As a B Corp, every year Notepad has to write our own Impact Report. The B Corp Impact report explains what impact and difference our company is making on people and the planet. Detailing how we’re tracking against various B Corp assessment criteria and how we’re progressing towards our sustainability goals.
The report is a requirement for all B Corps meaning thousands of businesses produce reports each year, which makes for some really interesting reading. We’ve taken a long look at the best Impact Reports and found our favourite 10. The 10 reports we’ve selected combine striking design and impactful messaging to convey the progress each of their businesses is making in their sustainability journey.
B Corps are businesses which meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. B Corps are subject to assessment on their impact across governance, workers, community, environment and customers.
Meanwhile reports should engage and inspire people and these do just that. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did! Here they are in no particular order:
Little Soap Company – Positive Impact Report 2021/22
The Little Soap Companies’ mission is to achieve good for the planet and its people. This report captures their achievements, challenges and solutions ending with their vision for making a big impact in the future. The report talks through what they have done, and continue to do, for the planet, nature, and communities. The design and feel of the report is considerate of their positioning and the impact they’ve made in their industry. Using natural colours paired with hand drawn, textural graphics and product photography.
Tonys Chocolonely – Annual fair report 2021/2022
This is Tony Chocolonely’s 10th annual fair report. Their report is an integrated document detailing the impact they make, their ambitions and financial results. They emphatically state that ‘They exist to prove it’s possible to turn a profit and do good at the same time’. The style of the report matches their energy, utilising different elements including; brand type to separate the content, bespoke illustrations, as well as graphs and models to present data and key findings in dynamic colours. The report feels fresh, considered and unmistakably on-brand.
Kickstarter – Annual Benefit Statement 2021
Kickstarter believe that art and creative expression are essential to a healthy and vibrant society. In their report they discuss ways to ensure they retain a focus on bringing creative projects to life. Focusing on how well they’ve lived up to their commitments in the annual benefit statement. The report has an eclectic approach to design and uses texture, collage, and hand-drawn marks to support and elevate their content. The visual variety keeps each page fresh and draws the reader in.
Atomic – Impact Statement 2022
Atomic take a bold approach to what they do and say “Consider everything. Compromise nothing”. Their philosophy is that skiing and sustainability are intrinsically intertwined. With no snow, there can be no skiing. A bold blend of typography and photography create a design with maximum impact, visually reflecting their “compromise nothing” attitude.
Warby Parker – 2021 Impact Report
Warby Parker, online glasses retailers, was founded with the mission: to inspire and impact the world with vision, purpose, and style. In this report they ask themselves how they can do more to make a greater impact – believing they can reimagine everything that a company and industry can be. The style of the report demonstrates their scale and impact – including natural photography, detailed close-ups and bold graphics. They have found a balance between creativity, empathy, and innovation to achieve an exciting and professional report.
TOMS are proud to wear their impact on their feet. Because when customers buy TOMS, they help fund access to mental health resources, they give 1/3 of their profits in support of grassroots organisations. The report highlights themes of improving lives, leading with purpose and being bold with their commitments. The style of the report is fun, friendly and engaging and talks to their people-first ethos with a range of illustrations and photography.
Leap – Impact Report 2021-2022
Leap exists because positive change is made possible by creativity. And creative activism is how they describe their meaningful response to climate breakdown, the biggest threat we all face. But their ambitions go beyond what they do and what the industry is capable of: longer term, they believe in the power of creativity, and the potential for creativity to belong to everyone. Their report is honest, they speak about the trials and tribulations of their companies’ impact. Their impact report is very inspiring, with its natural illustrative style it speaks to readers on a more grounded and personable level. It communicates their commitment to using their power to inspire change.
Drift Time Media – 2022 Impact Report
Drift Time Media has recently become a B Corp. Their 2022 report signifies their quest for meaningful progress in an ever-changing industry, whilst also reflecting their core values, as well as looking towards our future. The report has a grid-like, editorial feel and has been designed with a clear purpose and intention in mind. The use of quirky typography and a carefully curated colour scheme help to signify the community behind their work and also shows how they advocate for the planet. It feels honest and progressive, forecasting their plans and partnerships carrying forward into 2023.
Vestiaire Collective – Impact Report 2022
This is Vestiaire Collective’s first-ever impact report and it packs a punch. They are the world’s most tasteful and trusted fashion resale collective, and they are on a mission to transform the fashion industry for a more sustainable future. They know that a more sustainable future requires big changes – and they want to lead by example. The design of the report is bold and contemporary with a vibrant and playful twist (eyes that follow you), and each page offers something unique, making you want to read on. The use of neon green, abstract fashion photography and the scrolling layers UI adds depth and an energetic feel to the report.
Notepad’s 2023 Impact Report reads a little like a highlight of what we’ve got up to throughout the past year. We talk about our ambition, achievements and our commitment to ensuring all our actions have a holistic, positive impact on the world around us. We believe that what happens within the business is just as important as the output produced through our work. The report is all about doing more and saying less. The design uses splashes of colour and subtle animation to draw the reader in, encouraging them to scroll from one page to the next. The copy and design work together to bring the reader into our world and showcase our perspective on sustainability.
So that’s our round up of 10 beautiful Impact reports, we hope this helps you create your own. And if you’d like to read more about what we stand for, our sustainability practices and how we prioritise our people click here to view our impact page.
