New York, NY, Aug 4, 2021-- Fast Company today announced its annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list, honoring businesses and organizations that demonstrate a deep commitment to encouraging innovation at all levels. Back Market, the company behind the world’s largest refurbished electronics marketplace, was recognized for its investment in a culture of innovation, inclusion and big ideas. With a mission to restore trust and desire for refurbished devices, Back Market needs creative and bold thinkers working throughout the organization.
Developed in collaboration with Accenture, the 2021 Best Workplaces for Innovators ranks 100 winners from a variety of industries, including computer science, biotech, consumer packaged goods, nonprofit, education, financial services, cybersecurity, and engineering. Working together, Fast Company editors and Accenture researchers scored nearly 1,500 applications, and a panel of eight eminent judges reviewed and endorsed the top 100 companies.
“The goal of Back Market has always been to drive a shift in the way we think about tech consumption. Going up against this deeply ingrained cultural belief that we need “new” all the time takes a strong team of passionate, decisive and persistent people,” said Thibaud Hug de Larauze, Founder and CEO of Back Market. “This is reflected in our company core value: ‘Sabotage!’ - which refers to sabotaging the status quo and setting in its place a robust circular economy for electronics. It also serves as a mantra on how we want our team to operate. We are proud to be leading this urgent and exciting societal shift and already see progress with the market for refurbished electronics growing at a rapid pace. But, we know that to fulfill our vision to make buying renewed devices more mainstream we have a long road ahead that will require us to continue to attract and retain leading-edge thinkers and doers.”
Maintaining its focus on culture and innovation throughout the last year has enabled the company to scale. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Back Market has onboarded more than 200 new team members remotely, and opened 10 new countries, including a new continent, when it opened in Japan earlier this year. Part of its success was based on programs it implemented that focused on maintaining meeting efficiency and inspiring collaboration and inclusion. The Back Market Innovation Lab, the Sabotage! Awards for employees to recognize each other, and Ask the Founders sessions where employees can bring big ideas, but also talk about what is important to them culturally and socially were some of the most popular programs.
Another factor in the company’s growth is the fact that it addresses a key environmental issue: e-waste. E-waste is the most toxic waste we produce, accounting for 70% of toxic waste in our landfills. Back Market provides a practical way to address the e-waste crisis, by offering customers guaranteed quality devices, at a 30-70% discount and a reduced the carbon footprint compared to buying new.
“These leaders and teams created cultures of innovation and sustained them, even as remote work extended into 2021,” says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “This newest list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators honors those organizations that found ways to collaborate and invent despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, ensuring employees were at the forefront.”
To see the complete list, go to: www.fastcompany.com/best-workplaces-for-innovators/2021
Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators issue (September 2021) is available online now, and the print issue will be on newsstands beginning August 17, 2021. Join the Best Workplaces for Innovators conversation using #FCBestWorkplaces.
ABOUT BACK MARKET
Launched in 2014 by Thibaud Hug de Larauze, Quentin Le Brouster, and Vianney Vaute, Back Market is the world’s leading dedicated renewed tech marketplace. The company brings high-quality professionally refurbished electronic devices and appliances to customers in 15 countries (including the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, and more recently, Greece, Portugal, Japan, Finland, Ireland and Slovakia). It employs a team of 500 employees and counting across its 4 offices located in New York, Berlin, Paris and Bordeaux.
ABOUT FAST COMPANY
Fast Company is the world’s leading progressive business media brand, with a unique editorial focus on innovation in technology, ethonomics (ethical economics), leadership, and design. Written for, by, and about the most progressive business leaders, Fast Company and FastCompany.com inspire readers and users to think beyond traditional boundaries, lead conversations, and create the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with its sister publication Inc. Stephanie Mehta is editor-in-chief.
ABOUT ACCENTURE
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology, and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions—underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network—Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 482,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.
