Accountability
As a nonprofit organization, Material Innovation Initiative knows that every dollar we hold is on trust to meet our mission:  to accelerate the availability of high-performance, animal-free, and environmentally preferred materials with a focus on replacing silk, wool, down, fur, and leather and their synthetic alternatives. We also recognize that to gain and maintain the public’s trust in us is imperative. We aim to be transparent and accountable, including our finances.
We are proud of our Platinum status on Candid’s Guidestar for our transparency.
990 Annual Tax Filings
Audits
Workplace Policies And ReSources
We are consistently evaluating our internal policies and procedures. We aim to provide an above-average workplace and culture for our team members. Below are some of our most important internal policies governing Material Innovation Initiative and how we work.
Our Operations team is always happy to help. Please do not hesitate to email operations@materialinnovation.org with any questions you may have or recommendations you are seeking.
- Our Whistleblower Policy underpins everything we do. We include this Policy in nearly all of our culture and review to remind our staff that we mean what we write. We stand by our commitment to providing a safe work environment and there is no room for retaliation.
- MII’s Anti-Harassment and Discrimination Policy strengthens our commitment to a safe and inclusive workplace.
- We are committed to safeguarding children and at-risk adults. Our Safeguarding Policy instructs our staff, volunteers, interns, and Board of Directors on protecting people from harm and how to respond to instances of abuse.
- As part of our commitment to transparency, MII’s Gift Acceptance and Administration Policy outlines when we will accept donations and how they will be processed.
- We value our team members and their personal lives. We recognize that our team are more than MII employees and have more to their lives than MII work. Our Unlimited Leave Policy, which dictates an annual minimum leave of 15 days, aims to provide them enough time for their well-being, their loved ones, and a proper life-work balance.
Feedback from the public is always welcome. Please email our Operations team, also responsible for our People Experience, at operations@materialinnovation.org.
We provide further resources to our team members so that they can voice any concerns, hesitations, or questions in whichever way they are most comfortable with. These resources include:
- Weekly meetings with each team member’s supervisor. This helps catch any issues early as well as provides a forum for regular, informal feedback.
- Anonymous forms to file a grievance or complaint, make suggestions, or even ask for training for the team. We understand there is a classic power dynamic between employer and employee. Whilst we don’t subscribe to that theory, we also acknowledge that some of our team members may have previous workplace trauma or experiences. We don’t want anyone to feel too embarrassed to speak up or ask for help. Nor do we want them worrying that they can’t voice their concerns or opinions for fear of retaliation.
- Access to the contact details of every MII Board director, in case an individual feels uncomfortable raising an issue with our CEO, our HR team, or via another channel.
- We underwent a formal evaluation process. Each team member evaluated their team members on MII’s values. We are considering whether this process was worthwhile to the team and would be a welcome addition to our regular processes.
Social and Environmental Responsibility
As an organization striving to find more sustainable alternatives to animal-based materials in the fashion, automotive, and home goods industries, we are also committed to doing our part.
- We’re an entirely remote workplace, meaning our staff has no commute to the office. Everyone works from their home or other designated office space.
- Our team flies economy class at all times, including our CEO. Not only is this a cost-saving measure, but studies have shown that flying business class emits 2.6-4.3 more emissions than flying coach. We also limit our travel to only essential trips.
- We use DocuSign whenever possible to save printing and paper as well as cut down on delivery service emissions. Donors are encouraged to give via electronic methods.
- Our team has HiHello digital business cards and we only provide (recycled, recyclable, uncoated) paper cards when absolutely necessary and in small batches from a green printer.
- T-shirts and MII merchandise are limited and we do not routinely give out swag. Our staff t-shirts are made from hemp and cotton and are printed by an eco-friendly printer.
- All MII food whether at events, retreats, during travel, or just casual get-togethers is plant-based. The same is true for any staff appreciation gifts.
- We strive to be environmentally-conscious in our personal lives too and will make the best choices possible given our individual circumstances.
Support
We are creating a collaborative ecosystem for the development of next-gen materials that are high-performance, animal-free, environmentally preferred, and that are considered true replacements for some of the most damaging materials on the market. If you would like to support us, you can do so in the donation link below.