North East social enterprise Gentoo Group has topped Business in the Community’s
annual list of responsible business.
The Sunderland-based housing group is one of
only six organisations to get a five-star rating in the Corporate
Responsibility Index, alongside Dairy Crest, Fujitsu, Nationwide Building
Socity, PwC and Unipart.
The index is based on a range of factors,
including board engagement with business responsibility and the link between
remuneration and CR performance.
Analysis of the 2015 CR Index data suggests
that progress is being made to shift responsible business up the corporate
agenda, with an increase in companies taking social and environmental issues
into account when developing new products and making investments.
The overall average score of the CR Index has
also increased from 85% in 2014 to 91% this year, demonstrating the increased
relevance of corporate responsibility to business operations.
The publication of the index coincides with
the start of Responsible Business Week yesterday, with Gentoo playing its part
by championing responsible business activity amongst organisations in the North
East.
Chief executive Peter Walls said:
“Responsible business is embedded in our entire organisation. In fact, it’s who
we are.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this prestigious
achievement, it recognises the hard work and commitment by our passionate
staff. Being a responsible business starts with your staff and our people are
at the heart of ours.
“We support them to be their best when they
are at work. How can you expect them to give 100% to help others if they don’t
feel fulfilled themselves?
“From a planet perspective, we are aiming to
be a carbon-neutral company, something we call being planet smart. If we only
have one planet, what gives us the right to consume the resources of more than
one? It’s a good moral and ethical position to have and I am challenging others
to do the same.
“In our communities our activity ranges from
helping with loneliness, engaging mature people, or working with young people
who are not prepared to access either education or employment.
“We have young people telling us we have
changed their life and in some cases, saved their life. This is what drives us.
Making a real positive difference is right at the heart of Gentoo.”
Companies assessed in this year’s Corporate
Responsibility Index include Barclays, Camelot, Jaguar Land Rover and the Crown
Estate.
North East-based Northumbrian Water and
Go-Ahead Group both scored four scores in the index, while Greggs was awarded
three stars.
Stephen Howard, chief executive of Business
in the Community, said: “The 2015 CR Index shows us that we are moving in the
right direction and companies are now increasingly integrating responsible
business practice into decision making right across the business.
“To truly change business culture, companies
need to engage their people to embrace a different way of doing business with
responsible values at the core. So it is especially encouraging this year that
we have seen a significant increase in the representation of corporate
responsibility, both at board level and amongst the generation of future
leaders that will shape the businesses of tomorrow.
“I congratulate Gentoo Group for achieving
its ranking and look forward to working together to create a fairer society and
a more sustainable future.”
Last year Mr Walls was appointed as The
Prince of Wales’ ambassador for responsible business in the North East through
Business in the Community.
Gentoo has also received two
re-accreditations of its national education award for its work with Academy 360
in Sunderland and also its national workwell engagement and wellbeing award for
its commitment to the health and wellbeing of its staff.
·
By Graeme Whitfield
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