Social Value Statement
FireText is committed to delivering social value throughout the business. We’ve always had a strong ethos in supporting Social Value and its measurable impact on the local area. We’ve proudly shared some of the highlights below in line with the Social Value Priorities set out in the PPN 06/2020.
COVID-19 Recovery
Help local communities to manage and recover from the impact
Leading SMS provider for COVID Communications
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, FireText led major SMS communications across the UK - from test result communications to nationwide vaccine booster campaigns.
Our platform delivered mass messages instantly, helping to keep communities safe through schemes such as test and trace - and providing support for a smoother transition to the ‘new normal’.
We offered a free track and trace service to restaurants, bars and cafes across the UK to support the hospitality sector in keeping staff and customers safe.
Health and wellbeing measures
While homeworking during lockdown periods, we arranged regular activities to boost team morale and mental health - including virtual sessions with a personal trainer. By doing so, we were able to look out for our team while being in a position to support the Government’s COVID communications via SMS.
Post-lockdown, we ensured a safe transition to office working with employee-led initiatives including daily testing, social distancing measures, and masks.
Tackling Economic Inequality #1
Create new businesses, new jobs and new skills
Providing local employment opportunities
As well as creating jobs for local talent, we utilise the services of local businesses where possible. Our telephone support company is within 3 miles of our HQ, and we often work with local creatives, such as graphic designers.
Sponsoring the DVLA’s groundbreaking Code Challenge
We’re all for creating opportunities for young people - particularly in the tech industry - which is why we became a sponsor for the DVLA Code Challenge in 2018. The challenge, which encouraged fun learning for STEM subjects, allowed school pupils to develop coding abilities, teamwork and communication. The winners received thousands of pounds worth of state-of-the-art IT equipment.
Supporting employees - from mentoring to living wages
FireText provides each team member with a Personal Development Allowance of 10 days a year. This gives each employee access to mentoring sessions of their choice. We do this to help each and every person thrive in their chosen subject, so they can keep moving forward in their careers.
We offer apprenticeship positions so that people in the local area can expand their skill set, meaning we can take on fresh talent. As well as this, we’re always on the lookout for training opportunities to support the team’s professional development.
Beyond providing learning opportunities, we’re proudly an accredited living wage employer.
Tackling Economic Inequality #2
Increase supply chain resilience and capacity
Supporting innovation and trailblazing technologies
As a digital company, we provide innovative and disruptive technologies for our customers. We also make use of intelligent tech across our supply chain to provide our SMS services. This allows us to deliver a level of service that rates us as the best SMS company in the UK.
Our advanced tech solutions have even been the subject of presentations to local business owners, to create next-level strategies.
Demonstrating a collaborative and fair approach across supply chains
FireText is an active and founding member of both the Mobile Ecosystem Forum's (MEF) SMS Protection Registry. We are signatories to the MEF Trust in Enterprise Messaging code of conduct.
Our collaboration with networks and the MEF enables us to eradicate unwanted SMS communications for the UK public.
Providing market-leading cyber security
FireText has a large number of badges, especially when it comes to Security. Information Security is at the heart of our offering.
We are audited to UKAS ISO27001:2017 and certified with Cyber Essentials Plus. We also have external Penetration Testing of our systems by a CREST and NCSC CHECK provider. This allows us to operate and maintain a business with security at the core of all of our operations. This includes auditing and reviewing our key suppliers and minimising cyber security risks across the whole FireText delivery and application.
Showcasing resilience across the business
As part of this, we keenly share our reliability as a key offering to customers. Our company’s resilience in functionality, cyber security and customer support is promoted by our directors and the whole FireText team to suppliers and customers.
Where possible, our directors, Dan and James, share business experiences through local invitations to present with other businesses in the community. They were awarded an Education Business Partnership Award for ‘Inspiring Tomorrow’s Workforce’.
Fighting Climate Change
Effective stewardship of the environment
FireText is carbon neutral. This means we offset the carbon emissions of every SMS message our customers send.
We've worked with leading environmental experts at TEVI / University of Exeter to calculate our carbon footprint across all 3 scopes in accordance with PPN 06/21.
This includes direct energy we consume - from our BREEAM-built office, carbon-neutral coffee and commutes, to our supply chain of climate-conscious data centres. Even the energy to transmit every FireText SMS.
We choose to invest in local tree planting projects through Verified Carbon Standard offsets. This means we offset every tonne of carbon we produce, along with the related emissions of our suppliers - despite their own carbon-saving measures.
We have a dedicated ‘climate champion’, who measures our progress. They regularly touch base with the team for climate catch-ups, discussing ways we can continue to reduce our footprint and keep building on our knowledge, through initiatives such as environmental impact courses.
Beyond the team, we will continue to liaise with the management at Tremough Innovation (our shared office building) on ways to reduce our carbon footprint. This includes the advocacy of renewable energy tariffs.
You can view our Environmental Statement here.
Equal Opportunity
Reduce the disability employment gap and tackle workforce inequality
As an equal opportunities employer, FireText is committed to providing a working environment in which employees are able to realise their full potential and contribute to its business success irrespective of their gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, part-time status, age, religion or belief.
Our commitment to equal opportunity extends to recruitment, where we will continually take action to ensure any job opportunities are open to all. You can view our Equal Opportunities Policy here.
FireText is committed to ensuring no modern slavery or human trafficking takes place across our business - including our supply chains. You can view our Modern Slavery Statement here.
Wellbeing #1
Improve health and wellbeing
At FireText, we’ve always focused on creating a comfortable, happy and open environment for the whole team. We have the same supportive ethos for the team as we have for our customers.
We do this in many ways; daily walks through the scenic routes and wildflower gardens of Falmouth University Campus, team away day adventures, tasty coffee and even virtual workouts during lockdown.
Wellbeing #2
Improve community integration
Our mission is to not only support our customers, but to look out for the communities around us. With a keen interest in unlocking opportunities for all, our directors share their own business knowledge with fellow start-ups and aspiring business owners alike. We proudly get involved in supporting the community by:
Mentoring young people
Our founders gave a motivational talk at the Young Enterprise Awards, which celebrates the success of young people and equips them with the work skills, knowledge and confidence they need to thrive.
We were on a panel with Unlocking Potential that supports ambitious job seekers in Cornwall - providing top tips on interviews and inspiring business insights to help participants achieve their dream job.
We provided careers advice and support to school children in locations surrounding our HQ in Cornwall. This included talks to children all about careers and possibilities in Cornwall, as well as larger talks to business studies students about the realities of setting up a business locally.
Supporting local businesses
Led a course on ‘how to work remotely’ during lockdown, giving advice to businesses on helpful tools and practices to aid teams when working from home.
Our founders have given many talks to local start-ups and enthusiastic graduates alike, equipping them with ambition and encouragement to succeed in business. This has been at a local level at Innovation Centres, as well as at Universities at Falmouth and Southampton.
Taking environmental action
We collaborated with environmental experts at the University of Exeter to put together a rigorous carbon reduction plan for FireText - including a plan of action to become carbon negative (following carbon neutral status) by offsetting our emissions by 150% on a quarterly basis from 2022.
Our founders took part in a 10-day course from one of the country's best known eco-businesses, The Eden Project, on ways to reduce our carbon footprint as a business - taking corporate social responsibility.
Committing to monthly foodbank donations
To help our local community amidst the ongoing toll of the pandemic and the rise in energy bill costs, FireText funds a monthly foodbank shop for the local foodbank of our HQ. A member of our team personally delivers packages each month.
Last reviewed December 2023