Impact Report 2022

let’s grow together impact report 2022

We believe

Where there are people, you hear stories

We tell, make up, twist, and forget. Where there are people, stories pop up. In one ear, out the other.

But what we remember, are not the words. Not the wonderful sentences. But the acts behind them. A story that stays with you, is a story that does something.

A beautiful story grabs you. Shakes you up. Leads the way. Lifts you up. We believe in the power of stories. In a world filled with fakes and plastic, beautiful stories keep us together. There’s no stopping them.

A beautiful story shows that everything is possible. If you dare to start. If you just believe. If you persevere. And most importantly: if you aren’t afraid to adjust your plans.

Let’s tell each other a story every day, a story that stays with you,

This was a year of growth and reflection, so that we are ready for big steps. In 2022, the world opened up again. We could look ahead, and it was about time. We had been standing still for far too long. Craving to get going. Work, grow and tell stories.

I am proud of where we stand now, because it wasn’t always easy. Over the past year, we have strengthened A Beautiful Story from within. With a growing team. With a more sustainable delivery process. And, as the icing on the cake, a B Corp certification that confirms once again that we are truly making a positive impact.

We always take a good look at ourselves and at our processes. If we have more insight, for instance in financial management and in the traceability of all materials, we can take responsibility. By collaborating with our partners, we can make progress. For me, that’s what co-creation is about: being critical of yourself, and taking responsibility.

And now ... it’s time to act. Growing together. Showing how it can be done, working at full speed towards those 1,000 lucky jobs. In this impact report you’ll read what we have achieved in 2022, how we are pursuing our mission and what our plans are for the next few years.

Let’s go,

Cathelijne Lania

Founder of A Beautiful Story

we are one family we care we share we co-create

How we make a difference

• Our theory of change

• We support the sustainable development goals

• Our core values are our compass

2022: time to move forward

• Impact highlights 2022

Lucky jobs - 221 lucky jobs in 2022

• Recalculating lucky jobs

• Towards a living wage plus, with all producers

• From financial insight to financial security

Lucky tools - knowing what we buy

• Together we contribute to a more responsible industry

• The beautiful stories of our consumers

• Moving forward to a 100% transparent supply chain

• Tracing materials

• Project: Gemstones from mine to consumer

Lucky movement - together we can achieve the most

• We care, we share, we co-create

• Telling stories everywhere

• A certified B Corp

• A more sustainable delivery process

Looking forward

• Our ambitious plans to achieve our goals

how we make a difference

We sell jewelry, greeting cards, and gifts with a special meaning. They are lucky tools: a stone to give strength or wings, a bracelet for luck, a card to offer comfort. They are made on the other side of the world. Not just by manufacturers far away, but by craftsmen and women who are a part of us. For them, our products have a very direct meaning: a reasonable income, a roof over their head, food on the table and independence.

our theory of change

Day by day we work towards our higher goal: beautiful lives for everyone. But which steps do we need to take? We found our ‘how’ in three focus areas. Creating meaningful products: we call them lucky tools , that lead to lucky jobs . Our lucky movement is the engine behind it all. When you are alone you go fast, but together you will go further.

a lucky tool:

Is a connecting gift for yourself or loved ones

Supports you on your journey

Ignites positive stories

with a lucky job you’ll have:

A living wage plus

Lifelong learning

Skills for work and life in general

independent entrepeneurs

our lucky movement is about:

Community effort

Long term collaborations

All contributing different talents

Being fair throughout the whole chain

we support the sustainable development goals

In 2015, UN countries agreed to make the world a better place. A total of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs for short) are meant to ensure that everyone on this planet lives a life of peace and prosperity by 2030. At A Beautiful Story, we fully support these agreements. We contribute to multiple SDGs. The most important 3 SDGs to us are the ones below.

1 no poverty

We develop long-term relationships with our artisans. That’s what we invest in. We provide support in building their businesses and in the steps needed to provide a living wage plus for all employees. With a stable and long-term income, which is more than a living wage, you really reduce poverty and quality education (SDG 4) becomes affordable.

8 decent work and economic growth

With stable, life-changing jobs - lucky jobs as we call them - we are committed to sustainable, inclusive economic growth. We closely monitor the number of lucky jobs we create with our producers. And we promote gender equality (SDG 5), because fair work applies to both men and women.

12 responsible consumption and production

We buy only from producers who, like us, want to make impact, and who believe in developing long-term partnerships. This way, we increase the share of sustainable production methods and materials, and create more impact. By sharing stories about our products and artisans, we involve consumers. Making it easier for them to choose a product with impact.

