Welcome to HappyPorch's Impact Report for 2023!

As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of corporate responsibility and sustainability, we recognise the importance of transparently communicating our impact and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) story.

We showcase the tangible outcomes of our efforts, from environmental stewardship to social responsibility and beyond.

In this report, we articulate and document our factual achievements, outlining the goals and targets we've set, and reflecting on our business growth year-on-year.

Overview

Reflecting on the last year, I find myself feeling a lot of conflicting emotions.

In last year’s report I wrote “Our philosophy is to transparently share both our successes and our weaknesses”. That continues to hold true, perhaps even more so!

HappyPorch and our amazing team continue to be one of the best parts of life - yet the last year has also been more challenging. Indeed, our forecasts for the next 12 months indicate an even more challenging time ahead.

Part of our mission is to be a positive part in the shift to a circular economy, respecting the limits of our people and our planet. My honest reflection is that in 2023 we stagnated on this vital part of our goal. We continue to excel in many areas and I could not be more proud to be part of this team.

The opportunity, therefore, for the next 12 months is to move forward on our mission while also overcoming the challenges all small businesses face from time to time.

Barry O'Kane, founder

Our journey to B Corp Recertification

After months of hard work and waiting, we received our B Corp certification in June 2021. This achievement marked a significant milestone in our journey of "walking the talk" and using our business as a force for good. We celebrated the certification not only as a recognition of their efforts but also as a motivator to continuously improve and find new ways to be true to our values.

In 2024 we will (fingers crossed!) be recertified. Even though we still believe our core values and the way we operate matches the B Corp ethos, recertification is not a trivial process. We have already started the process and view it as another step on our continuous journey.

Governance

We tend to keep our business aligned with our Mission: "Technology, created and implemented with care, is vital to tackling major issues such as climate change, global social inequality and biodiversity loss. We work with entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs to refine and accelerate solutions to these major issues. Together we develop concepts into digital platforms that impact people’s lives, your business and the planet for the better."

What we said we would do:

Discuss the ownership of the company and explore different avenues. One of them is to discuss Cooperative models, and seeing if that would be a good fit for us.

What we did:

We have conducted workshops to explore different company ownership options, including consultations with a cooperative expert and team discussions during one of our in-person meetups. Ultimately, the team decided to maintain the current ownership structure due to contentment among team members and limited capacity to explore alternative options at the moment. However, we plan to revisit this topic in the future.	We kept working on arranging different team activities that aimed to bring us closer together and maintain a sense of teamwork. Among these efforts were the Happy Weekly Virtual Fun Porch Bonding Sessions and 1 on 1 weekly Donut calls along with three in-person meetups in 2023 - in Buxton, UK , one in Munich, Germany and another in Brixen im Thale, Tirol, Austria. These gatherings were instrumental in building stronger relationships and ensuring our team spirit thrived despite our physical distance during the rest of the year.	Due to financial uncertainties we did not have our usual self-set salary review, but we did engage in candid discussions about financial constraints, both individually during our Personal Development sessions (PDTs) and collectively as a team. These conversations serve as the cornerstone of our transparent salary structure, emphasising our commitment to openness and honesty regarding our financial considerations.

We continued to place high value on our employees' well-being, recognising the need to address their mental, physical health, and personal circumstances. We assist them by managing workloads and providing flexible work hours, allowing them to effectively handle personal matters and maintain a harmonious work-life balance.	We conducted our regular, annual Team Engagement & Happiness survey where we gather valuable insights into various aspects of our workplace environment, including employee engagement, happiness, and overall job satisfaction. It serves as a platform for our team members to share their feedback and thoughts, allowing us to continuously improve and enhance the overall work experience at HappyPorch.

What we are going to do:

In 2024 we want to continue to explore formalising our philosophy in our legal ownership and governance - we don’t yet know what that will look like.

As the next 12 months look to be tougher for the business, it is important that we continue to live our values. Current predictions are that this will be one of the biggest challenges for the team in 2024.

Workers

We firmly believe that our Team is the foundation of our success. We aim to create a workplace where everyone can do their best, feel valued, and get the support they need.

What we said we would do:

Implement FTL (fast track learning) program. The goal is to have a clear process for a focused period of learning.

