Who We Are
The Onlii is a creative agency that was established in 2021 with a singular vision: to build a company that would create brilliant work for our clients, while maintaining a positive influence on society and the environment. In short, we wanted to create a business that took purpose as seriously as its profits.
Today, we work with brands who are as committed to their beliefs as we are and who want to be part of a movement for positive change.
Our team is made of thinkers and doers based around the UK, but we also collaborate with creators in New York and Portland, to service our clients in North America.
Our Behaviours
Being a B Corp ™ Certified creative agency means we adhere to a high level of standards and conduct ourselves accordingly. We try our best to live by certain behaviours every day. These are:
Learning. We’re always learning
Agility. We embrace challenges with agility & decisiveness
Integrity. We consciously do the right thing for people and the planet
Thoughtful. We believe that being thoughtful and fair enables better collaboration
Diversity. We respect every voice in the room
Determined. We hold steadfast in the face of adversity, and act as a force for good.
Our creative process is shaped by culture, community, learning and development and our business ethos.
Sustainability
We built sustainability into The Onlii’s foundations. It runs right through everything that we do; how we operate as a business and our creative output.
Our business strategy is aligned to seven of the United Nation Goals (UNSDG’s) that we feel we can directly influence in a positive (and genuine) way. We continue to invest in sustainable marketing training for our team and are constantly seeking out innovative ways to meet our sustainability goals. Every person at The Onlii has a PDR objective aligned to a UNSDG that they are passionate about and feel they can influence.
B Corp
B Corp ™ certification requires a business to prove that it’s creating a positive impact for the environment and society, which is assessed and scored across five pillars: Governance, Workers, Customers, Community and Environment.
The values and principles of B Corp were a blueprint for our business, and we set out to be certified within three years of trading. In May 2023, we reached that goal. But for us, it’s just the start. We’re passionate about helping businesses, especially creative agencies, who are thinking about getting started on their B Corp journey. If you want to find out what we’ve learned so far, get in touch.
1% Percent for the Planet
We’re proud to be members of 1% for the Planet; a global network with thousands of businesses and environmental organisations who want to hold themselves accountable for their environmental impact. Like every member of 1% for The Planet, we’re committed to donating at least 1% of our annual sales directly to environmental organisations.
In 2023, our donation went to Big Blue Ocean Clean-up, which you can learn about on their website here. We also provided pro bono creative for 1% for The Planet member called Just One Tree in addition to our financial donation.
Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We’re actively committed to embedding Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within all aspects of our business practice. Cultivating a more diverse, inclusive and equitable space for all is integral to our growth. It helps us reposition how others see the world, making us a more compelling prospect to work for and with. We have partnered with external HR and EEDI changemakers to provide specialist support and scaffold our existing business practice as we grow.
We have already carried out first cultural assessment of our business, and are developing a robust EEDI strategy, as well as metrics to measure our progress. Our first assessment showed that we have a:
- Leadership team 1/3 female and BIPOC.
- We’re 50% Non-British background and have neuro divergency within the team.
- We’re cross generational with almost 50/50 gender split and multilingual staff members.
Training and Development
Our dedication to social and environmental responsibility extends beyond our projects. We invest in our people by fostering a culture of learning through upskilling and training; helping them to reach their full potential.
By empowering our team and fuelling their professional growth, we can stay at the forefront of the creative industry; producing impactful, purpose-driven campaigns that make a difference.
Open Source
We love helping other businesses at the start of their B Corp journey by sharing our learnings and challenges. Having gone through the B Impact assessment ourselves, we know that it’s a complicated process — and that it can be tough to get started.
No one has all the answers. But we want to share what we have learned on our B Corp journey so far and provide access to the communities and networks we’ve built. We’re already giving free advice to businesses who are interested in becoming B Corp certified. We’re here to have a chat if you want to be one of them.
