The APCRG is a group of MPs and members of the House of Lords committed to promoting corporate responsibility within parliament and beyond. As part of their work, they highlight a small number of businesses each year from across the UK as Responsible Business Champions. Nominated by Peter Heaton Jones, the MP for North Devon where the business is based, Applegate joins major corporations such as Standard Life, BAe Systems and Zurich in receiving the honour.
Corporate responsibility encompasses many aspects of a business’ life and operation: its fundamental purpose – for Applegate, connecting buyers and sellers to help commerce work more effectively – the tax we pay to fund schools and hospitals, our role in the community, the impact we have on the environment. Over the last few years, Applegate has starkly reduced its carbon footprint by moving systems into the cloud, enabling the decommissioning of inefficient servers and air-conditioning units; the business donates £45,000 a year to local charities in Devon, it runs an extensive programme of school talks and work experience opportunities, and it provides gold-standard training through its degree apprenticeship programme. In addition to having their university fees paid and earning whilst studying, Applegate’s apprentices benefit from a wide range of broader opportunities, including visits to parliament, to other businesses and to local charities, and on graduation the company provides them with up to £15,000 each to help them buy their first home.