Social responsibility

At Graphite Capital we conduct our business in line with the Principles of Responsible Investment throughout the entire investment life-cycle and strongly support the environmental and social initiatives of our portfolio companies.

We take into account all relevant considerations of responsible investing. We assess our target companies across a broad range of criteria:

  • Environmental: including energy efficiency measures, waste management, procurement of raw materials from sustainable sources
  • Social: including compliance with prevailing employment legislation, health and safety, risk management
  • Governance: including compliance with bribery and anti-corruption legislation, responsible marketing and sales procedures, supply chain audits, internal audit functions
  • Sustainability: evaluating how the business operates in the social, cultural and economic environment to help create transparency and employee development strategies that foster long-term growth

Charitable Activities

In 2014 Graphite Capital established a £1 million charitable fund in association with the children and youth charity, Buttle UK. The charity was established by Frank Buttle in 1953 to help children and young people across the UK whose safety, health or development are at serious risk. Buttle makes small grants, based on individual need, to provide practical solutions that give children and young people a fighting chance in life. A grant can range from buying a bed or clothes for a job interview, to funding a college course or training opportunity.

Buttle supported over 35,000 children and young people last year from a variety of circumstances, ranging from children coming from homes experiencing domestic violence to young people coming out of prison and needing help to start again.

One of the largest, most vulnerable groups are estranged young adults from the ages of 16-20 who do not have the support of parents or carers and are often not the main focus of charitable activity. 

The Graphite Capital Bursary Fund has focused specifically on helping this group, providing over £0.5 million of grants to over 600 estranged young people to help them back into employment, education or training while establishing their new home.   The Bursary Fund has attracted further donations from Graphite fundraising activities and also grants from external charitable trusts.  As a result, the Bursary Fund still has £0.7m to spend on supporting  estranged young people in the years to come.