Is EZ Courier a Social Enterprise? Exploring the Criteria in NSW
At EZ Courier, our core mission has always been clear: delivering packages sustainably across Sydney, aiming to reduce traffic congestion and harmful emissions. Originally a bicycle messenger company founded by friends passionate about cycling and the city, we've grown while keeping that environmental focus. We now operate a mixed fleet, including vans, trucks, and even planes for broader logistics, but we remain resolutely "bicycle-forward". Our goal is emission reduction through smart logistics – using the lowest-impact option possible for each leg of the journey, prioritising pedal power within the City of Sydney precincts whenever feasible, and leveraging our expertise in last-mile delivery, which can cut associated emissions by as much as 80%. We strive to be a sustainable link for Sydney and the world.
EZ Courier's entry to the logistics scene was an exit from digital content creation, business advisory and software-as-a-service. The City of Sydney announced a last-mile initiative, and the goal at the time was to be net-zero within the City by 2030. This was in 2013. In 2014, we were performing our first last-mile deliveries: bouquets of flowers. Two years later, every smart country in the world signed a legally binding document called The Paris Agreement. That was in 2015. Maybe that spurred us on, because in 2025 we're still dedicated to the task at hand.
Today in April '25 while double-checking things for this article we checked how Australia is going overall. Climate Action Tracker is an "independent scientific project that tracks government climate action and measures it against the globally agreed Paris Agreement", and they have some ratings for Australia. They rated us INSUFFICIENT overall, and they did use all caps throughout the page, concluding that "urgent action is required."
Logistics and technology are two very complex things. We've been so focused on our core values, swept up in technological change, outraged and worried for our people and planet... we were actually suprised when we came across the term "social enterprise". It sounded fun, we rabbit-holed, and "Oh! That is what we are..."
The term was coined in 1976, popularised in 2009, and we discovered that it had established itself not only as a term, or even as a way of thinking: it's a global movement towards a better way of operating commercial enterprises. Social enterprise company structures have been established formally elsewhere in the world, and in Australia you can be accredited in some states. Not NSW though, and that's where EZ Courier operate.
But what does social enterprise actually mean, especially here in Australia, and specifically in New South Wales? Does EZ Courier fit the definition?
This article is our exploration of that question. We want to be transparent about where we stand today, using the emerging national standards as our guide, while also acknowledging the specific context for businesses operating in NSW as of April 2025.
What is a Social Enterprise?
Broadly, social enterprises are businesses that exist primarily to tackle social problems, improve communities, provide access to employment or training, or help the environment. Social Enterprise Australia (SEA), the national peak body, puts it succinctly: they are businesses that "put people and planet first" (https://www.socialenterpriseaustralia.org.au/). Social Traders, a well-established certification body particularly active in Victoria, defines them as businesses that "trade to intentionally tackle social problems... improve communities... or help the environment," using commercial strategies to achieve their purpose.
The key differentiator from traditional charities is the focus on trade – generating revenue through selling goods or services – rather than primarily relying on donations or grants. The key differentiator from traditional businesses is the primacy of purpose – the social or environmental mission is the core reason for existence, not just a corporate social responsibility (CSR) add-on, and it outweighs the drive for private profit.
The Australian Landscape: Certification and NSW
For years, Social Traders has offered a respected certification pathway, providing assurance to stakeholders. More recently, Social Enterprise Australia, in collaboration with state and territory peak bodies, has endorsed the People and Planet First (P&PF) global verification standards. These standards aim for clarity, robustness, and global alignment, setting five key criteria for social enterprises. Verification is intended to be straightforward and affordable, handled by local state/territory partners (https://www.socialenterpriseaustralia.org.au/).
However, as of mid-2025, while many states have established peak bodies acting as official P&PF verification partners, NSW currently lacks this dedicated local infrastructure within the SEA/P&PF framework. This presents a challenge for NSW-based businesses like ours seeking clear, nationally aligned recognition as social enterprises under this specific system.
Despite this gap, the P&PF criteria offer a valuable framework for self-assessment. Let's explore how EZ Courier measures up against these five global standards, using information from our business plan and current operational practices.
Criterion 1: Purpose - Exists to solve a social or environmental problem
(P&PF Standard): The enterprise must exist primarily to solve a specific social or environmental problem. Higher levels require this purpose to be publicly communicated, embedded in governing documents, and impact monitored and reported.
