The Common Thread

AT THE VIRTUAL FORGE WE BUILD GREAT SOFTWARE AND PROVIDE AMAZING SERVICES TO OUR CLIENTS. AS A RESULT, WE’VE BUILT A GREAT BUSINESS.

However, we know that commercial success is not created in a vacuum, it relies on a healthy, happy workforce and a sustainable environment. As such, it is really important that we live our values and remind ourselves of our responsibilities to those around us.

Three areas are of particular importance to us;

Ensuring that employees are treated with decency and fairness Ensuring that everyone has a place to live Ensuring the sustainability of our natural environment

In the area of fair and decent work, we have engaged in three initiatives where we can use our capabilities for positive change to drive diversity and equality regardless of race or disability. The first is our support of Power Women with our sister company, Dreamtek. Its purpose is to assist with equality in the workplace. We have also recently started to support Astrid who supports those suffering from long term illness to come back to work. Finally, we have joined the Fair Labour Alliance, which is working to stop exploitative labour practices around the world.

In relation to homelessness, we have been dismayed to note that homelessness is again on the rise. We are supporting local homeless charities in London, Lisbon, Philadelphia, New York, and San Francisco . We do this because we believe that we all have a duty to do what we can to ensure that people have a basic level of shelter.

In relation to environmental sustainability, we have developed CleanCar.io with substantial technical effort and investment. We are expanding the portfolio of services offered by Cleancar to include a personal ‘EcoWallet’ in 2020 and adding air quality monitoring systems to help tackle urban air pollution.

Ultimately, the success of the Virtual Forge comes from our eagerness to embrace innovation and to use our skills to help solve critical social problems. We will continue to do this through the products and services we develop and sell. However, we also want to send a strong message about the need to build a better world. Thus, to reflect our commitment to social change and a healthier society, we will become a ‘B-Corporation’ which will help structure our day to day commitment to a sustainable future.

We want everyone associated with the Virtual Forge to feel proud of their work and of the positive impact we have on the world around us. We will continue to weave this into all we do.