Across Europe, millions of employees contribute to the success of businesses without ever sharing in the value they create. The Certified Sharing Company standard exists to change that.
Developed by Share Council together with The Share Foundation, Certified Sharing Company is a European certification for organisations that commit to sharing ownership and economic rights with employees and other stakeholders. It recognises companies that take concrete steps towards a fairer, more inclusive ownership model, and makes that commitment visible and verifiable.
Capital inequality remains one of the biggest structural challenges in our economy. In Europe, the majority of wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small group, while over 137 million people work in SMEs without any ownership stake. At the same time, a new generation of employees is demanding transparency, fairness, and a genuine role in the companies they help grow.
Certified Sharing Company responds to this imbalance with a simple but powerful idea: employees deserve access to ownership, not just wages. By making ownership-sharing visible, comparable, and recognised, the certification helps normalise a different way of doing business.
A Certified Sharing Company is an organisation that has made a verifiable commitment to share current or future ownership with employees or other stakeholders. This goes beyond symbolic gestures and examines how ownership actually works in practice, including legal rights, scope of participation, and clarity of governance.
Certification itself already matters. Regardless of the number of stars awarded, becoming certified signals that a company aligns itself with a growing movement towards inclusive ownership and shared value creation.
Certified Sharing Company uses a clear star system to recognise different levels of ownership-sharing maturity. The system is not about perfection, but about transparency and progress.
No star reflects indirect or financial instruments without true ownership
One star recognises true ownership for a limited group
Two stars indicate true ownership offered to everyone
Three stars recognise true ownership for everyone, combined with financial support to make participation accessible
Four stars represent full ownership, including voting rights for all, although this level is not actively marketed
The primary focus lies on three-star companies, as this level most directly contributes to closing the capital wealth gap by removing financial barriers to ownership.
Ownership-sharing is no longer a niche idea; it has become a strategic advantage. Certified Sharing Companies tend to attract and retain talent more easily, particularly among younger generations who value fairness and inclusion. When employees are co-owners, alignment and long-term commitment increase, and organisations often show greater resilience in times of uncertainty.
Certification also strengthens credibility. It provides a clear, independent signal to employees, partners, and the outside world that ownership-sharing is not just a promise, but a structured and verified practice.
The certification process is designed to be rigorous, but accessible. Companies apply through an online application and submit documentation that shows how ownership is structured and shared. This includes evidence of ownership, participation policies, and, for higher star levels, proof of financial support or voting rights.
Applications are reviewed through a structured verification process, followed by a decision from an independent panel. Successful companies receive their star rating, certification badge, and are added to the public index of Certified Sharing Companies. The full process typically takes around three weeks, ensuring both speed and credibility.
Certified Sharing Company is more than a label. It is part of a broader movement towards inclusive capitalism, where ownership, voice, and value creation are shared more fairly. Each certified organisation strengthens the case for a different economic model, one where employees are recognised as co-creators, not just costs.
At Share Council, we believe the future of business is shared. Certified Sharing Company helps make that future visible, measurable, and achievable one company at a time.