Society

“We have some fantastic and longstanding partnerships all over the world. These partnerships help us understand some of the challenges local communities are facing and how we can offer our skills and resources to further their causes. We are having a positive impact beyond our products and services and building relationships which endure.”

Heidi Mulvey, Head of Community Engagement

We are committed to increasing our impact on society beyond our products and services by acting with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships. We take the needs of our stakeholders and communities seriously and engage widely to ensure they feel valued.

Community engagement and volunteering

An impactful community engagement programme is a core part of our educational mission, with efforts spanning across our global operations and creating a lasting impact through volunteering, partnerships and programmes. By supporting communities in the places we operate, we can better understand the needs of our stakeholders and help to increase our impact on society.

Beyond products and services

Our extensive community engagement programme encourages colleagues to volunteer and contribute to their local communities worldwide. We empower our international offices to build relationships with community organisations and charities, with a focus on educational initiatives.

Over the last five years, colleagues have volunteered nearly 19,500 hours to support a wide range of initiatives, from environmental conservation and school engagement to refugee support and food distribution
Over the past five years, the number of annual individual volunteers has risen from 170 to more than 1,000
Since 2021, over 1,300 young people from local Cambridge and Peterborough state schools have received careers-related opportunities, including virtual and in-person work experience, careers workshops, mock interviews and career carousels
Volunteering is an integral part of the new starter induction in our Philippines office, where more than 500 colleagues volunteered last year

How and why we volunteer

Volunteering builds relationships with educational charities and organisations, helping colleagues appreciate some of the challenges their local communities face and encouraging them to offer their skills. Volunteering also helps deepen their connection to Cambridge’s educational mission, fostering a stronger appreciation for the context in which they serve customers and learners.

“By the end of their placements, students have more confidence and optimism about their transferrable skills and careers options; they have tangible examples of experience to include in their CV; and they realise that rewarding work is fun and attainable.”

Heidi Mulvey, Head of Community Engagement

Volunteering allows colleagues to use skills they might not use in their day job and promotes their wellbeing. It also helps build stronger teams through shared experiences outside the office, attracts and retains talent who value community involvement and increases overall colleague engagement.

Individual volunteering: Supporting colleagues’ passions with paid time off

Skills-based volunteering: Using professional expertise to help local educational charities

Team-building volunteering: Departments organising team volunteering days, such as tree planting in Manila and India, and conservation work with the Wildlife Trust in Cambridgeshire and the Midlands

Work experience programme: Hosting placements for students from state schools in Cambridge

Educational support: Reading with primary school children, English sessions for people seeking asylum, helping with school engagement activities or volunteering as school governors (receiving five paid days per year). In the Philippines, more than 200 colleagues have so far helped to renovate a school with infrastructure challenges and are participating in learning camps for children, focusing on mathematics, English, reading and storytelling.

Charity support: Colleagues volunteer at events to help charity partners raise funds; they put together gift parcels for families at Christmas and they prepare meals with a charity supporting children with street experience.

“Community engagement is a very obvious and tangible way that we can be making a positive impact in the communities where we work.”

Catie Sheret, General Counsel and Board Sponsor for Sustainability

Cambridge seeks to develop strategic partnerships with charities over extended periods, enabling conversations when they need specific expertise or support.

Making a meaningful difference with charitable giving

This year, Cambridge colleagues around the world supported nearly 90 charities and community projects. Together, we donated over £200,000, including £17,000 in matched funding. Over five years, more than £1,001,000 has been donated to charitable causes. Since 2021, nearly 578,000 books have been donated to book charities such as Book Aid International, who we have worked with for more than 30 years.

CASE STUDY

Work experience and insights for UK school students

Community engagement at Cambridge has a strong educational focus, creating work experience placements and careers insights for state school students, many of whom would not otherwise have access to them. In the UK, we have reached more than 1,300 school students since 2021, through events including in-person and virtual work experience, mock interviews and careers workshops and carousels. In 2025, placements were advertised to 20 local state schools. Students applied for roles and were invited to interview, mirroring real-world job application experiences. 46 students were offered placements, up from 32 in 2024. Students applied for roles and were invited to interview and many colleagues initially offering single placements have increased to hosting two to four students.

“Our reputation, and that of the whole University of Cambridge, hinges on that. Teachers, students and researchers around the world are depending on us to get this right. If we do not live up to this standard, we must act. We want people to know they can speak up if they see something that is wrong.”

