When we founded Circular Design, we didn’t just want to build better websites; we wanted to build a better way of doing business. In the corporate world, “Impact Reports” are often just marketing exercises – a green sticker slapped on business-as-usual.
At Circular Design, we do things differently. As a non-profit agency and a Community Interest Company (C.I.C.), we’ve designed our entire “code” to challenge the status quo. Here is how our team and our incredible clients moved the needle in 2025.
1. Purpose Before Profit: Reinvesting in the Frontlines
Most agencies treat social good as a luxury of the surplus. We’re flipping that script. We operate on a “Purpose before Profit” framework, meaning 100% of our profits are reinvested into grassroots organisations. When you work with us, your project fee effectively becomes a “solidarity investment” in human rights and climate action.
In the 2025 reporting period alone, this model allowed us to facilitate £3,070 in direct grants to high-impact projects. This wasn’t abstract charity; it was direct support for groups doing the hard work on the ground, including Yoga and Sport for Refugees, the Human Rights Legal Project, and Tomorrow’s Youth.
2. Excellence as Activism: Tech Talent Has No Borders
There is a tired narrative that hiring people from displaced backgrounds is an act of “charity.” We’re here to dismantle that. At Circular Design, we’ve proven that social equity and technical excellence are the same thing.
In 2025, 38% of all our billable hours – and 56% of our total team – were completed by professionals with a background in forced migration. This global team, spanning 10 countries, delivered over 2,300 hours of high-level work for 16 major clients, including the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) and SafePlace International.
- The Result: An average client rating of 4.93 out of 5 stars.
- The Recognition: We were honoured to be named a Finalist at the UK Social Enterprise Awards in London.
- The Standard: We maintained a 6.25% gender pay gap, significantly outperforming the global tech sector.
3. Taking Action for the Planet
The internet isn’t “weightless” – it produces about 3.7% of global carbon emissions. We believe every click has a cost, so we’ve made it our mission to ensure every site we build is carbon-negative.
- Green Hosting: 100% of our websites are powered by renewable energy.
- Lean Code: We build efficient code to reduce the energy needed for every page load.
- Double Offsetting: In FY25, we offset 3 tons of CO2 (bringing our total to 4 tons). We don’t just offset; we “double down” using Fairtrade-certified carbon credits to ensure we’re giving back more than we take.
4. The £23,000 in Pro Bono Support
For a small charity, a 20% discount isn’t just a coupon – it’s the difference between having a digital voice and being invisible. This year, we provided over £23,000 in pro bono support through direct discounts and hundreds of unbilled technical hours.
This has real-world consequences. It allowed one charity partner to save over £2,600 in digital overhead and provided another with over 100 extra hours of expert support. By absorbing these costs, we help these organisations keep their resources where they belong: in the community.
5. More Than an Agency: Taking Direct Action
We refuse to stay in the “service provider” lane. We are community mobilisers, and 2025 saw us step up in new ways:
- The Gaza Food Project: Launched in Autumn 2025, our international team of volunteers worked to support community-led kitchens providing vital food and water on the ground in Gaza.
- Phone Free February: What started as a challenge to renegotiate our relationship with tech reached thousands worldwide and caught the attention of the New York Times, The Washington Post, and El País.
Looking Ahead to 2026
The data from this year is clear: at Circular Design, we’re not just building websites; we are building the infrastructure for a better world. As we align our 2026 strategy with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we want to thank every client and partner who joined this movement.
We don’t just need better code; we need a better conscience. Thank you for proving that a website really can change the world.
