The client
Hyde is a not-for-profit housing association with social purpose at its core. It was set up to provide homes for people left behind by the market over 50 years ago, delivering significant levels of social value and impact since then.
Demonstrating how ESG intersects with Hyde’s corporate strategy and long-term vision
Sectors: Housing,
Services: Sustainability, ESG & Impact Communications,
The challenge
Like other associations, Hyde accesses private finance from banks and institutional investors to remain financially robust and deliver on its objectives. The rise of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) in the financial markets presented an opportunity for Hyde to demonstrate and communicate its impact and core purpose in a more measurable, accountable and transparent way, and through a common language that investors and other key stakeholders can understand.
The solution
Underpinned by Hyde’s extensive work on social value, the group embarked on a major project with its partner Sonnet Advisory & Impact CIC to establish an ESG framework. This included internal reviews and collaboration, workshops and workstreams, stakeholder and materiality mapping, and resulted in the creation of an ESG performance dashboard and framework. Social’s role was to take this framework to key audiences, making it meaningful and accessible to stakeholders, from existing and prospective funders to government partners, staff and residents.
Our Social Invest team developed a comprehensive yet punchy and user-friendly ESG report. We offered a distinctive combination of an unrivalled and detailed knowledge of the social housing sector, housing finance and the ESG landscape, alongside an understanding of Hyde’s stakeholders and target audiences. We also ran a focused press campaign to launch the report to relevant target audiences.
The impact
The launch of the ESG framework generated positive publicity for Hyde Housing, further enhancing its profile as a sector leader in social value and impact reporting. The report is part of a suite of documents, which also includes an impact report for the group’s charitable arm, which Social also helped produce. The ESG report has also enabled their communications and investor relations teams to have more meaningful conversations with current and prospective partners. It has helped them to demonstrate the tangible impact of their work, giving investors confidence that their investment is making a positive difference, and enabling the housing association to continue its work in building and managing great homes.