Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie Österreich

What Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie Österreich does

Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie Österreich (GWÖ) is a nonprofit association (Verein) founded in 2010 in Vienna, operating as the Austrian federal association (Bundesverband) of the international Common Good Economy movement. Its core offering is the Gemeinwohl-Bilanz (Common Good Balance Sheet), a 360-degree assessment tool that evaluates companies, municipalities, and educational institutions against five stakeholder groups (suppliers, owners/financial partners, employees, customers, and the social environment) using a point-based scoring system. The underlying Gemeinwohl-Matrix translates the values of human dignity, ecological sustainability, social justice, co-determination, and transparency into measurable criteria and is integrated with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Successful audited entities receive the ECOnGOOD-Label, and the portfolio also includes the Gemeinwohl-Produkt (product-level assessment), the ECOnGOOD Business Canvas for founders, and dedicated modules for municipalities and educational institutions.

The organization generates revenue through membership fees, donations, and an indirect consulting/certification ecosystem — certified GWÖ consultants charge companies for advisory services on a fee-for-service basis, while the Bundesverband oversees the certification process. Go-to-market is community-led: a network of 170+ regional groups across Austrian states, certified consultants, ambassadors, and the annual 360°// GOOD ECONOMY Forum drive awareness and engagement. Scale metrics include approximately 5,000 members worldwide, 1,300+ audited organizations, and a verified subscriber base across Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and an international coordination hub.

Customer segments span for-profit companies of all sizes, municipalities (e.g., Viennabase, Wien Holding), educational institutions, founders/startups, and private individuals. Named adopters include SONNENTOR, VAUDE Sport, FC St. Pauli, Trumer Privatbrauerei, Hotel Henriette Wien, Alpenland, and gugler*. The association is staffed by 16 employees and relies heavily on volunteer activists and part-time contributors, with revenue figures not publicly disclosed.

Name

Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie Österreich

Legal name

Bundesverband Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie Österreich

Website

https://austria.econgood.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie Österreich is a Vienna-based nonprofit association that operates the Common Good Balance Sheet, a 360-degree ethical and sustainability assessment framework, serving companies, municipalities, educational institutions, and founders across Austria and a global network of 170+ regional groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Consulting and Certification Services

NAICS

Business Associations (81391), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ethics, Integrity & Whistleblowing Program Advisory (BPAHAFAI), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

Keywords

• Sustainability certification services
• Common good assessment
• Ethical business auditing
• ESG consulting framework
• Nonprofit association network

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees charged to individual members and organizations who join the Common Good Economy network. Members gain access to resources, networking opportunities, and participate in regional group activities.
2. Donations: Voluntary donations from supporters, members, and sympathizers who wish to support the mission of transforming the economy toward common good principles.
3. Consulting and Certification Services: Revenue generated through the certification and consulting ecosystem. Certified GWÖ consultants provide paid services to companies seeking to complete their Common Good Balance Sheet, with the organization overseeing the certification process.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie Österreich is a nonprofit association that provides ethical business certification and consulting services built around the Gemeinwohl-Bilanz (Common Good Balance Sheet), a matrix-based assessment tool measuring corporate contributions to human dignity, ecological sustainability, social justice, transparency, and co-determination. It also awards the ECOnGOOD-Label to audited organizations and runs a certified consultant network, educational programs, and regional community groups that help companies, municipalities, and educational institutions adopt common good principles.

Product overview

Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie Österreich operates as a values-based economic association rather than a traditional software product company. Its portfolio centers on the Gemeinwohl-Bilanz (Common Good Balance Sheet) as the core assessment methodology, complemented by the ECOnGOOD-Label for certified organizations. The organization offers sector-specific modules for businesses, municipalities, and educational institutions, along with specialized tools for startup founders. The Gemeinwohl-Matrix serves as the underlying evaluation framework, measuring performance across five stakeholder groups using a transparent point system. These products collectively enable organizations to assess, report, and improve their contribution to ethical, social, and ecological business practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ECOnGOOD-Label: A certification label for businesses aligned with common good economy principles
• 360°// GOOD ECONOMY

Products and services

• Gemeinwohl-Bilanz (Common Good Balance Sheet)
• ECOnGOOD-Label
• Gemeinwohl-Produkt (Common Good Product Assessment)
• Gemeinwohl-Bilanz für Unternehmen (Common Good Balance Sheet for Companies)
• Gemeinwohl-Bilanz für Gemeinden (Common Good Balance Sheet for Municipalities)
• Gemeinwohl-Bilanz für Bildungseinrichtungen (Common Good Balance Sheet for Educational Institutions)
• ECOnGOOD Business Canvas / Tool für Gründer*innen

Quantifiable outcome

• UN Report (2026) cites Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie as an approach for post-growth economics
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Maps Marker ProminorOthersMaps Marker Pro provided a free license for creating interactive maps showing the location of GWÖ associations, companies, and regional groups worldwide. This supports the organization's goal of making the global GWÖ network visible.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Fairtrade International: Operates values-based certification (Fairtrade Label) for supply chains, similar in structure to the ECOnGOOD Label. Comparable as a values-driven certification ecosystem, though focused specifically on trade rather than general corporate sustainability.
• Future Fit Foundation: Provides a science-based action framework and benchmarking for companies pursuing regenerative business. Comparable as an emerging values-aligned sustainability framework that competes for corporate adoption and consulting resources.

Broad incumbents

• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): The most widely adopted sustainability reporting standard globally. While not values-based in the same way as GWÖ, GRI competes for the same corporate sustainability reporting and disclosure budget that GWÖ seeks to address.
• CSR Europe: European business network for corporate sustainability and CSR. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering sustainability advisory, peer learning, and policy advocacy that overlaps with GWÖ's corporate and policy engagement work.

Direct peers

• Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie Schweiz: The Swiss federation of the same international GWÖ movement. Comparable as a sister-organization operating the Gemeinwohl-Bilanz methodology with regional groups and certified consultants in a different geography.
• B Lab Global (B Corporation): B Lab operates the global B Corp certification, the most established values-based business certification framework. Directly comparable as both organizations provide audited certification programs measuring companies' social and environmental performance for stakeholder communication.
• Economy of the Common Good (International Coordination): The international umbrella coordinating GWÖ federations across countries. Directly comparable as the parent organization of which the Austrian entity is a member, operating the same methodology and certification standards globally.
• Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie Deutschland: The German sister organization of the Austrian GWÖ federation. Operates the same Common Good Balance Sheet methodology in Germany with its own regional groups, consultant network, and audited companies — closely aligned business model and product offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbTLcT6oCqO4kNCvPECjE5g
• Facebookfacebook.com/72177720305685402
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/econgoodaustria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie Österreich