In January 2025, alongside our B Corp sustainability certification, we published our first sustainability report, to be transparent about our operations, and how they impact on society and environment. But what exactly is a sustainability report, and why is it important for businesses to publish them?
In this article, we’ll explore the basics of sustainability reporting—what it is, why it matters, and how it can benefit both businesses and stakeholders. Lastly, we’ll introduce Youpret's first sustainability report, providing an overview of our approach and the steps we’re taking toward a more sustainable future.
What is sustainability reporting?
Sustainability reporting is the practice of publicly disclosing a company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. It involves collecting and analyzing data to measure the company’s impact on society and the environment, while focusing on the lasting benefits the business creates beyond short-term profits. Sustainability reporting serves as a powerful tool for demonstrating transparency and commitment to sustainable development, and helps businesses align their strategies with broader standards such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
While there is no universally agreed template for sustainability reports, they are usually guided by frameworks such as the SDGs and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). It is common that B certified companies, called B Corps,rely on the B Corp five impact areas and combine them with SDGs or GRI standards to provide a comprehensive view of their impact.
Why is sustainability reporting important?
As regulations tighten and stakeholder expectations rise, sustainability reporting is becoming not just a best practice, but a business necessity—helping companies manage risks, improve efficiency, and ensure positive impact on their stakeholders including employees, customers, business partners and the planet. As the climate crisis escalates and its effects on people and the planet become more severe, society’s calls for action grow louder.
At the same time, governments and businesses are under increasing pressure to take responsibility and drive meaningful change. For example, many domestic laws as well as the recent EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) mandates large companies and listed SMEs to disclose their environmental and social impact. Even though not all small and medium-sized companies are legally required to comply with these regulations, the good news is that more businesses, regardless of size, are recognizing their crucial role in building a sustainable future. As a result, they are shifting their focus toward measuring, disclosing, and improving their environmental and social impact.
How sustainability reporting helps businesses?
Stakeholders are no longer just expecting organizations to do well—they are demanding that businesses make a meaningful, positive impact on society and the environment. Increasingly, surveys show that consumers are willing to pay a premium for products and services from companies that demonstrate a clear commitment to sustainability. For instance, according to the Finnish Commerce Federation’s survey in 2022, 70% of Finns would prefer to support socially responsible businesses, and 46% are willing to pay more for such products and services.
This aligns with our ongoing customer survey that so far 92% of respondents find it "very important" or "important" for interpreting and language services companies to act responsibly toward society and the environment. This highlights how critical sustainability is to customers today.
At the same time, sustainability reporting enables businesses to have a more clear picture about their sustainability structure and goals. It helps to track progress, and set new, ambitious targets for the future and ultimately driving continuous improvement toward a more sustainable world.
What does Youpret's first sustainability report look like?
Click on the picture to download Youpret’s sustainability report
While Youpret is not currently subject to the CSRD requirements, we decided to publish our first sustainability report as we aim to be transparent and this growing trend needs all companies’ contribution.
To ensure consistency between our financial report and sustainability report, we’ve decided to align the time frame of both reports, covering the period from September 2023 to August 2024. This allows stakeholders to review our financial and sustainability efforts side by side for the same duration.
In this report, we’ve drawn inspiration from the B Corp impact areas and expanded upon them by adding two additional sections. Therefore, after the introductory section, the report is divided into seven key sections, including our operations, interpreters, governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.
In each section, we've included tables that clearly illustrate our actions, the results, impact of those actions, and the relevant SDGs. Therefore the SDGs are seamlessly integrated into the overall framework. On top of these, each section concludes with a set of goals for the next reporting period.
As explained in the “Our operation” section, Youpret’s main operations provide a comprehensive insight into how Youpret is operating in line with sustainable development goals. The main operations are as follows:
1. Developing the Youpret application: enhancing efficiency and quality in the interpreting industry.
- This benefits all our stakeholders, and aims to fulfill SDG 9.1 “Developing sustainable and inclusive infrastructure and fostering innovation”
2. Providing smart and fast interpreting services: our mediation services promote social inclusion of migrants and refugees.
3. Providing job offers for interpreters: supporting freelancers, part-time or full-time interpreters.
4. Promoting decent working life: maintaining a diverse and harassment-free workplace and offering job promotions and development opportunities.
5. Providing professional training: holding recruitment trainings and providing free interpreting courses in Youpret Academy
If you're interested in exploring other sections of the report or want deeper insights, we invite you to read the full report for a comprehensive view of our journey!
You can also visit our sustainability webpage and B Corp webpage to learn more about our commitment to sustainability. For further questions, feedback or collaboration on sustainability, please contact Aida by sending an email to aida.jodeiri@youpret.com.
Author:
Aida Jodeiri
Sustainability Coordinator
aida.jodeiri@youpret.com
LinkedIn
Aida has a master's degree in Environmental Policy and Law from the University of Eastern Finland and her first master's degree is in human rights law. At Youpret, she has focused on topics related to sustainability and sustainability reporting as well as interpreter and customer satisfaction surveys. In her free time, Aida likes to dance and play badminton.