Peter Phillips, Chief Executive

Operating ethically

Being a mission-based organisation makes a big difference to Cambridge’s approach to ethics. Rather than emphasising legal compliance alone, Cambridge focuses on upholding its reputation and mission, which resonates more strongly with colleagues than simply following rules and which drives ethical behaviour throughout the organisation.

When we publish content, deliver assessments, support learners, teachers and researchers, or conduct research, we – and those we serve – rightly expect the highest ethical standards.

Our Code of Ethics is a foundational document for our organisational policies and principles. All colleagues read and acknowledge the Code of Ethics annually, which is designed to support day-to-day decision making. It sets out how Cambridge’s values apply to our organisational activities, helping frame the way we make decisions.

Core ethical principles and governance

Cambridge has a clear ethical decision-making framework that helps colleagues determine if decisions align with the organisational values:

Empowerment: Taking accountability for decisions

Responsibility: Acting with efficiency and care to contribute to society and the planet

Innovation: Continuous learning to improve customer outcomes

Collaboration: Working together effectively as part of an inclusive global network

Our interactive Code of Ethics was developed collaboratively by 20 people from across the organisation and is updated annually with examples to bring our values to life and demonstrate ongoing commitment.

A central team, outside specific product groups, is available to provide impartial guidance on ethical dilemmas, helping staff make informed choices rather than dictating decisions.

Cambridge has strict policies against bribery, corruption and other unethical practices and a commitment to human rights and opposition to modern slavery in its operations and supply chain. If we discover issues, we will work with suppliers to improve conditions rather than prematurely terminating relationships.

Our ‘Speak Up’ portal is available to anyone who wishes to raise an ethical concern. Ethical concerns can be raised in any language and will be treated confidentially.

“Our approach is about helping people think things through. It’s that impartial ability to look at something and say, ‘have you considered this?’”

Clare Godwin, Group Director, Business Ethics and Integrity

Publishing ethics

Academic publications undergo a rigorous, ethical and editorially independent publishing programme, including a comprehensive peer-review process. Cambridge is committed to freedom of speech and expression and stands against censorship or restrictions imposed on our publications.

Ethical approach to AI and content

Cambridge has taken a strong stance on protecting authors’ rights in the age of AI, developing a distinctive approach to AI by asking authors to opt in before their content is used for AI training.

Anti-bribery and corruption

Cambridge maintains a strict anti-corruption stance with the following measures:

We regularly update our anti-bribery and corruption policy framework
We operate a disclosure portal where potential conflicts of interest, gifts, hospitality and charitable donations must be declared
Special attention is given to transactions involving government or public officials to ensure compliance with anti-bribery laws. No corporate political contributions are allowed
Suspected incidents of corruption are thoroughly investigated and reviewed by the Audit Committee and Executive Board

Supply chain mapping

We conduct comprehensive supply chain mapping to increase transparency of social and environmental performance, working collaboratively with suppliers to address mutual sustainability challenges. We currently use several approaches:

One Trust platform to onboard suppliers and analyse their environmental credentials, human rights performance, and data handling

Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) audit tool to understand labour standards, health and safety, environmental performance, and ethics across their supply chain.

EcoVadis to help analyse and improve supplier performance on sustainability, social and environmental practices. Ecovadis helps Cambridge in its efforts to source materials ethically, support fair labour practices, prevent modern slavery, and protect biodiversity in its supply chains.

Collaboration with industry bodies like the UK Publishers Association to evaluate tools such as the ‘carbon calculator’ and the Book Chain Project

Partnership with MSDUK, the UK’s only advocacy organisation certifying ethnic minority businesses (EMBs), to identify and onboard ethnic minority businesses

Modern slavery and human rights

Cambridge is committed to preventing forced labour and protecting human rights. We conduct due diligence to ensure that no one in our supply chain is violating human rights. All colleagues complete training on the risks and prevention of forced and child labour.

Safeguarding

Cambridge launched a new Safeguarding Policy in 2023, focusing on protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults. The policy works to ensure individuals can benefit from learning and assessment with minimal safeguarding risks.

We have developed a safeguarding training course available to colleagues to help them understand how they can support our commitment to protecting vulnerable individuals.

Educational charity partnerships

Across our over 90 offices worldwide, we partner with educational charities internationally, including:

“Responsibility is not just about what you’re doing about your carbon emissions, the inclusive approach of your products or how you relate to the communities you are based in. Increasingly organisations are expected to demonstrate that they’re engaging all the way along their supply chain.”

Catie Sheret, General Counsel and Board Sponsor for Sustainability