Impactt has helped to improve the livelihoods of more than one million workers since 1997 through its unique brand of collaborative, socially focused consultancy, proving that ethics and profit can go hand in hand.
The company helps organisations of all shapes and sizes – from global brands and retailers to NGOs and social enterprises – to address issues such as human rights, child labour and ethical trade in the supply chain. This could mean helping a high street giant to design a responsible sourcing strategy or supporting a Bangladeshi trade union in expanding its work.
Impactt has, for example, helped to convene the supplier ethical data exchange (Sedex), an online database detailing suppliers' responsible trading activities, which has become a flourishing not-for-profit organisation with 27,000 members.
It has also developed the exploitation index to benchmark global labour standards, and is helping to transform the garment industry in India and Bangladesh through its "benefits for business and workers" programme.
It determines the best way to deliver maximum benefit to workers, identifying practical, effective solutions. It helps companies to navigate social risk by improving their procurement practices and adopting practices that yield social and commercial returns.
Central to its approach is the idea of bringing together investors, brands, governments and NGOs to tackle complex challenges in a structured, holistic way.
Impactt's headquarters are in London and it has a UK team of 15, with a further ten staff in China, eight in Bangladesh, one in India and a global network of associates in countries including Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Its team includes people with a wide range of professional backgrounds, from ethical trade consultants, social researchers and academics to social compliance auditors and former factory workers.
Much of Impactt's work focuses on helping clients to embed ethical approaches in their commercial teams. For example, it trains buyers, designers and technologists how best to use their day job to create a positive impact on people and communities at the other end of the supply chain. It also works with local factories, showing them that investing in social improvements is good for business. Throughout, Impactt seeks to empower workers and local communities, making their voices heard in boardrooms around the world.
And it's working.
Impactt has reached more than one million workers since 1997, including 402,220 in the past year. Its "benefits for business & workers" programme, a collaboration between eight brands, investors, NGOs and government ministers, has delivered £4m in additional wages for 85,000 workers in Bangladesh and India. Meanwhile, its remediation programme has helped 138 child labourers to leave work and return to school.
The company has trained more than 2,000 buyers, technologists and suppliers on responsible sourcing and addressed 4,000 investors on labour markets. It plans to train 20,000 workers on health, finance and leadership by 2015.
Impactt's conferences and industry events encourage businesses, investors and governments to factor social and environmental risk into decision-making. Importantly, investors are using its labour risk insights to inform investment decisions.
The company's supporters include Louise Nicholls, head of responsible sourcing at M&S, and Rachel Wilshaw, ethical trade manager at Oxfam. Impactt's approach to improving lives helps to resolve complex issues while maintaining a balanced commercial view, according to Nicholls. Similarly, Wilshaw highlights Impactt's ability to help factory managers understand that better labour standards lead to improved productivity.
Katharine Earley is a journalist and copywriter, specialising in sustainability.
The Guardian Sustainable Business Sustainability Case Studies contain articles on all the initiatives that met the criteria for the GSB Awards.
