the evaluation process, but the process and the impact we can achieve through it - both internally and externally. The common good balance sheet places very high demands on the sustainability of companies, which can be fulfilled to varying degrees from sector to sector in practice and from the point of view of economic efficiency - e.g. these are very dependent on the supply and value chain as well as the products and services.