We are currently committed to 8 of the 17 goals. Every year, we strive for more. Our focus is on the well-being of people and their environment. You can read more in the blog article on our website.

our core values are our compass

If we stay true to our core values, we believe we can reach our goals.

Dare to be

Yourself. It’s the most beautiful thing. To accept yourself, with all your flaws. Stand up for who you are, for your principles. Stick your neck out. Dare to make mistakes, and dare to own up to them.

Connection

There can be no happiness without connection. We feel connected to the world, to each other, to our agents, to our retailers, to our producers, and to our clients. From this connection flows compassion. We are loving, attentive, and personal, and we treat each other as equals. ,

Never ever give up

You’re thinking happy thoughts every day. You’re paying attention to your dreams. But you are still stuck. That happens sometimes. But we never give up. We do not despair. We hold on to our dream and to our principles. We are not stubborn or rigid. We are realistic enough to let go, and to slightly change our plans. We’ll get there, one way or the other.

Believe in magic

Think happy thoughts and you can fly. We’re pretty down to earth but Peter Pan taught us to also believe. We believe that everything you pay attention to will grow. You will come closer to fulfilling your dream if you pay attention to it. Every. Day. Again. And again.

2022: time to move forward

In 2021, we had no choice but to stand still for a while. Standing still provided us with insight: we have to move forward. Take action. Like the positive warriors that we are. 2022 was the year we embraced new dreams. We strengthened our lucky movement and built a foundation for growth. On the next page you can find the highlights.

impact highlights 2022

lucky jobs

• Our handicrafts now provide for 221 lucky jobs.

• 88% of artisans earn a living wage plus (8% growth).

• More financial insight for artisans and management in Nepal.

lucky tools

• We sold 415,808 lucky tools and let their symbolism speak for themselves.

• To achieve 100% transparency, we researched supply chain transparency systems.

• We increased the traceability of materials from 64% to 68%.

• We initiated the project “Gemstones from mine to consumer”.

lucky movement

• We shared our story at 48 events, 19 trade fairs and in 1,091 shops (35% growth).

• We became a certified B Corp with 99.8 points.

• We made significant progress towards a more sustainable delivery process.

lucky jobs221 lucky jobs in 2022

A lucky job is a job that enables you to live a fulfilled life. It is continuous work in a safe and healthy environment and provides a “living wage plus”. This means a steady income, a roof over your head, food on the table, healthcare and a good school for your children. Moreover, it empowers you to develop yourself and make the most out of your life.

recalculating lucky jobs: 221

This year we dedicated ourselves to building the foundation. This way, we can accelerate growth in 2023 when it comes to the number of lucky jobs. This is what we achieved in 2022:

• Our handcrafts now create 221 lucky jobs.

• 88% of the artisans earn a living wage plus (8% growth).

• More financial insight for artisans and management in Nepal.

In 2022, the number of jobs has grown by 2%, compared to 2021. We are proud of the number of jobs. Even though the global trade situation is uncertain, we would have liked to have seen more growth. Reasons for the minimal growth compared to 2021 are:

• Christmas items for 2022 had already been purchased in 2021. As a result, they did not contribute to more handcrafting minutes in 2022.

• Due to quality issues, the sterling-silver category was temporarily put on hold: a category that involves a lot of handicraft.

• We recalculated the number of crafting minutes with the producers. As a result, the number of handcrafting minutes had decreased for some items

The more we talk about what lucky jobs mean to us at A Beautiful Story, the more we realize that our jobs in the Netherlands are also lucky jobs. Here, we also work according to our core values. That way of working contributes to financial independence and personal growth. In 2023, we will determine whether we include these numbers (separately) in calculating the number of lucky jobs.

our ambition | lucky jobs

Anyone who buys something from us knows exactly what she (or he) is contributing to our mission. With every lucky tool, we don’t just state the price, we also mention minutes it takes to produce it.

towards a living wage plus, with all producers

In 2018, we conducted the living wage plus analyses at 2 of our Nepali producers. Early 2022, we travelled to our 5 production partners in Nepal for another analyses. The number of artisans with a living wage plus salary grew from 80% to 88%. At the same time, 7% of the artisans still don’t earn a living wage income. This is partly because not all new producers meet our standards yet. We are collaborating towards a living wage plus for all artisans, with all producers.

conclusions living wage analyses nepal 2022

• We provide greater financial insight, enabling artisans to learn how to invest efficiently in the future. This also increases their sense of financial control.

• As a collaborative partner, we contribute by exploring ways to increase income as well as reduce artisans’ expenses. In doing so, we actively address global and local factors that we cannot control directly, such as inflation.

