2025
B Corp impact report
Becoming a certified B Corp in 2024 was a significant step for our company, and we're delighted to be continuing our journey and deepening our commitments through 2026.
Leadership letter
A message from our Managing Director and Co-Founder
When Jonathan and I founded Zoonou, our goal was to create a people-first company where team members enjoy delivering great client work. Our transition to Employee Ownership in 2023, alongside a new Board and refreshed mission, felt like we'd really delivered that - setting the company on course for a sustainable and equitable future.
Certifying as a B Corp in 2024 marks the next phase of our journey. It extends the desire of our Board to have a positive impact on our team and clients to encompass a wider outward-facing view, considering our impact on the environment and the communities around us.
Our intent when we certified was to do business in a better way - as part of a community holding similar views. Becoming a B Corp commits us to learning and improving, thinking carefully about every part of our business, and staying focused on initiatives that create the most positive impact.
In the 12 months since certifying, we've turned down several opportunities that aren't aligned with the positive impact we want to have. We've improved our benefit package, focusing on support for well-being and mental health. We've furthered opportunities for us to engage with and support local initiatives and improve public spaces.
B Corp has given us a values-led framework which has already helped us better understand where we can make improvements in the coming years; specifically, by measuring, assessing and positively changing our impact.
We commit here to encouraging others in our industry to do the same - because when business puts people and purpose at the heart, everyone benefits.
If you have any questions or feedback on the report, drop me an email or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Our journey to certification
We committed to becoming a B Corp in late 2023 and achieved certification in October 2024 - becoming the first in our industry to do so. The journey wasn’t without challenges: a shift in B Lab US’s approach meant indirect ownership models – such as our Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) - were at risk of no longer being recognised in the same way.
Alongside the Employee Ownership Association and supported by B Lab UK, we contributed to discussions highlighting the value of EOTs. Following consultation, B Lab US changed course, recognising the positive impact of EOT governance for UK-based companies.
We're incredibly proud to have achieved an overall impact score of 104.2.
Raising the floor
As B Lab describes, the new standards “raise the floor”, setting stronger expectations for all B Corps to address the most pressing social and environmental challenges.
We welcome the shift from a points-based system to a focus on tangible actions and continuous improvement - an approach that’s central to how we work at Zoonou.
Our certification under the previous standards laid strong foundations; now, we’re focused on meeting and maintaining the new requirements as we continue to strengthen our social, environmental, and business impact.
Our year in numbers
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EO bonus
Tax-free Employee Ownership bonus distributed to every team member, recognising their contribution to our shared success.
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£800+
Raised for charity to support accessibility in gaming and help tackle food insecurity in our local community.
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1
Additional female leader appointed to our Senior Management Team, strengthening representation and diversity at the top level.
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200+
Volunteering hours donated to local causes - from beach cleans to blood donations - reinforcing our commitment to giving back.
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39+
Devices donated to TechResort, helping local people access digital tools and develop new skills.
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2
New mental health first aiders trained, increasing our capacity to support well-being at work.
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xx
Days of training and CPD completed, investing in continuous learning and professional growth.
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1
Additional female Trustee Director appointed, continuing to promote diverse voices in governance.
Governance
Impact score: 14.8
We focused on making information clearer, strengthening responsible business practices, and engaging the whole team in shaping Zoonou’s goals, strategy, and impact.
| What we planned to do | What we did |
| Clarify how and where information is shared to improve communication. | Launched a clear internal communication plan to reduce information overload. |
| Strengthen alignment with responsible business practices and frameworks. | Joined the Better Business Act and added B Corp discussions to Board meetings. |
| Engage the wider team in shaping company goals, strategy, and outcomes. | Increased our annual company away days from one to two, to share progress, goals, finances, and strategy. |
| Our plans for next year |
| Embed B Corp values into daily decisions and behaviours; share updates in monthly all-hands. |
| Increase our involvement in the B Corp community and raise awareness of the movement. |
| Set clear social and environmental targets and measures, and include wider social and environmental goals in employee appraisals. |
We joined the Better Business Act Coalition
We believe every business in the UK should be legally required to align social and environmental impact with shareholder returns.
Joining the Better Business Act Coalition allows us to advocate for this change and reflects our commitment as a B Corp to influence policy and promote responsible business across the UK.
Workers
Impact score: 61.0
We focused on strengthening our culture of ownership, improving employee wellbeing, and ensuring the whole team can help shape Zoonou’s goals, strategy, and impact.
| What we planned to do | What we did |
| Encourage our team to think more like 'co-owners' and actively shape company policies and initiatives. | Ran a company benefits review, challenging the team to design the package, thinking as “employers” rather than employees. |
| Increase support for employee well-being, including mental health and work-life balance. | Increased the number of mental health first-aiders and ran a management training workshop. Introduced two paid volunteer days per person. |
| Be more intentional about recruitment, ensuring people with disabilities can apply and all employees feel represented. | Signed up to the UK government’s Disability Confident voluntary scheme and implemented inclusive recruitment processes and actions to support disabled employees. |
| Our plans for next year |
| Run quarterly pulse surveys alongside the annual survey to gather regular feedback and guide improvements. |
| Work towards Disability Confident Employer Level 2. |
| Launch a new intranet to make key documents and policies easier to access. |
| Review recruitment processes to ensure they're fair, transparent, and inclusive. |
We shaped our benefits package together
Our goal was to get the team thinking like co-owners. By running a series of workshops where everyone designed the benefits package as if they were “employers”, we created a balanced set of improvements - including a family-friendly policy, personal leave allowance, buy/sell holiday options, and religious bank holiday swaps.
