Imagine a company with a revolutionary vision for buying and selling books. Imagine an innovative new social enterprise that meets 21st century demands of the triple bottom line. Imagine harnessing the collective consumer power of a global network of book lovers to fund literacy programs, support the environment, and create good jobs.

Imagine a better world.

Established in 2003 by three Notre Dame graduates, Better World Books began with a simple, yet transformative idea—run a book donation drive, collect as many titles as possible, then sell those books to fund a reading program at a local community center.

Entrepreneurs at heart, Better World Books founders quickly grew their idea into an online retail presence, which integrates social impact into the core of its business model. By sourcing and reselling used books in a way no major bookseller had ever before tried, Better World tapped into a burgeoning new consumer market with a desire and passion for social responsibility.

Today, Better World Books is a fast-growing 130-person company focused on promoting literacy, providing good jobs for its employees with health care and benefits, and doing its part to protect the environment. The business has grown quickly in complexity and scope, but its core mission remains clear: take books that people don’t want, find people who do want them, and use the proceeds to fund literacy. In addition, the company has signed on as a founding B Corporation agreeing to amend corporate governing documents to incorporate the interests of not just the shareholders but also the social stakeholders—employees, community and the environment.

Better World Books has more than two million new and used book books for sale. Buyers typically come through established Internet marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. In 2006, Better World Books also launched its own retail site BetterWorld.com. The company acquires its large and growing inventory of used books from two primary sources: a Campus Collection Program organizes regular book drives for world literacy at more than 1200 colleges and universities; and a Library Discards and Donations Program provides more than 1000 local libraries a needed outlet for redistributing donated books they can no longer keep or shelve.