A year since the Comptoirs Morning joined the 1% for the Planet movement

Several of us on the team were inspired by the 1% for the Planet movement. Born at Patagonia, the idea is simple. A company commits to giving 1% of its turnover to grassroots environmental organisations. While the ultimate goal is to bring all of Morning’s activities into this approach, in the short term we preferred to act quickly and start somewhere. Where? We wanted to choose an area of the business that would be meaningful for the team, the members and everyone who passes through our spaces. We chose the Comptoir business, and the timing was perfect, because Maaike – who had just taken over the business to build it up – was more than up for it.

For the past year – for every coffee, muffin and fruit juice bought at Morning, 1% has been set aside to be given to an environmental NGO. 

Is 1% of turnover a lot?

In concrete terms, this means that for every million in turnover, the company gives 10,000 euros to one or more environmental NGOs. It can quickly make a difference. Applied to France’s GDP, for example, that would come to around 250 billion euros (or 2.5 times the recovery plan). So on its own it may seem trivial, but if we all get involved, it changes everything. 

From a business point of view, giving 1% of your turnover when it was not originally planned in the business plan is not so straightforward. We have not been able to certify the entire Morning group for the moment, but that is the goal in the long run. So we are going about it business by business. Romain, our Finance Director, is something of a visionary on the subject. He did what was needed to isolate and certify this Comptoir business as a first step. With Covid not helping matters, our first donation is nothing to write home about, but we hope to add a few more zeros as early as next year.

Which NGO are we supporting?

For this first year, we decided not to choose on our own and went about it in two stages. Margaux, Head of Impact at Morning, had drawn up a shortlist of six organisations, following the 1% for the Planet Meetings that introduced us to new organisations. First round: Morning staff voted for a shortlist of three organisations. We then put this shortlist to the community of members. They finally voted for the chosen organisation.

The result: the organisation Zero Waste France was selected! And it is a particularly fitting choice, since one of our main impact challenges around the Comptoir business is to reduce (or even eliminate?) the waste linked to the lunch break!

As a little aside, I had drawn up the plans to set up the IT network at the Maison du Zéro Déchet. Karma, if you’re listening!

A closer look at Zero Waste France

Zero Waste France is a citizens’ association, founded in 1997, that campaigns for waste reduction. The NGO offers solutions to reduce pollution – which affects both health and the environment – by acting on three levels:

• Advancing French and European regulation by engaging directly with political decision-makers.

• Supporting and guiding those on the ground: local authorities, entrepreneurs, local campaign groups and citizens.

• Informing citizens and unpacking the issues surrounding waste.

What next? 

Bringing more and more teams into 1% for the Planet. The events team and the network division (which I look after) are next on the list! And if you would like to talk a little more about our experience so far, drop me an email: mathias@morning.fr.

Also worth a read: Morning takes stock of its carbon footprint.