As a company, we’re committed to using our skills to make great things happen. We use communications as a force for good but we want to go beyond that and have a positive impact in terms of how we run our business and how our team connects with the world around us. Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to beyond the day-to-day of working with our clients…
Work that matters
Creative Concern: Our Positive Impact
USING OUR SKILLS TO SUPPORT THE CHARITY SECTOR
We’re a corporate member of the Charity Comms network. We share our knowledge and experience at its conferences, as well as providing free ‘advice surgeries’ to members and not for profits looking for support with brand, campaigns and communications.
We regularly contribute to events hosted by charities and campaigning organisations, looking for insights from their sector and guidance based on our wider experience.
Across the team we currently sit and/or advise on a number of boards, giving our time and skills to help others. These include the Octagon Theatre, Bolton; Greater Manchester Business Board; Bee Net Zero Partnership; Northern Forest Partnership Board; and the Freshwater Biological Association. Our Founder/Director Steve Connor is also a member of the University of Manchester General Assembly, Manchester Climate Change Partnership and Pro-Manchester Green Economy Committee.
Everyone at Creative Concern has the chance to volunteer – both individually and as a team. In 2024, we took part in a tree planting day with City of Trees, planting over 100 trees (and clearing a whole load of scrubland). Team members have also given their time to help local community groups and charities, including Lifeshare, Coffee for Craig, Stretford Stride, and Treesponsibility.
Every year, we donate to local charities as part of our Christmas commitment. The team puts forward suggestions and in the past we’ve given to Emmaus, Wood Street Mission, MASH and Lancashire Wildlife Trust. We’ve also turned the idea of Secret Santa on its head, with each team member making a donation to a charity they think their recipient would appreciate (beats a last-minute rush to buy something no-one actually wants).
In 2024, nine of the Creative Concern team ran the Manchester Marathon, raising money for Emmaus. One of us ran the full 26 miles, the other eight split into two relay teams. We may even do it again… watch this space!
REDUCING OUR CLIMATE IMPACT
Creative Concern is on a journey to net zero. We are signed up to Zellar to measure and report our carbon footprint and create an action plan.
We are committed to travelling sustainably, using public transport or walking/cycling wherever possible. We run a cycle to work scheme to help our team buy a bike. And our travel miles have also significantly reduced due to hybrid working.
We donate to the reforestation charity Ecologi. Each month we support a range of carbon avoidance projects that are certified at the very highest level by Gold Standard or the Verified Carbon Standard. Ecologi also has a range of reforestation partners, who, with our support, are growing millions of trees per month. As a result of our financial support through Ecologi over 2,000 trees have been planted and over 176 certified tonnes of CO2e have been avoided.
Our Design for Life guide is an ongoing process that aims to inform our team and offer clients up-to-date sustainable methods in production, including best environmental methods in print, digital, physical outputs, and events.
Our website hosting is recognised by the Green Web Foundation and is certified from renewable resources and maximises energy efficiency.
We use local and ethical suppliers wherever we can. Our coffee, teabags, cleaners and more come from Ethical Supermarket and we use the Green Stationery company for office supplies. Our printer paper comes from local company, Fourjays.
SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION
We run career mentoring sessions, undertake portfolio reviews and support university students with guidance on ethical communications. To date, we’ve worked with the University of Manchester, University of Salford, Manchester School of Art and Manchester Metropolitan University.
COLLABORATING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Our annual fundraising event, Creatives for Change, raises money for environmental causes. To date, we've raised money for City of Trees, the Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Rewriting Extinction. ‘Creatives for Change’ is a design collective, founded by Creative Concern, responding to the biggest challenges of our time. It’s all about using our creative skills as a force for good. Creatives for Change has collaborated with other agencies to create, exhibit and sell art posters, as well as hosting events to inspire the next generation of creatives.
We’re a founding member of the DNS network, a group of like-minded agencies across Europe linked by our sustainable and ethical outlook. Through DNS we collaborate in order to reach a greater and more diverse audience. Our aim is to combine our skills in order to increase the positive impact we can make through effective communications.
Creative Concern tree planting day with City of Trees