Start sharing FTL and PDT stories to help and inspire others.

Review our self-set salary process to address any concerns.

Review and if needed update and edit Team Manual and related docs.

What we did:

In 2023, HappyPorch welcomed two new team members both of whom joined on a full-time basis and on a temporary working arrangement. While their contributions were invaluable, it was with heavy hearts that the team bid farewell to one member as their contract concluded during the year. HappyPorch remained committed to fostering talent and welcomed a student placement whose work proved to be highly valuable to the team.	We kept supporting PDTs- The Professional Development Triangle which is structured to facilitate individual professional and personal growth through a self-managed approach. It operates as a structured Zoom call involving two supportive participants who engage in discussions about team member’s professional development goals, needs, and challenges.	We have implemented the Fast Track Learning process (FTLs) during 2023: a focused period of learning for anyone from the team who wants to learn a new skill or level up in a skill. Our team members who participated said that it was an outstanding success for them and shared their FTL experiences at our meetups and team calls to give a wider understanding of the process, its value, and ways in which it could be improved.
We allocated budgets to ensure our Team is equipped with the resources and support necessary to engage in meaningful skill-building activities and knowledge acquisition. In this way we not only empower our team members to expand their expertise but also foster a culture of learning and development within the organisation, ultimately driving greater success and innovation.	We continued to offer a “Team Short Term mini-loans program” to our Team members. This initiative provides interest-free loans tailored to suit the specific circumstances of each team member. Repayments are conveniently deducted from the borrower's salary on a schedule that is appropriate for each individual.	We continued to invest in both the well-being of our employees and the sustainability of our planet. We strive to create a workplace environment that nurtures both personal and planetary health. Employees were offered a Health Wellbeing budget and a “Bike to Work Scheme”.
We have updated our Team Manual eg. Code of Conduct.	We recently conducted our regular Diversity Monitoring Survey. The results of this survey enable us to set meaningful goals and develop targeted initiatives aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion throughout our organisation. We believe that by fostering a culture that celebrates and respects differences, we can not only attract top talent but also cultivate an environment where every individual feels valued and empowered to thrive

What we are going to do:

We are projecting a much more challenging year in 2024 for the business. By sharing company finances transparently, including forecasts, we have already started discussing the potential implications with the whole team.

Our employees will be dedicating capacity to changing projects and clients and we will tend to make sure we utilise their skill sets in the right places to maximise the impact.

Community

At HappyPorch, our fundamental mission is to be a force for good within the business community. We're dedicated to going beyond our organisation and actively engaging, collaborating with, and supporting initiatives that nurture a sustainable and responsible business ecosystem.

What we said we would do:

Release of a new HappyPorch Radio Season where we will be speaking to a range of consultants, experts, trainers and advisors who help others transition to circular economy practices.

Organise volunteering at the local community during our next meetup.

What we did:

We continued to support the “Scotland: The Big Picture”, a charity that leads the way in rewilding initiatives throughout Scotland, dedicated to revitalising our natural landscapes in direct response to the pressing climate and biodiversity challenges of our time.	We have maintained our tradition of regular monthly donations where each month, a different team member selects a charity of their choice to support.	As we did last year, we decided to send our clients Christmas e-cards through “Don't Send Me a Card”, a platform that aims to redirect the funds typically spent on traditional cards towards donations for different charities that depend on generous giving.
We are supporters and members of “Circular Communities Scotland”, a community that connects various charities and social enterprises that work in the field of Scotland's circular economy.	Our founder is a proud trustee of the “Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland” and participated in several various volunteering activities within this charity during the year.	Through our regular “1% for the Planet” membership we continued to contribute 1% of our annual gross sales to approved environmental partners,specifically the “Environmental Investigation Agency”, a charity dedicated to combating environmental crimes and advocating for environmental protection.
We released Season 7 of HappyPorch Radio where we explored the circular economy, expanding our focus to a systemic level. Through insightful discussions with our expert guests - a diverse array of consultants and advisors who specialise in guiding others towards circular economy practices - we also examined the pivotal role of technology, software, and digital solutions in advancing circularity.	During our May meetup in Buxton, we were happy to dedicate some of our time to volunteer work at the Buxton Pavilion Gardens. We contributed by participating in cleaning and painting a bridge in this area.

