Why Impact Reporting Matters: Impact Report Examples and Insights

An Impact Report is a brilliant tool to communicate outwardly to your industry and consumers that you are taking accountability for your organisation’s environmental and social impact.  

Typically a document, but can take on many forms including video, animation, interactive webpage and more, an Impact Report will include information on your organisation’s missions and goals, as well as details about the strategies and tactics used to achieve said goals. As well as this, it will usually contain information about your organisation’s impact on society or the environment, such as the number of people helped, the amount of carbon emissions reduced, or the amount of funding raised for charitable causes. 

Still wondering why an Impact Report is important for your brand? Well, look no further! In this article, we’ll share the importance of an Impact Report, including Impact Report examples (spoiler alert: you can download our own Impact Report at the bottom!)  

An Impact Report acts as an annual marker, showing year on year progress on environmental and social issues. It’s a valuable tool for promoting brand purpose, transparency and accountability, bolstering claims and authority in the purpose space, which can help to build trust and confidence among stakeholders and the broader public. 

Even when progress isn’t as fast as desired, the ability to document it and detail affirmative actions  garners trust and reliability in the brand going forward. It’s all about progress, not perfection. 

ITV’s recent Impact Report is a great example of promoting transparency and accountability. Their report highlights progress in its mission to shape culture for good across four focus areas: Better Health, Climate Action, Diversity and Inclusion and Giving Back. As well as showcasing all the good they did during the year, they also note the targets they didn’t meet and the improvements they need to make over the forthcoming year.  

Is your organisation doing something you can be truly proud of? An Impact Report is the perfect platform to celebrate your brand purpose progress. By highlighting the progress that has been made towards achieving your goals and objectives, an Impact Report can help to build momentum and motivate stakeholders to continue supporting your organisation’s mission.  

With sustainability and brand purpose claims, the proof is very much in the pudding, so showcasing the tangible outcomes of your organisation’s activities and purpose initiatives is a great way to inspire colleagues, competitors and consumers alike. Whether it’s highlighting the amount of resources your organisation has conserved or the positive changes that have been made in the community, if it’s something worth celebrating – celebrate it! 

A good example of an Impact Report that celebrates progress is this magazine-style report from Hubbub, a UK-based environmental charity that runs the Community Fridge Network – a network of communal fridges that are stocked with surplus food from local businesses and individuals. 

The report truly celebrates their progress, making good use of visuals, including infographics and photos, to illustrate the impact of the Community Fridge Network. It also includes an evaluation of the effectiveness of the network, with feedback from fridge users and stakeholders providing insights into the challenges and successes of the initiative, demonstrating the organisation’s commitment to continuous improvement. Give it a read!

You might think an Impact Report is slightly dry, but it’s actually a great opportunity to flex your organisation’s creativity. Really! By using engaging formats, your Impact Report can be creative, memorable, and even PR-able.  

Whether it’s a beautifully designed document, an interactive infographic or webpage, a fun video or even something wacky and in-your-face – your Impact Report should reflect your brand whilst conveying the complex information in an accessible way. You could even try setting industry-leading standards for the rest to follow… 

One Impact Report we love that is engaging and creative is the Tony’s Chocolonely Annual Fair Report. The report isn’t just a wall of words – it’s easy to read and full of colour and infographics. The report highlights the company’s innovative approach to producing slave-free chocolate, including its use of direct trade relationships with cocoa farmers and its efforts to create a more transparent and sustainable supply chain. 

As well as this, the report is also engaging because it includes stories of the people and communities affected by the chocolate industry, including cocoa farmers and their families. These stories help to illustrate the impact of the company’s efforts and provide a human face to the issues. 

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Of course, we couldn’t do a whole article about Impact Reporting and Impact Report examples without showing you our own, so click here to download our 2022 Creature & Co. Impact Report. Creating this report helped us define the areas we needed to make improvements in, and we made a lot of changes off the back of it last year. Our 2023 Creature & Co. Impact Report is currently being created, and we’re excited to show you our company progress. Why not subscribe to our newsletter to be one of the first pairs of eyes on it? 

If you have any other questions or fancy a natter, contact [email protected].