Customers
Impact score: 11.9
We focused on working with values-aligned clients, clearly communicating our purpose, and ensuring clients understand what to expect from working with us.
| What we planned to do | What we did |
| Work with more clients whose values align with ours and support positive social or environmental impact. | Introduced a ‘values check’ in our project approval process to ensure every new opportunity meets our ethical and environmental standards. This led to collaborations with more ‘good companies,’ including charities, not-for-profits, and B Corps, while turning down opportunities that didn’t align. |
| Communicate clearly what makes Zoonou unique and purpose-driven. | Rebranded and launched a new website highlighting our team and values. Our story now runs through all communications, differentiating us from competitors and reinforcing that we are purpose-driven, not just profit-driven. |
| Define what clients can expect when working with us. | Developed and launched a Client Charter outlining how we work, what clients can expect, and how we uphold our values in every partnership. |
| Our plans for next year |
| Take on pro-bono work to support charities, not-for-profits, and other mission-driven organisations. |
| Develop a more effective approach to gathering client feedback so we can better understand impact, satisfaction, and opportunities for improvement. |
| Add impact storytelling to case studies - showcasing not just what we delivered or tested, but the positive difference it made. |
We created a client charter
Our values are not just words on the wall; they guide everything we do. At our most recent away day, we co-created a client charter to ensure the principles that shape our internal culture also guide how we partner externally.
The charter outlines how we hold ourselves accountable - to current and potential clients, to their goals, and to the shared success we build together.
Cass shares more about the process and purpose behind the charter here.
Environment
Impact score: 7.6
We focused on reducing our environmental impact, promoting sustainable practices, and embedding environmental awareness across the company.
| What we planned to do | What we did |
| Reduce our energy consumption and monitor environmental impact. | Energy usage dropped by 2.2% in 2024/25 compared to 2023/24. Started tracking energy use more systematically and continue to power the office with 100% renewable energy. |
| Promote sustainable commuting and transport. | 10% of employees now use our cycle-to-work scheme, supporting greener travel and healthier lifestyles. |
| Encourage responsible reuse and recycling of technology. | Donated old tech to Techresort, where it’s refurbished and given to local people who need it. |
| Embed environmental awareness into company culture. | Created an Environmental Working Group to explore initiatives, track progress, and engage the team in sustainability efforts. |
| Our plans for next year |
| Agree and create a plan and timeline to achieve carbon neutrality. |
| Work towards ISO 14001 certification to formalise environmental management practices. |
| Encourage team members to set personal carbon footprint goals. |
We helped to keep our home clean
Our office is in an area of outstanding natural beauty in Eastbourne, by the sea at the foot of the South Downs (you'll see plenty of pictures across our site!).
Combining environmental focus with well-being, we volunteered with Plastic Free Eastbourne for our first beach clean, removing 4.2kg of plastic waste. We've committed to doing one each quarter. We also joined local charity Treebourne to help reshape a nature area at Ratton Secondary School.
Community
Impact score: 8.8
We focused on supporting economic well-being in our local community, promoting STEM opportunities for women and girls, and increasing team volunteering.
| What we planned to do | What we did |
| Encourage more women and girls into tech, especially in our sector, through local initiatives. | Donated to a startup fund for Women in Tech Sussex, provided office space for meetups, and ran work experience sessions for groups of girls aged 14-16. |
| Increase the number of days volunteered as a team and as individuals. | Organised a beach clean with Plastic Free Eastbourne, cleaned a pond with Treebourne, and team members donated blood individually. Maintained our Industry Champion role with Careers East Sussex for a second year, supporting local career pathways through various activities. |
| Support access to technology for under represented groups. | Increased our donation of devices to TechResort helping underrepresented members of the community access digital services. |
| Our plans for next year |
| Actively increase female representation, especially in leadership roles within our company. |
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Expand the volunteering scheme to engage more of the team. |
| Increase support for TechResort through volunteering and other initiatives. |
We supported women and girls in STEM
Over the last year, we developed our work experience programme for girls aged 14 to 16, taking early steps into STEM careers. We also mentored students at the University of Sussex on their Business Leadership course, helping them develop sustainable business ideas linked to the UN SDGs.
As “friends” of Women in Tech Sussex, they've hosted meetups in our office and co-exhibited at events, supporting women and non-binary people in tech.
Thank you!
Thanks for taking the time to read our first-ever B Corp Impact Report. We’re so proud to reach this milestone and grateful to everyone - our clients, partners, and community - for helping us get here.
This is just the beginning of our journey. We look forward improving, learning, and creating a positive impact together.