impact REPORT ‘23
The world needs positive change. We’re here to help make it happen.
Read the Report
Over the last year, we’ve partnered with clients across industries to leverage groundbreaking innovations — especially those in data and AI — to create digital products, experiences, and marketing campaigns that have a positive impact on the world.
In pioneering how to ethically leverage technology, we’ve accomplished some extraordinary achievements, like using AI to teach the American Sign Language alphabet, building an app to reduce social isolation among the elderly, and creating a digital solution to save a 41,000-year-old language from being lost.
The DEPT® 2023 Impact Report represents the most recent chapter in our Good Company journey, offering fresh insight and perspectives into some of our most impactful client work and our own internal efforts.
It is simultaneously a celebration, an honest reflection, and an inspiration for how we—as not just a digital agency, but a group of individuals striving to make a difference—can create a better future.
As we reflect on our progress in achieving our social impact and sustainability goals, we’re reminded that our ability to create change comes from the work we’ve done on ourselves and, most importantly, the work we do for others.
01
Doing good with digital.
We’re committed to helping our clients do incredible things, not just for their brands but for their communities, society, and the planet, because we recognise the tremendous opportunity we have to create a positive impact in the world through our work.
This is what drives our impactful projects, from developing groundbreaking digital public health solutions to creating a system for counteracting censorship to helping sustainability researchers more effectively track and analyse their energy usage.
In 2023, we’re proud to have achieved our highest percentage of revenue to come from impactful projects yet. And we’re honoured that 14 of those purpose-driven projects earned global recognition from the Anthem Awards. But our commitment to being a force for progress is far from over.
Revenue from Impactful Projects
02
Doubling down on employee well-being.
By focusing on enhancing our Depsters’ overall employee experience, we achieved some pretty amazing accomplishments amid a tough year for business and the tech industry.
Some of our proudest moments included: expanding our team in India; hiring our first Diversity Equity & Inclusion Lead; growing our Employee Resource Groups; building our in-office culture to inspire community, and even opening a remote hub in Barbados in partnership with Barbadian Prime Minister, Mia Mottley.
While we won’t ignore the fact that this year threw a slew of challenges at our teams, our clients, and our partners, we addressed these challenges head-on by doubling down on well-being, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and the overall employee experience.
Percentage of women
03
Caring for communities.
With more than 4,000 employees spanning our global team, our workforce represents a microcosm of the greater world. Not only are we actively working to strengthen our community, but we’re also committed to being a positive presence in our local, regional, and global communities.
To do so, we empower our Depsters to make a difference through a mixture of pro-bono work, volunteer activities, and financial donations. In 2023, we’re proud to have surpassed our goal to donate 1% of our profit, donating nearly 3%.
We also expanded the DEPT® Cares initiative from a single day of volunteering to a month-long window for local teams to organise volunteering opportunities—and our employees showed up big time with record participation across more than 30 cities internationally.
04
The satisfaction of a shrinking footprint.
When it came to our carbon footprint, we were pleased to be able to give ourselves a little pat on the back. Our 2023 carbon footprint was 9,179 tCO2, marking a reduction of almost 2,000 tCO2 from 2022 and 1,200 tCO2 from 2021.
That said, we haven’t busted out the champagne quite yet. While these results provide an example of how we’re doing a good job managing our environmental impact, we recognise we still have some work to do before we can confidently anticipate more continuous reduction.
That’s why, as we look ahead, we’ve made plans to ensure that our footprint continues to reduce over time, regardless of yearly fluctuations.
Total emissions, Scopes 1-3
And, Finally…
The release of our 2023 Impact Report arrives at the same time as another exciting announcement… the launch of DEPT®/IMPACT! A comprehensive bundling of services and in-house experts that puts our commitment to creating a positive impact through digital expertise into action.
Through DEPT®/IMPACT, our hope is to create a ripple effect of positive change by helping organisations reconcile the pressure to drive digital transformation across their businesses with the ability to use digital as a transformative force.
