Secrid: Designing a More Inclusive Future For The Common Good

26/05/2025

In today’s economy, inclusion is often talked about—but rarely embedded into the heart of how a company operates. Dutch B Corp Secrid is doing things differently.

Secrid BBC StoryWorks

Featured in the Common Good Series by BBC StoryWorks and B Lab, Secrid’s short film “An Industrial Evolution” tells the story of a company that doesn’t just design products—it designs opportunities. From creating meaningful work in local communities to building partnerships that restore dignity through craftsmanship, Secrid is proof that a company’s greatest impact may be in how it works, not just what it makes.

Inclusion by Design

Secrid is best known for its stylish and compact wallets designed to keep your cards safe and organized. But behind each wallet is a production model rooted in social inclusion. Rather than offshoring or automating every step, Secrid partners with social enterprises and sheltered workshops to assemble their products—creating meaningful, stable work for people with a distance to the labour market.

We’re not just producing wallets,” says co-founder René van Geer.We’re creating work that has value—and gives value back to the people who do it.” This isn’t about charity—it’s about recognizing talent, building trust, and ensuring that people who are often overlooked can participate fully and proudly in the economy.

A Product That Carries Purpose

For Secrid, inclusion and sustainability go hand in hand. Their products are designed to last—not just physically, but in terms of their social value. Everything is manufactured in the Netherlands, with over 200 local suppliers, many of them within cycling distance of the company’s headquarters. This keeps emissions low and relationships strong.

By working with small, local partners, Secrid doesn’t just produce responsibly—it spreads opportunity across a network of communities. “The product becomes a carrier of values,” René says. “It reflects how we treat people, how we treat the planet.

The Role of Business in Society

As a Certified B Corporation, Secrid uses the B Impact Assessment to continuously measure and improve its impact across the entire organisation. This is business not just as a force for good—but as a force for inclusion. “We believe the future of industry is about making better, not more,” René says. “And that starts with how you treat the people behind the product.

 

About the Common Good Series

The Common Good Series, produced by BBC StoryWorks in partnership with B Lab, explores what it means to use business as a force for good. From climate action to equity, these stories shine a light on Certified B Corporations that are building a more inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy.

 

 

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