The Importance of Positive Social Impact

Positive social impact involves creating meaningful benefits for society, enhancing quality of life, promoting equality, and supporting sustainable development in ways that extend beyond a company’s bottom line. This focus aligns with global frameworks like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which underscore the interconnected responsibilities of all sectors to tackle inequality, social injustice and climate change by 2030. Adopting these principles isn’t just good for society, it strengthens business resilience, encourages loyalty, and fosters innovation that benefits people and the planet.

Research indicates that organisations prioritising social impact, especially those aligning with goals like SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) experience higher levels of trust and loyalty from customers and stakeholders. These businesses also demonstrate greater adaptability, as a commitment to inclusive, sustainable practices allows them to respond more effectively to shifting regulations and societal expectations.

The Social Model of Disability

Mima's approach embraces the Social Model of Disability, which identifies that people are often more disabled by the barriers they face in society (whether physical, attitudinal or operational) than by their own impairments and medical conditions. This could relate to a lack of step-free access onto public transport for a wheelchair user, inaccessible education opportunities for someone who is Deaf, or negative attitudes and stereotypes surrounding disability that lead to pay gaps and discrimination.

This perspective encourages us to go beyond surface-level adjustments to address systemic issues, whether physical, digital, or cultural. Through our work, we have seen that good inclusive design not only caters to immediate accessibility requirements but also creates more equitable, engaging environments that are future-proofed for everyone to enjoy for years to come.

Positive social impact refers to creating benefits that enhance community wellbeing, protect the environment, and support inclusivity and accessibility. It should be centred on addressing societal needs, reducing inequality, and contributing to sustainable development in ways that support individuals, communities, and the planet. For businesses, this means going beyond profits to embed principles that make a genuine difference in the world, also known as the “triple bottom line”.

This shift is critical, as customers, employees, and stakeholders increasingly expect businesses to act responsibly and deliver value beyond financial gain. Embracing positive social impact does not just help organisations meet these expectations, it strengthens communities, builds trust, and creates loyalty, which in turn drives long-term business success.

Inclusive design, which aims to create solutions accessible to all, is foundational in transforming both experiences and outcomes. When businesses place accessibility, empathy, and social responsibility at the centre of their design processes, the results resonate across communities and drive long-term value. From accessible physical spaces to digital experiences that work for everyone, inclusive design allows us to better serve diverse populations, which in turn strengthens our client relationships and enhances our own growth.

Social value goes beyond monetary metrics. True value lies in understanding how decisions affect people's lives, and this understanding has shaped every aspect of our work. As a human-centred design agency, we have learned that creating positive social impact requires more than good intentions, it demands a deep commitment to accessibility, inclusion, and human-centred design.

This shift is critical, as customers, employees, and stakeholders increasingly expect businesses to act responsibly and deliver value beyond financial gain. Embracing positive social impact does not just help organisations meet these expectations, it strengthens communities, builds trust, and creates loyalty, which in turn drives long-term business success.

Inclusive design, which aims to create solutions accessible to all, is foundational in transforming both experiences and outcomes. When businesses place accessibility, empathy, and social responsibility at the centre of their design processes, the results resonate across communities and drive long-term value. From accessible physical spaces to digital experiences that work for everyone, inclusive design allows us to better serve diverse populations, which in turn strengthens our client relationships and enhances our own growth.

Social value goes beyond monetary metrics. True value lies in understanding how decisions affect people's lives, and this understanding has shaped every aspect of our work. As a human-centred design agency, we have learned that creating positive social impact requires more than good intentions, it demands a deep commitment to accessibility, inclusion, and human-centred design.

Creating Social Impact

Our approach to creating meaningful social impact is demonstrated through several key projects that showcase our commitment to accessibility and inclusion.

At COP28 in Dubai, accessibility was central to our work from the start of the planning process. We delivered disability awareness training to 7,500 staff members and volunteers, developed comprehensive design frameworks, and ensured accessibility across both physical and digital touchpoints. This systematic approach helped create an inclusive environment that supported the diverse needs of delegates, staff, and visitors from around the world.