(EZ Courier): Our foundational purpose – reducing emissions and congestion via sustainable, bicycle-forward logistics – is clearly stated in our business plan and central to our identity. We communicate this environmental purpose online and through various channels. We perform internal calculations based on studies and operational data to estimate our environmental impact (e.g., CO2 savings compared to traditional methods), and have shared these statistics publicly since at least 2019 via social media, our website, and direct communications. We acknowledge the complexities in precisely quantifying carbon reduction due to varying factors, but we've already facilitated hundreds of thousands of emission-free deliveries within the CBD, representing a significant positive impact (consider the life-hours of trees saved per delivery!). We are actively working towards developing proprietary technology for more systematic, meaningful metrics in the future. However, our purpose isn't yet explicitly locked into our company's formal governing documents (like our constitution).
(Assessment): Based on the P&PF scale (0-4), we'd place ourselves at 2 points. We exist for the purpose, communicate it publicly, monitor impact internally with plans for more formalised metrics, but lack the formal inclusion in governing documents and systematic public reporting required for higher levels.
Criterion 2: Operations - Prioritises purpose, people, and planet over profit in operational decisions
(P&PF Standard): The enterprise must meet minimum sector standards and demonstrate how it prioritises social and environmental impact in its day-to-day operations, potentially including monitoring/reporting operational metrics or achieving third-party verification.
(EZ Courier): Our commitment extends beyond our core service.
People (Contractors & Community): We aim for fair compensation by benchmarking against the market, taking a smaller commission than many competitors, and reinvesting significantly back into the business or contractor payments. Critically, we practice inclusive hiring – something we've done informally since 2019 – and are now actively establishing formal relationships with employment-focused social enterprises to strengthen these pathways. We foster well-being through proactive, in-person check-ins and through partnerships like the one established with BikeWise for cyclist safety training and development workshops. Furthermore, we are embedding our social purpose into our technology; we are developing systemic social enterprise features within our courier apps and planning a social enterprise network. While the initial MVP will focus on EZ Courier, the vision is to extend functionality to other social enterprises, potentially enabling features like transparent technological links between case agents and the employees they support within our system. We are actively seeking partners to help realise this ambitious integration of technology and social support.
Planet (Internal): We actively practice circular economy principles – reusing, repairing, recycling, renting and sharing resources wherever feasible.
Monitoring: Currently, monitoring of these operational aspects is informal, led by management. We plan to develop systems for more formal tracking and reporting as our systems evolve.
(Assessment): We believe our practices align strongly with the spirit of prioritising people and planet. We meet and exceed typical sector standards in contractor commission structures, actively minimise our internal footprint, foster safety and well-being, and are embedding inclusive practices and future social impact features into our operations. Based on the P&PF scale, we assess ourselves at 2 points. We meet minimum standards and publicly communicate our approach, but don't yet formally monitor and publicly report specific operational social/environmental metrics across the board.
Criterion 3: Revenue - Has a self-sustaining revenue model
(P&PF Standard): The enterprise must generate a significant portion (scaling up to 100% for mature enterprises) of its income from trading goods or services, rather than grants or donations.
(EZ Courier): We are entirely funded through trade. All our revenue comes from selling our delivery services, subscriptions, and related solutions to our clients. We have operated this way since inception and plan for long-term financial sustainability based on this commercial model.
(Assessment): This aligns directly with the definition. We assess ourselves at 4 points, as 100% of our income is earned revenue supporting our long-term plan.
Criterion 4: Use of Surplus - Reinvests the majority of any surplus towards its purpose
(P&PF Standard): The enterprise must reinvest over 50% (or up to 100%) of its profits/surplus back into its social or environmental mission. This commitment might be public, reflected in financial records, or embedded in governing documents.
(EZ Courier): Our financial records clearly demonstrate our commitment: we consistently reinvest the significant majority – typically around 90% – of any surplus back into furthering our environmental mission, developing our technology, and ensuring fair compensation for our team. Indeed, during periods of strategic growth and investment, we have operated at a planned loss, effectively reinvesting more than 100% of revenue back into purpose-driven activities, supported by personal sacrifice from senior staff. Our goal has never been profit maximisation; it's about sustainable operations, fair compensation, and maximising our positive environmental impact. While our governing documents don't yet formally mandate this level of reinvestment (as discussed in Criterion 5), our consistent, recorded financial practices far exceed the minimum >50% requirement.