What we are going to do:

In 2024 we plan to further our mission to positively contribute to the transition to a more Circular Economy. We’ll be exploring a circular tech focused community, a new format for the podcast and much more.

Continue to support various charities and causes.

Environment

We are committed to taking meaningful steps to positively impact the climate and strongly believe that ensuring a world with net-zero emissions is not only a fundamental human right but also our duty. As part of our pledge as a B Corp, we're dedicated to being the change we want to see in the world, conducting our business with careful consideration for both people and the planet.

What we said we would do:

Discuss ways of how each team member could set some personal goals to improve his/her carbon footprint.	Discuss ways to make our carbon offsetting more impactful.	Reduce carbon impact of our computation related activities.
Encourage team members to do more environmental volunteering work.	Improve our Scope 3 measurement and set target reductions.

What we did:

As usual we have calculated our team and company's carbon emissions for the whole year. Our most significant achievement lies in our efforts to reduce the carbon footprint generated by our team's travel. We organised and attended three in-person meetups and what made these gatherings stand out was how we made conscious travel choices and travelled mostly by land. We congratulate all employees that took rides that were pretty long, but they definitely served as a clear sign of our dedication and understanding of how our actions affect the planet.	We have invested in carbon offsetting for our 2022 and 2023 carbon emissions by purchasing additional square metres of a meadow, a mix of wildflower and tree planting via My square metre which helps take in carbon and boosts biodiversity. We have added more trees to our HappyPorch grove via Trees for Life. We also have offset our footprint though the “Mombasa Mangrove Forest Restoration” project in Kenya as well as helping build clean energy and carbon-reducing through the “Improving Agriculture and Livelihoods” project in Uganda.	We have persistently upheld our commitment to responsibly managing the waste generated during our meetups.
Several team members participated in a carbon literacy training. Some of the team also attended webinars hosted by the Green Software Foundation and completed the Green Software for Practitioners course.	We are proud of our employees that were volunteering during the year and have participated in some impactful work such as volunteering as a Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland trustee and cleaning up trash from the trails while hiking in Tatra mountains while on holiday.

What we are going to do:

Based on our average emissions per Team member over the past few years, we will set targets for reducing our per Team member emissions for 2024.

Dedicate time and investments for our nature-positive actions.

Continue actively seeking for new clients who focus on circular economy and sustainability, making a positive impact on the environment.

Customers

By forging partnerships with value aligned organisations, we can collectively work towards achieving our shared goals of minimising waste, conserving resources, and promoting responsible consumption.

What we said we would do:

Continue with our exploration of new circular economy clients.

What we did:

We have collaborated with various clients that have exemplified our commitment to environmental conservation and our mutual core values.

One of our favourite partnerships was with "Reath," where we provided technology services for their Circular Economy software tool aimed at reducing packaging waste. By streamlining resource usage and promoting reuse, Reath aligns with our goal of minimising environmental impact.	We also continued our work with "Giki'' on carbon footprint tracking and reduction software. Giki's mission to empower individuals and businesses to monitor and mitigate their carbon emissions directly addresses the pressing issue of climate change.	We started a collaboration on "Resale Radar”, a product designed to combat waste in the fashion industry, underscoring our support for initiatives promoting responsible consumption and production.
We worked on a project with The Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll). They are a leading collaboration of organisations, alliances, movements and individuals working towards a Wellbeing Economy, delivering human and ecological well being.	We had a chance to dedicate capacity to small pro-bono projects for: PovNet- an online community of advocates and front-line workers that addresses poverty and promotes access to justice for vulnerable residents of British Columbia; Used&Loved- a second hand marketplace where all the second-hand websites can be found in one place; Wild Mosaic- who contribute to work that restores biodiversity and creates space and interventions for vibrant habitats to emerge.

What we are going to do:

Take our commitment to the circular economy even further, embedding it more prominently into our marketing strategies with the intention that leads us to more impactful clients.

Looking Ahead

2024 looks to be a much tougher year for the business - our challenge is to stay true to our values when we may be under more pressure than in recent years.