• With a community-based approach, we support employers and employees. This is how we achieve greater financial security as well as a living wage plus. In our financial training programs, we don’t just include the artisans but also their families and the community as a whole.

our ambition | living wage plus

living wage plus

savings

We work with our producers on special savings schemes for their employees.

quality eduction

We support our producers to make sure that 100% of the children of their employees receive quality eduction - going beyond public schooling.

from financial insight to financial security

The new analyses shows that our way of measuring living wage plus works, as long as we keep an eye on the local situation of artisans and organizations.

Therefore,

1) we start with an initial analysis and follow it up periodically

2) we always include the community

3) we adjust our approach on a producer-by-producer basis.

To continue this way of working, we have initiated a number of projects in 2022.

1. We applied for a grant (IMVO voucher from MVO Nederland) for:

• Trainings in financial skills at 2 of our manufacturing partners in Nepal (with training partner FinLit Nepal) with:

- 8 groups of up to 50 artisans, in 8 sessions. The artisans rate their current financial independence at an average of 6.8 (with clear differences among the producers). Through these trainings, we aim to increase this sense of financial security to a 7.5.

- 2 full days of financial training for management at 2 different producers.

• An initial analysis at our 2 producers in India.

These trainings and measurement will take place in 2023.

2. We received FVO funding for our project Sparkling from mine to consumer (see page 18) that focuses on improving the income situation of women working in gemstone mines in Tanzania.

our ambition | financial insight for artisans and management

- Assessed 100% of direct suppliers in Nepal.

- Formulated next steps.

- Average score of artisans’ financial independence: 6.8

- Assessed 100% of direct suppliers in India.

- Trained at least 350 artisans and a management team in Nepal.

- Average score of artisans’ financial independence: 7.

- At least 1 financial training undertaken yearly.

- Annual updates communicated.

- Average score of artisans’ financial independence: > 7.5.

lucky toolsknowing what we buy

All of our handmade items have a meaning, both to the giver and receiver. The meaning comes from the gemstone or the symbol. In the countries where we sell and use our products, we share lucky tools and positive stories to support people to have a growth in mindset, be vulnerable and realize their purpose and dreams.

together we contribute to a more responsible industry

All of our handmade lucky tools have a story. The gemstone or symbol add a special meaning, just as the craftmanship of the artisans. All our jewelry is handmade with love, but materials also count. With the power of long term partnerships we aim to establish a long term impact. Together we stand strong contributing to a more responsible and mindful industry.

This is what we achieved in 2022:

• We sold a whopping 415,808 lucky tools in 2022: 8% more than in 2021. These lucky tools all contributed to beautiful lives in different ways.

• To achieve 100% transparency, we explored supply chain transparency systems.

• We increased the traceability of materials from 64% to 68%.

• We initiated the project Gemstones from mine to consumer.

• We increased consumer awareness about the impact we make together by buying lucky tools.

in handmade jewelry there are no mistakes, there are just unique pieces

50 minutes of

8 minutes of

Shaping the hoop of the Graceful Earrings

Beading of the Beauty Rings

59 minutes of handwork

Closing and finishing the elastics of the Nirmala Bracelets

handwork

handwork

the beautiful stories of our consumers

With our products, we want to contribute to beautiful lives. Lucky jobs for the artisans of the lucky tools, and beautiful connections between the giver and the receiver of the lucky tools, who in turn experiences a feeling of love, support or self-confidence.

We notice that people find it important to share the meaning of a lucky tool. For example, by adapting the symbolism of a symbol or gemstone to the occasion and the needs of the person receiving it. Of the 12 gemstones we use, rose quartz was the most popular in 2022. Rose quartz represents love, harmony and kindness. 13% of the jewelry we sold contained rose quartz.

The fact that rose quartz embraces you and loves you is also reflected in the beautiful messages from customers to their loved ones:

“Don’t forget to be especially kind to yourself.”

“A little love for yourself, for and from the people around you. We are here for you! A heart to heart.”

“Rose quartz hugs you, so this bracelet is always full of love and hugs.”

We would like to capture the awareness we are creating more efficiently. Therefore, in 2023, we will make a plan to measure and communicate that better: how does the symbolic value of our lucky tools benefit our customers?

our ambition | capturing awareness

If there is one person who treats the world with love, just like rose quartz, it is Elize Been. For the campaigns in 2022 we worked with her. We had a lot of fun together and we are also a good match on a personal level.

moving forward to a 100% transparent supply chain

We want to ensure that the materials used in our products are sourced responsibly. This is why we have looked into systems that trace materials and store information about our suppliers.

