Better World Books

Better World Books operates as a for-profit, socially conscious e-commerce business that sells new and used books. The company's business model is built on a triple bottom line, which balances financial, social, and environmental performance.

The company's origins trace back to 2001, when University of Notre Dame graduates Christopher "Kreece" Fuchs and Xavier Helgesen began selling their used textbooks online. Recognizing the potential to address the waste of used books while supporting social causes, they held a book drive in 2002 to benefit a local community center, raising $10,000 from the sale of 2,000 donated books. This initial success led them to team up with their friend and fellow graduate, Jeff Kurtzman, who brought a financial background to the team. In 2003, the trio officially co-founded Better World Books after their business plan won the Social Venture Business Plan Competition at Notre Dame, securing them $7,000 in seed money and mentorship.

Revenue is generated through the sale of books on its own website and other online marketplaces. A key feature of its model is the "Book for Book" program, where every purchase on BetterWorldBooks.com funds the donation of a book to someone in need. The company sources its inventory primarily from book drives at over 1,800 colleges and universities, and by collecting discarded or surplus books from more than 3,000 library systems and donation drop boxes. Any books that cannot be sold are either donated directly to nonprofit partners or recycled, ensuring no book ends up in a landfill.

A significant portion of profits is directed toward funding literacy and education initiatives globally through partnerships with organizations like Books for Africa and the Internet Archive. Since its founding, the company has raised over $35 million for these causes, donated more than 38 million books, and reused or recycled over 475 million items. In November 2019, Better World Books was acquired by Better World Libraries, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Internet Archive, to further the collective mission of making knowledge universally accessible.

Keywords: online bookseller, used books, social enterprise, B Corp, book donations, literacy funding, sustainable business, circular economy, book recycling, e-commerce, textbook resale, library partnerships, social impact, triple bottom line, environmental sustainability, for-profit social business, education initiatives, global literacy, carbon offsets, book drives