Mima partnered with Forestry England to address barriers and transform how people engage with forests as part of their Inclusive Forest programme. The programme aimed to enhance the accessibility and inclusivity of selected forests while encouraging greater activity among target groups, including disabled people, older adults, young people, socioeconomically deprived groups, ethnically diverse populations, and women and girls.

Our involvement went beyond a traditional accessibility review, representing a strategic, long-term effort to ensure that forests are welcoming to everyone, regardless of background, ability, or circumstances. By conducting a comprehensive analysis of the visitor journey across 19 forests in England, we took a holistic approach to identifying and addressing access challenges. Our multidisciplinary team, including members with lived experience of disability, assessed every stage of the visitor experience, from initial online planning to navigating trails, using facilities, and feeling welcomed in the environment.

Our research focused on overcoming complex barriers in the following areas:

• Physical accessibility

• Psychological comfort and emotional safety

• Social and cultural inclusivity

• Practical navigation and transportation

We made practical recommendations covering areas such as accessibility information on websites, public transport and active travel infrastructure, cafes and facilities, parking and orientation, wayfinding and signage, accessible trails, staff presence, and community events. By engaging directly with local communities and consulting individuals with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, our approach ensured these recommendations were rooted in real-world insights, making them both relevant and strategically aligned with the needs of the local communities.

The result was a comprehensive strategic matrix of recommendations that touched on everything from website information and public transport support to facility design, wayfinding, and community engagement.

Our work with VisitEngland demonstrates how practical guidance can create real change. Working with businesses in the tourism sector, we recognised a common challenge: many want to be more inclusive but don't know where to start, especially with limited resources. We developed straightforward, actionable guidance that helps these businesses make meaningful improvements within their means. It's about breaking down barriers and showing that accessibility improvements can be achieved step by step, making tourism more welcoming for everyone.

Social Value Journey

The landscape of social impact continues to evolve. Stakeholder expectations are rising, regulatory demands are increasing, and the link between sustainable practices and business success grows stronger every day.

Social Value History

• 2012 -The Social Value Act was passed, requiring public service commissioners to consider how their work could deliver broader social, economic, and environmental benefits.

• 2018 - Social Value Act was reformed to require governments to explicitly evaluate and report on the social value of major contracts.

• 2020 - The UK government introduced the Social Value Model, ensuring a consistent approach to evaluating social value policies during procurement.

• 2021 - The Social Value Model became mandatory for all government procurement activities, embedding social value into every stage of the process.

Our own commitment to social impact extends beyond our client work. In 2023, our team contributed 18 pro bono hours to social and environmental projects. By 2024, we've already quadrupled that effort with over 80 volunteer hours. But numbers tell only part of the story.

We're particularly proud of becoming B Corporation certified in July 2024. This milestone represents not an endpoint but a milestone in our ongoing journey to do better for people and the planet. The B Impact Assessment has been our compass, helping us navigate toward greater social and environmental responsibility while maintaining our business success.

We understand that starting or advancing a social impact journey can feel overwhelming. But the key is to start. These are four of the common frameworks that many businesses use, which are useful as a starting point:

Adapted from “Choosing the Right Framework to Measure Social Value” - https://www.actionfunder.org/resources/choosing-the-right-framework-to-measure-social-value/

Creating positive social impact goes hand in hand with business success. We’ve seen how organisations that prioritise accessibility, inclusion, and social value achieve better outcomes for everyone involved. Our experience continues to show that inclusive design leads to solutions that effectively serve more people.

We are focused on practical, accessible design solutions that work for everyone, making spaces and services more inclusive and helping organisations measure their social impact meaningfully. This approach not only builds stronger communities but also supports business growth. Collaboration and co-creating solutions is key to making lasting change. By sharing knowledge and working alongside organisations, communities, and lived experience users, we can create more inclusive environments and experiences that benefit everyone.

Written by:

Lisa Baker
Head of Experience Design & Sustainability

Lisa is a Chartered Ergonomist with 15 years of experience across various industries, including healthcare, transport, culture and heritage. Lisa specialises in bridging human factors and service design to create innovative and sustainable services and experiences, grounded in evidence.

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