We conducted a pilot with Retraced (https://www.retraced.com/), which has helped us gain a better understanding of our goals.

We want a system:

• That stores information at product and material level.

• That detects gaps within the supply chain.

• That measures the environmental footprint.

• That visually displays our supply chain (on the webshop or through a QR code on the product label).

We value the importance of enhancing supply chain visibility and sharing it. In 2023, we will determine which system to adopt.

our ambition | transparent supply chain

2022 2023 2025

- Established system requirements.

- 100% of direct suppliers assessed.

- Determined system and first steps taken for implementation.

- 80% of material suppliers identified.

- 100% of our direct and material suppliers committed to our ethical way of working. (= assure lucky jobs till tier 2).

tracing materials

It’s our goal to trace at least 90% of the materials in our collections to their source of origin by 2025. This means that we know the origins of our producers, as well as their materials suppliers and any preceding steps. Currently, we know the source of origin of 68% of the materials used in our collections.

Only when the materials in a product are traceable, is it possible to make conscious choices and communicate about them transparently. Then, we select the materials that have the least negative impact on the environment and where no human rights are violated in their production.

Because we want to keep innovating our collections, it’s not always easy for our brand to make choices in this respect. In the past 2 years, we have used 6 new materials: we chose reused or traceable materials. In our main production country Nepal, there are very few locally available raw materials. Therefore, some materials need to be imported. This results in a larger footprint. With each collection, we deal with this consciously and develop new lucky tools using direct suppliers and locally available materials as much as possible.

our ambition |

2022 2023 2025

tracing materials

68% of the materials are traceable to the source of origin.

At least 75% of the materials are traceable to the source of origin OR made of lowest environmental impact materials.

At least 90% of the used materials are traceable or made of lowest environmental impact materials.

project: gemstones from mine to consumers

We want to ensure responsible working conditions throughout the entire supply chain. We already achieved this with our 8 direct suppliers, and 67% of the materials in our jewelry can be traced back to the original source. However, tracing our gemstones back to the mine isn’t easy. It’s a challenge in the jewelry sector.

Since it takes effort to get top-down insights, we have decided to start bottom-up: at the source of the gemstones. In collaboration with an NGO and a trading partner, we are working on a project to source our gemstones directly from Tanzania. Here, the mines are shallow and no deep shafts are dug into the surface. We have obtained a Fonds Verantwoord Ondernemen (FVO) grant from RVO Netherlands for this.

Women in mining communities are particularly vulnerable. That’s why we focus specifically on their working conditions and empowerment. It gives women a stronger bargaining position and therefore more income. We are now establishing a fully transparent supply chain for our jewelry collections. We expect to source the first responsibly mined, fully traceable gemstones from Tanzania in 2023.

our ambition | project gemstones

- Started mine to market project towards full gemstone traceability (Tanzania).

- Taken first steps to use traceable gemstones (Tanzania).

- All current gemstone suppliers identified.

- Launched jewelry collection with 100% traceable gemstones from Tanzania.

- At least 50% of our gemstones are traceable to the source of origin.

lucky movementtogether we achieve the most

Together we can achieve the most. That is why we strive to stay connected to the world, to each other, to our retailers, to our manufacturers, and to our customers. We learn from each other. We grow together.

we care, we share we co-create

Together we achieve the most. Long-term partnerships, honesty and open communication are crucial: with material suppliers and producers, as well as with agents, retailers and operational parties. Together, we can ensure transparency about our ambitions and challenges. Together, we can also improve processes to reduce our impact on the planet.

This is what we achieved in 2022:

• We shared our story at 48 events, 19 trade fairs and in 1,091 shops (35% growth).

• We became a certified B Corp with 99.8 points.

• We made significant progress towards a more sustainable delivery process.

telling stories everywhere

Our entire team lives by our core values, and we tell our story in our own unique ways, in various places. Online, in stores and at events.

• We attended 41 different retail events.

• We delivered 7 presentations at (inter)national events.

• We showcased our collections at 19 international trade shows.

• We have sales outlets in 23 countries.

• We sold in 1002 stores: 385 of them were new in 2022, and 61 were returning retailers who did not place orders in 2021.

• We have 24000 followers on Instagram.

• The number of active stores grew by 35% compared to 2021.

• We were featured in publications such as Margriet, Vriendin, Libelle, Harper’s Bazaar, VT Wonen and OMG magazine.