(Assessment): Based on our demonstrable financial practices showing reinvestment consistently well above 50%, we meet the criteria for 2 points. While our *actual* reinvestment often aligns with the financial aspects of higher levels (particularly during investment phases), the current lack of formal structural lock-in prevents a higher score *under a strict interpretation* of the P&PF checklist at this time.
Criterion 5: Structure - Chooses legal structures and financing that protect and lock-in purpose long term.
(P&PF Standard): The enterprise's legal structure and financing should protect its primary social/environmental purpose from being compromised, especially during transitions like changes in ownership or leadership. Higher levels involve specific clauses in governing documents or regulated structures.
(EZ Courier): We currently operate as a Proprietary Limited (Pty Ltd) company. As it stands, our governing documents do not contain specific "purpose lock-in" clauses commonly associated with formally recognised social enterprises. However, we are absolutely committed to our mission. We are actively watching the development of the social enterprise landscape in NSW and are prepared to work towards updating our documentation and structure to better protect our purpose, ideally guided by clear standards and support mechanisms as they become established and recognised within the state. We see this formalisation as a necessary step as the sector matures.
(Assessment): Given our current structure lacks formal lock-in but we have a public commitment and plan to adapt as NSW frameworks evolve, we assess ourselves at 1 point ("Has a public commitment to locking-in purpose. Plans to update...")').
Conclusion: Our Journey and a Call for NSW Clarity
Based on this self-assessment against the People and Planet First global standards, EZ Courier demonstrates strong alignment in several key areas, particularly our foundational environmental purpose (Criterion 1) and our 100% trade-based revenue model (Criterion 3). We also have clear practices and deep intentions regarding prioritising people and planet in operations (Criterion 2) and reinvesting surplus (Criterion 4), though formalising monitoring, reporting, and documentation is a key part of our ongoing development. The area requiring the most structural work is formally locking in our purpose within our governing documents (Criterion 5).
Our provisional "score" totals 11 points out of a possible 20 across the five criteria. While a stricter interpretation might yield this score, we feel our actual operational impact and commitment, particularly regarding reinvestment (consistently ~90% or higher) and the sheer volume of emissions avoided, reflect a spirit closer to 12 or 13 points. This highlights a challenge: balancing stringent checklist criteria with lived operational reality and impact.
This exploration highlights not just our own journey, but also the broader need for clear pathways and recognition for social enterprises in New South Wales. While national standards like P&PF exist, the lack of a designated local verification body creates ambiguity.
We believe strongly in the power of business to drive positive change. EZ Courier remains steadfastly committed to our environmental mission.
A View from the Director Josh Reinhardt:
Here in Sydney, we've spent a decade building something different. We acknowledge the Eora Nation as traditional custodians of this land and factor their values into our daily operations.
We started as a group of mates, today I try and foster a family culture. We survived the pandemic's delivery chaos and emerged with clearer priorities. During tough periods, we developed systems that track social and environmental impact alongside financial metrics.
We now measure what matters to us, which is our impact on people and planet, rather than just profit margins. Well, we're so sustainable that there are profit margins to spare when we have enough business. We built these monitoring tools from scratch, drawing on early internet experience and technical skills that many social enterprises lack.
We plan to share these systems with other purpose-driven businesses. We design everything modularly, keeping options open for wider distribution. Where other platforms gamify financial performance, we gamify environmental and social outcomes.
When social enterprises work together, something shifts. The competitive edge of traditional commerce softens into collaboration. These interactions feel more like cooperation between allies than transactions between rivals.
We position ourselves as early adopters of this commercial model in NSW. We've invested time and money upfront in standards that others treat as afterthoughts. We see this approach as basic ethical practice, not exceptional behavior.
We hope to demonstrate that social impact strengthens rather than weakens commercial success, building networks that support similar ventures across Australia.
We encourage other NSW businesses to undertake similar explorations of their own impact and purpose. Let's collectively engage with bodies like Social Enterprise Australia and advocate for the development of clear, accessible standards, recognition, and support systems here in NSW. By doing so, we can help make "business for good" not just an aspiration, but business as usual across the state.