Our impact in 2024

Our impact in 2024 – the highlights

🌍 B Corp® certified – In 2024, we officially became part of B Corp; a global movement of companies that do good for people, the planet and society.

🎯 More focused choices – We made our mission even more specific. We set out six impact themes where we want our work to make a difference.

❤️ Partnership with War Child – We helped War Child improve their digital platform so they can support even more children in conflict zones.

📖 25 years of Valsplat in a book – We wrote an anniversary book – Weg van tech – about our love-hate relationship with technology and the importance of the human standard in the digital world.

🍴 Chief’s Table – On two occasions, we sat down with digital leaders for a gourmet dinner to share challenges and experiences in the digital world.

We make the greatest impact through our clients

Our clients’ digital services and products play a significant role in people’s lives. So, if we succeed in integrating the human element into their processes and projects, we contribute to a better world for many.

More revenue from impactful work
In 2024, 44% of our revenue came from work that aligns with our impact areas. Our ambition is much greater: we’re aiming for 80% by 2028. B Corp applies a stricter definition of impactful work: only projects for B Corps, NGOs, mission-driven organisations or businesses run by under-represented groups count. According to that standard, 42% of our turnover in 2024 came from impactful work.

Customer satisfaction at a solid 8
In 2024, we aimed for a customer satisfaction score of at least 8. We achieved that. But satisfaction goes beyond a mere score. We remain in constant dialogue with our clients. We learn from their experiences. And we are constantly exploring how we can make a greater impact together.

Our team makes the difference

In 2024, we worked with 53 passionate Valsplatters to achieve our mission and ambition. We continuously invest in our culture and in the growth and vitality of the team. For our B Corp certification, we scored 35 points on the ​‘employees’ theme – that’s 60% higher than the average score.

Satisfied employees
Every year, we ask our team how satisfied they are. We use their feedback to continuously improve our policies.

Gender diversity 
We know that diversity goes beyond gender alone. Nevertheless, we’re proud to have been at the forefront for years when it comes to the representation of women in tech. Whilst the industry as a whole consists of 30% women and 70% men*, our team has been nicely balanced for years.

Age diversity 
Our team comprises colleagues of all ages. And that is precisely our strength. This mix of ages brings experience, different perspectives and a constant exchange of knowledge.

* source: Dutch Digital Agencies key figures 2023

Our impact on the community goes beyond mere financial support

We support local initiatives through fair, local procurement. We actively share our knowledge through guest lectures. And we volunteer our UX expertise to charitable organisations, such as War Child. This is how we made a difference in 2024.

This year, we gave 6.5% of our profit back to society
Every year, we aim to donate at least 1.5% of our net profit — in the form of pro bono work, money or goods. But just like last year, we went well beyond that. In 2024, we donated 6.5% of our net profit.

Among others, we supported Cybersoek, Stichting Thuisgekookt, KWF and Leren voor de Toekomst with financial donations. And we were proud to work pro bono on a wonderful project for War Child.

58% of our procurement comes from the local area
Every choice counts — including where we source our supplies. That’s why we tightened up our procurement policy in 2023. The result: in 2024, 58% of our procurement was local. That means conscious choices at Valsplat, Hofstede Sterreschans and Happy Labs. In this way, we’re not only supporting the local community, but also building a fairer, more sustainable supply chain.

We organised 7 educational sessions
We held a session at Dag Digitale Inclusie. Valsplat contributed to the ​‘Accessibility and Inclusivity’ section there. We gave a talk about our work for the Child Protection Board during Design Systems Week 2024. And we delivered guest lectures at institutions including The Hague University of Applied Sciences, HAN University of Applied Sciences and Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.

We take a responsible approach to our planet and are reducing our environmental footprint

In 2023, we drew up a policy to minimise our impact on the environment. In this way, we remain committed to sustainability, the climate and the environment – both within Valsplat and in collaboration with our partners and suppliers. We also help customers to develop and deploy digital solutions responsibly. 

A new lease of life for our laptops in Ukraine
Laptops that we no longer use are refurbished by our IT partner. We then donated them in 2024 to Aid to Ukraine, a charity that provides support to aid workers in the Kharkiv region.

Sustainable commuting
To reduce the impact of our commuting, we encourage working from home, cycling, using public transport and car-sharing. We make it easier to travel by public transport by providing Valsplat bikes at the nearest station for staff, customers and visitors alike. We also have a car-sharing scheme. Finally, in 2024, we applied for electric charging points to be installed at the farm, to encourage electric driving as much as possible.

Waste separation in partnership with a waste management company
In 2024, we took further steps to minimise waste. We have been separating cardboard and glass for some time now. This year, we entered into a partnership with a waste management company to further improve the process for our PD waste (plastic packaging and beverage cartons). This new process has a particularly significant impact on our operations and the carbon footprint of our event venue, Hofstede Sterreschans.

A healthy balance between people, the environment and profit

In everything we do, there must be a healthy balance between people, the environment and profit. To ensure that these elements are firmly embedded in our day-to-day processes, we have taken a number of steps.

An engaged advisory board
Our advisory board – comprising Wietske Kamsma, Jasper van Kuijk and Anne Nijenhuis – met with our shareholders twice in 2024. Among other things, they discussed the 2023 impact report, our impact targets, our refined mission and Valsplat’s overall strategy. They also provided input for our book Weg van Tech.

Diversity in the leadership team
As mentioned, we have been at the forefront of women’s representation in tech for years. We also ensure a balance within our leadership team. In 2024, the team comprised 44% women and 56% men.

Critical Impact Lead
Our efforts in the area of impact affect the entire organisation. To maintain an overview of all ongoing initiatives, we appointed an Impact Lead. The Impact Lead acts as our critical conscience and contributes to assessing the feasibility of impact goals and plans.

Better implementation of the procurement policy
In 2023, we were not yet adhering consistently enough to our procurement policy. For example, sharing the code of conduct with suppliers. In 2024, we therefore embedded this more effectively into our processes.

Further development of the remuneration policy 
We believe in transparent and fair remuneration. In 2024, we began reviewing our appraisal cycle and the communication of its results. This provides staff with greater transparency. A review of the job classification system is planned for 2025.

What are we taking forward into 2025?

More impactful work
In 2024, 43% of our turnover came from impactful work – 5 percentage points more than in 2023. We’re proud of that. But we’re not there yet: 80% is an ambitious target, and you don’t achieve that overnight. Demand for impactful work doesn’t grow by itself. We need to keep driving it forward – by inspiring clients with what’s possible and showing them how impact can also accelerate their success. We’ll be focusing even more on this in the coming years. Read about how we ensure our work aligns with our mission. 

Reducing our carbon footprint
We are a relatively small organisation, without extensive production processes or (international) travel. Changes we make in the environmental sphere therefore have a relatively small impact. Nevertheless, we’re continuing to make improvements in our office and to make our travel arrangements even greener.

Diversity and inclusion
As we noted in our 2023 report, although we have a reasonably diverse team in terms of gender and age, we are quite homogeneous in terms of educational background and cultural background. This issue will remain a priority for us in 2025.

Submit your challenge as an impact project

A few times a year, we offer our expertise on a pro bono basis for projects that resonate with us and where we can add value. Does your challenge align with our mission? Let us know – perhaps there’s an opportunity for a fruitful collaboration.