Tell us about ATÖLYE. The inspiration behind the creation of ATÖLYE and its mission?
ATÖLYE was founded in 2013 to build communities that co-design solutions to today’s complex challenges. By fostering community, we aim to amplify positive social and environmental impact, allowing us to thrive collectively.
Our vision is a regenerative world where all individuals and organizations thrive in relationship with one another and the planet. We believe this can be achieved through something we call “Community-Powered Transformation”; a methodology that includes mapping, curating, engaging, and activating communities—ecosystems of diverse, deeply engaged individuals and groups, united by compassionate collaboration and shared values.
What impact is ATÖLYE trying to make?
ATÖLYE’s projects span across several industries such as education, urban placemaking, telecom, fintech/finances and public services. Essentially, we are trying to leave a beautiful mark on the world. In 2019, we joined the kyu collective, whose purpose is to be a source of creativity which propels the economy and society forward. In 2021, we became a B Corp, solidifying our commitment towards using our “business as a force for good.” Of course, there is a long way ahead, but our goal is to work in a way that benefits people and the planet. We believe this is no longer just a responsibility, but a necessity.
What are the positive impacts ATÖLYE has already made?
We think about impact in a variety of ways at ATÖLYE.
Within the B Corp framework, we measure our impact in 5 specific areas: Governance, Community, Environment, Workers and Customers.
In addition, within our team, we have micro-communities that focus on Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusivity (JEDI) that work on issues related to Gender & Racial Equality, Accessibility and Integrity as well as Climate Justice.
Within these scopes, we have taken a few bold actions such as signing our “Statement of Support” for The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) established by UN Women and UN Global Compact (2024), committing to reduce our emissions through the SME Climate Hub (2023) by joining UN Climate Change High Level Champion’s Race to Zero campaign. We have been measured and offset our company carbon emissions since 2022 by partnering with Lune. Further details regarding our work towards People & Planet can be found here.
Finally, we are also committed to measuring the impact that our projects have had on stakeholders. Although we are still working on further developing and refining our methodologies of Impact Measurement and Management, we know first-hand that over the past decade, some of our projects have truly had a positive ripple effect.
Looking back, we are proud to see that we have seeded and cultivated purpose-driven communities alongside some of the world’s most innovative leaders and organizations.
We have curated, engaged and activated communities with the leaders at BMW Foundation, formed new ones with Creative Leaders at Neol, and designed lasting social innovation platforms such as imece. We have supported startups like Toyi, fostered large networks such as Teachers Network (Öğretmen Ağı), and kick-started government communities with programs like Design Gov with entities such as the Dubai Future Foundation. We have designed a production-oriented and inclusive creative cluster, Al Najadah, supported New Lab’s Circular program, and worked on MIZA, a neighborhood connecting people to place.
We have mobilized communities of impact around environmental and social crises such as Covid-19, wildfires, or the recent earthquake that shook Türkiye and Syria at the beginning of 2024.
All of these communities have in turn continued to amplify impact in and across their own communities and ecosystems.
Can you share some future plans or initiatives that ATÖLYE has in store to enhance its impact?
For our future plans, we aim to continue to work with purpose-driven leaders and organizations to transform people, places and experiences through the power of communities. We’ll also be focusing on measuring the long-term impact of certain projects that we’ve delivered in order to showcase the transformative power of these communities.
We know that community building works and can (and has) truly amplified the impact of organisations across several functions including service and product innovation, brand perception, employee engagement and work related to ESG; so to be able to showcase this more effectively, will help us enhance our impact further.
Moreover, this year we have gone through a recertification with B Corp; we hope that we’ll have achieved a higher score than last time as we have been working towards increasing our impact score especially in the areas of Governance, Community and Environment.
Finally, what advice would you give to other businesses and brands looking to become more sustainable and socially responsible in their operations?
First of all, speaking to experts and asking for advice is the best place to start. It’s how we went about it, and this is how we were able to start taking action without reinventing the wheel. There are great tools such as the SDG Action Manager and the B Corp Impact Assessment (which many organisations don’t realize is free to utilize!)
Secondly, overthinking can lead to analysis paralysis. Start somewhere – anywhere! Of course, be mindful. It is important to remember that good intentions can only get you so far—knowing that unintended impact is also impact is essential, and that also needs to be managed.
Thirdly, it’s important to not only focus on creating a positive impact, but also reducing any negative impact your organization may be having on the world.
Finally, there are so many topics to work on, so activating and mobilizing micro-communities of individuals within your team or around you, who are passionate about different areas of impact can really help you make quicker decisions and start seeing the effect of your work sooner rather than later.
The most important piece of advice is – don’t do anything alone. 🙂