Top tips for applying for People and Planet First

People and Planet First (PPF) is a global verification for social enterprises that is increasingly being used by governments (including the NSW Government), businesses and consumers.

It was co-designed by social enterprises and certifiers all around the world (including Social Traders) and launched by and at the Social Enterprise World Forum in 2020.

In 2023, following consultations with our members, SECNA became a Review Partner for People and Planet First, meaning that we look at and make comments on any PPF application where the organisation is headquartered in NSW or ACT. The final decision rests with the People and Planet First team, ensuring consistency across Australia and the world. Other state peak bodies for social enterprise are also Review Partners including QSEC, SENVIC and WASEC.

In NSW and ACT, we have seen a significant uptake in People and Planet First verification and that is expected to continue, especially as the NSW Government ramps up its social procurement efforts.

To help social enterprises to navigate the PPF application process, here are some top tips.

Before you start:

1. Applying for PPF is a three step process: 

1. Register on Good Market (this is free), 

2. Pay for PPF verification (about AU$140 for the first year and about AU$125 per year after that), 

3. Complete the PPF application form and submit evidence for each of the five global standards for social enterprise

2. Before you start, read the instructions provided. We recommend reading:

• https://peopleandplanetfirst.org/get-verified/ for an overview of the entire process

• https://peopleandplanetfirst.org/verification-guide/ for instructions on how to complete each step

• https://peopleandplanetfirst.org/review-guide for information about how your application will be assessed and what evidence you should submit for each standard

Good Market application:

1. The Good Market application takes between 30 minutes and 2 hours depending on the complexity of your organisation and how well you know your operations. 

2. All information you submit will be visible to the public on your Good Market profile. Take a look at a couple of profiles before starting your application to see how the information is presented.

3. Answer ‘No’ to questions that are not applicable to or not a focus for your business. Your public profile will only include what you say ‘Yes’ to. You do not need to say Yes to every question on Good Market. In fact, it would be nearly impossible to! If the question does not apply to your business (e.g. if it asks if you use renewable energy but you don’t have physical premises), say ‘No’. 

4. You will get an email congratulating you on being Good Market approved. This is not the same as PPF. See point 1 above.

People and Planet First application:

1. If you’re not sure how many points to award yourself or what evidence to provide for each of the five global standards, see https://peopleandplanetfirst.org/review-guide. This is the document that we use to review your application too.

2. Be specific in your application notes about where relevant information can be found - e.g. what clauses in your governing documents to look for; what pages of reporting documents specific information can be found.

We hope that helps!

PS. Please let us know if you think anything should be added here, so we can help make the process of applying for PPF for genuine social enterprises as easy as possible.