Posted 2nd Dec 2019 by Jo

Why should we focus on “Tech for Good” Companies?

CookiesHQ is a Bristol-based software development agency. We build exciting and bespoke websites and apps for startups, scale-ups and multinationals. 

We launched our Tech4Good competition on December 2nd. Whether you have an idea or a business, or even if you would like to nominate a company you think is worthy of taking the prize, you can enter here. The full list of the prizes to be won can be found here (which includes a one-hour free social media consultation from Seeing Social!). The competition ends on December 25th so enter now!

But why the focus on promoting “Tech for Good” companies? We give you the top reasons… 

 

  1. It’s not just about the company, it’s about the team 

 

Good business practices go beyond the actual product or service that a company is selling. A true tech for good company actively seeks to promote diversity in the workplace, as well as creating ethical working conditions for its employees. 

With 78% of large organisations admitting to having a gender pay gap in tech, and 52% of interviewed women in tech saying that they had experienced gender discrimination of gender bias in the workplace (Women in Tech Survey), it is important for technology companies to promote a more equal opportunity for women looking to enter the tech industry. 

In addition, people from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds (BAME) account for just 4% of the UK tech workforce (PwC) showing the lack of ethnic diversity in these workplaces. Tech for good companies will recognize this and actively seek to promote a more ethnically diverse workplace. 

 

Diversity goes beyond gender and ethnicity: It should also be recognised as differences in neuro-diversity, geography and socio-economic background. 


 

  1. It’s important to realise that Tech for Good companies don’t necessarily forfeit their bottom lines 

 

A tech for good company is not necessarily a not-for-profit company. In the UK, for-profit or purpose-led tech for good companies have raised over £1.09 billion of VC funding, with a recorded turnover of £732 million (Technation). 

By showing that a tech company can be “good” without forfeiting their bottom line, we can open the conversation to more tech companies about the need (or their responsibility) to do more good socially and environmentally and widen the scope to do more good in business.


 

  1. Beyond promoting social good, tech for good companies are also environmentally conscious

 

Switch on the news, listen to Greta, or watch one of the recent David Attenborough documentaries, and it’s very apparent that humans are damaging the environment at an increasingly fast rate. Technology companies have a large part to play when it comes to preserving the environment. For example, old phones contribute to 3 million metric tons of e-waste each year, of which less than 16% is correctly recycled (Forbes) and according to Greenpeace, there are more than 65 million metric tons of e-waste worldwide.

There are actions that tech companies can take to reduce their emissions. For example, Apple uses data centres that are powered 100% by renewable energy (Press Release). 

Smaller tech companies can also take action to help the environment, such as supporting ClimateAction.tech. 


Are you in need of help to develop or review your tech product? Contact the team at CookiesHQ here