• Our founder, Cathelijne, had a comprehensive 9-page story in Happinez magazine.

our ambition | telling stories

- 41 events

- 7 lectures

2022 2023 2025

- 1002 stores

- 24000 Instagram followers

- 1150 stores

- 35000 Instagram followers

- 1250 stores

Our founder Cathelijne Lania’s story was featured in the December issue of Happinez. 9 pages about Friesland with a touch of Disney magic, how we started, shards that bring luck and, of course, about our mission of 1000 lucky jobs.

a certified B Corp

Since November 2022, we are a B Corp. B Corps work towards a more inclusive and sustainable society: www.bcorporation.net. We are using, as B Corp calls it, “business as a positive force.”

We are proud to be part of this movement. We are learning a lot from it, on all fronts: about our way of cooperation with suppliers, about making environmentally conscious choices and about responsible internal processes. At our first certification, we achieved 99.8 out of 200 points. A great result, but at the recertification in 2 years’ time, we want to achieve even more points.

“We are very proud. This is a very important recognition for us and the work we do. B Corp is an assessment of our impact on ALL fronts. Something with which we can measure how well we are really doing.” (Eva de Bruine, impact manager A Beautiful Story).

2022

- Achieved 99.8 points.

- Implemented improvement steps.

2023

2025

- Participated in at least 5 peer-learning activities.

- Achieved > 115 points in recertification.

a more sustainable delivery process

In November 2022, we moved to a new warehouse. And with it, the delivery process of our lucky tools to retailers has also become shorter and much more efficient.

• The delivery time to retailers has been reduced from 14 to 4 days, resulting in a quicker product turnover and satisfied retailers.

• We have reduced order picking errors to 99% accuracy.

• With more space, we are ready for future growth.

We also work more sustainably now:

• We no longer send backorders or replacement products. Instead, we cancel and credit them. Prior to the move, these accounted for over 1,000 shipments in 2022.

• The packaging material in the new warehouse is 100% recycled.

• The warehouse has implemented a sustainability policy for water use and lighting.

Thanks to the improved delivery process, the new warehouse represents a significant step towards increasing the sustainability of our business processes. In 2023, we aim to gain better insight into our emissions so that we can plan to deal with them more consciously. This plan will also include aspects such as materiality, circularity and traveling.

our ambition | sustainable delivery process

2022 2023 2025

More sustainable delivery process achieved.

Baseline situation determined.

- Environmental impact

- Short supply chains

Efficient processes.

Steps taken to increase the sustainability of our processes.

looking forward

Growing together means working together towards common goals. With our producers, artisans, retailers and consumers we can move the world forward, step by step. Story by story. We are ambitious and look forward to making a positive change together.

our ambitious plans to achieve our goals

Financial insight for artisans and management

- Assessed 100% of direct suppliers in Nepal.

- Formulated next steps.

- Average score of artisans’ financial independence: 6.8.

- Assessed 100% of direct suppliers in India.

- Trained at least 350 artisans and a management team in Nepal.

- Average score of artisans’ financial independence: 7.

- At least 1 training undertaken yearly.

- Annual updates communicated.

- Average score of artisans’ financial independence: > 7.5.

Traceability of gemstones

Material use

- Established system requirements.

- 100% of direct suppliers assessed.

- Determined system and first steps taken for implementation.

- 80% of material suppliers identified.

- 100% of our direct and material suppliers committed to our ethical way of working. (= assure lucky jobs till tier 2).

- Started mine to market project towards full gemstone traceability (Tanzania).

- Taken first steps to use traceable gemstones (Tanzania).

- All current gemstone suppliers identified.

- Launched jewelry collection with 100% traceable gemstones from Tanzania.

- At least 50% of our gemstones are traceable to the source of origin.

Sustainable processes

- 68% of the materials are traceable to the source of origin.

- At least 75% of the materials are traceable to the source of origin OR made of lowest environmental impact materials.

- At least 90% of the used materials are traceable or low-impact.

- Achieved 99.8 points.

- More sustainable delivery process achieved.

- Implemented improvement steps.

- Participated in at least 5 peer-learning activities.

- Achieved > 115 points in recertification

- Baseline situation determined.

- Environmental impact

- Short supply chains

- Efficient processes

- Steps taken to increase the sustainability of our processes.

that the Moonlight bracelet involved the most handwork: 3884 minutes?

Did you know ...

that in total, our lucky tools have generated 23,694,225 minutes of handwork?

that we have +32% growth in lucky jobs in the seasonal collection (from 47 in 2021 to 62)?

that we joined a new international network?

that we presented our story at 7 sustainability events?

that the Treasures collection created 26 lucky jobs?

that we are testing alternatives for plastic packaging in 2022?