Responsible business

Creating Value for all our Stakeholders

FourNet is committed to maximising our positive environmental and social impacts and championing transparency in all our business operations.

Environmental, Social Governance (ESG) issues are of increasing importance to our customers, employees, and wider stakeholders. This has been brought into greater focus by the need to face the global challenges of climate change and recovering from the pandemic, to more local challenges faced by sections of our community every day.

At FourNet we realise that taking a pro-active approach to our ESG responsibilities not only enhances our operations but creates value for all our stakeholders.

Protecting our Planet

At FourNet, we are committed to effective stewardship of the environment and tackling climate change and consider the environmental impact of any business decisions made. As well as ensuring compliance with all current regulatory procedures and legislative requirements, we constantly analyse our activities to eliminate pollution, minimise the use of natural resources and the generation of waste and promote recycling wherever possible.

In partnership with customers and suppliers we seek wherever possible to conserve energy, materials and resources by limiting consumption and improving efficiency. We educate and train our employees at all levels to act in an environmentally responsible manner and encourage feedback on improvements and the sharing of best practice.

In early 2022, we produced our first baseline carbon footprint report for the calendar year 2021 which states our scope 1 and 2 emissions and selected scope 3. By investing in a certified offsetting scheme we have offset our scopes 1 and 2 and selected scope 3 emissions which totals 83 tCO2e. Our aim now is to develop a carbon management plan that will see us reduce emissions year on year in line with science-based targets, and working towards net zero carbon by 2050 in line with UK governments targets.

Download our Carbon Reduction Plan

In June 2021, Palatine Private Equity became a majority shareholder in the FourNet business. Palatine is one of the private equity leaders in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and is a pioneer in the responsible investment space. In April 2021 Palatine became the first private equity house in the UK to put their entire portfolio through internationally recognised carbon literacy training.

All employees are required to complete our online environmental awareness course and we regularly communicate our environmental goals and activities via our internal communication channels.

In March 2022, we received ISO14001 (Environmental Management) certification. Our environmental management system commits to the following:

Compliance with legal and statutory requirements
Reduction of our carbon footprint
Reduction in the overall amount of waste generated
Ensure waste is managed in accordance with environmental best practice
Decreased business mileage
Investment in FourNet employees training and development
Management of risk, risk avoidance and risk mitigation
Bi-annual process audits
Quarterly management reviews
Procurement through local supply chains, where possible
Partake in voluntary environment related projects

A Carbon Literate Organisation (CLO) is an organisation that has been accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project as having a substantial commitment to Carbon Literacy. CLO accreditation supports the development (and recruitment and retention) of a Carbon Literate workforce and requires an organisation to engage positively with its audience or community in developing and delivering low carbon behaviour.

The Carbon Literacy Project offers Carbon Literacy learning, covering climate change and carbon footprints, and is globally unique. It was recognised as such by the UN at COP21, in Paris, where it was awarded as a TAP100, one of 100 worldwide Transformative Action Programs.

Giving Back to Our Communities

We are committed to making a positive contribution to the communities in which we operate and to wider social issues. As a provider to many public sector organisations, we support the requirement of those who procure public services to secure additional social and environmental benefits. We look to add value to our communities in a range of diverse ways and our volunteer policy allows all our people two days paid volunteering each year. Below are examples of how we contribute.

Supporting the Ace Grace Foundation

As our current Charity of the Year, we support the Ace Grace Foundation to raise money for the children on Ward 84 at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.

Woodland Restoration Volunteering

Our volunteers helping to restore woodlands with City of Trees, a not-for-profit organisation delivering green recovery projects in Greater Manchester.

Easyfundraising partnership

We're delighted to have partnered with easyfundraising, the UK's leading charity cashback platform, to raise funds for our Charity of the Year.

Food Charity Volunteering

Our employees are given two days paid leave to take part in registered charity or local social enterprise activities each year and give back to our communities.

Social Environmental and Community Committee

Our SEC Committee is made up of volunteers from all parts of the business who organise, champion and drive activity such as volunteering, fundraising and environmental best practice.

Member of the Armed Forces Covenant

We are proud to be a member of the UK Armed Forces Covenant; a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.

Our ESG Team

Our ESG Working Group meets once a month to ensure that ESG is always firmly on the agenda. The group consists of people from different departments to drive activity across all of our business and in everything we do. Chaired by our ESG lead and attended by three members of our leadership team, we make sure that we are making progress and that ESG is part and parcel of our business strategy and considered in all we do.

Palatine Positive Equity

In June 2021, leading mid-market investor Palatine Private Equity acquired a majority stake in FourNet. At the time Palatine was keen to further develop our already strong ESG credentials as ESG is an integral part of the value-add proposition it brings to the businesses it invests in. Palatine has embedded an award-wining and pioneering ESG framework into its value-creation model over the last decade which enables it to work with management teams to measure, monitor and improve ESG outcomes across its portfolio businesses. We’re delighted to work with Palatine developing our ESG strategy in the coming years.

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