Committed to making a positive impact on the world
As part of the CareTech Group and through our partnerships with Purple, we take part in initiatives to support communities and projects that are important to us.
Raising awareness of the value and needs of disabled customers
Purple Tuesday is a global social movement for organisations of all sizes and sectors to get involved in. By partnering with Purple Tuesday, we take an active role in helping to raise awareness about how businesses can improve their services and remove barriers they may be creating for disabled consumers.
We are dedicated to involving disabled people in designing our products and services and embrace the creation of technology for AAC users, by AAC users. We’re also seeking to collaborate with charities and organisations to increase awareness about how AAC can support disabled individuals, and to better understand the different needs of the people they serve.
Making a difference with CareTech Foundation
The CareTech Charitable Foundation is an independent grant-making corporate foundation, set up make a positive difference in communities in the UK and overseas. They support and champion the social care sector, care workers and those living in care through various grants.
As part of the CareTech group, our teams and customers can access benefit from a number of initiatives offered by the CareTech Foundation. For example, Smartboxers can apply for community grants to support charities and projects important to them. 3% of our profits go to the Foundation to support these initiatives.
Match-funding for Grid users
The CareTech Foundation provides match-funding to staff and service users’ individual fundraising efforts for charitable causes. As part of the CareTech group, our staff and users of Grid AAC software are eligible to apply for a match-funding grant of up to £350 per year for their charity fundraising activity. Fundraising for a charity of your choice cannot be used to fund any of our products or services.
Smartbox is on a journey to a greener, more sustainable future
We are passionate about working in a way that maximizes positive impact on society, reduces the impact of our operations on the environment, and meets the needs of our stakeholders.
Over the last year we have been making progress on our goal to become B-Corp certified. Being a B-Corp goes beyond just being eco-friendly; it’s about joining a worldwide effort to eliminate poverty, safeguard the planet, and ensure everyone experiences lasting prosperity together.
NHS Evergreen Assessment
We are pleased to have completed the NHS Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment, and received Level 1: Publicly committed to net zero carbon an engaged with sustainability. For those interested, here is a link to our latest carbon footprint data and summary sheets for our UK offices.
We are investing significantly in research and development
Through rigorous testing and innovation, we aim to make our products last longer, with more sustainable components, longer battery life, and reduced charging times. We are focused on improving the durability of our products, decreasing the frequency of repairs, in turn reducing waste.
We’re committed to reducing the need for accessories, with more built-in features and greater accessibility. We aim to provide our next generation of devices in recyclable packaging, with fewer printed materials, and more information available online to help users get started.
Our team are a force for good, supporting charities that mean the most to them
Square Food Foundation
Hannah spent her charity day with the Square Food Foundation, a cookery school and community kitchen in South Bristol.
Local Food Bank
Lewis, Dan and Darren spent their annual charity day at a local food bank in Bristol.
Crisis
Son ran crochet, knitting, and crafting classes with Crisis. She also helped decorating the hotel, serving food and arranging doctors’ appointments for service users.