Founded in 2018, tip me has developed an e-commerce tool that allows consumers to digitally tip workers who produced goods they purchased online. The collected tip is directly, securely and 100% transferred to the cell phone of each person behind the purchased product. Brands and online shops cooperating with tip me must fulfill criteria defined by the ILO (International Labour Organisation) to prove a responsible, transparent, fair, and sustainable production of goods. Tip me reconnects customers, producers, and products with one another and creates positive impact for everyone: workers benefit from more visibility and an extra source of income, customers have more transparency about where goods are produced and by whom, cooperating brands and shops benefit from positive marketing and closer connection with supplies and consumers. Using the digital possibilities of our time, tip me helps make the global supply chain more accountable and transparent.
A global tip that connects people worldwide
Workers around the globe are the focus of tip me’s daily work. By telling their stories, giving insights into their working conditions, and providing a way to directly and securely send them tips, tip me’s infrastructure allows to re-create an emotional connection to the products we buy and use, and, at the same time, provides an opportunity for a more just and sustainable globalization. Transitioning the company to steward-ownership in July 2021, the founders of tip me affirm a clear and long-term commitment to their company’s mission and make sure that short-term financial returns for investors can never be prioritized over the company’s purpose. To implement the steward-ownership structure, Purpose holds one percent of the voting shares and must thus veto any changes made to the legal steward-ownership structure.
Tip me was founded to reduce inequality in global supply chains. Steward-ownership is a way to make sure that the perspective of a financial return (by individuals and/or investors) will never overcome the company's mission.