Member Article

Gentoo ranked Gold in BITC CR Index

Gentoo has today been recognised in Business in the Community’s annual benchmark of responsible business management, the Corporate Responsibility Index (CR Index).

The CR Index is the UK’s leading and most in-depth voluntary benchmark of corporate responsibility. It has been run by Business in the Community for over a decade to help companies; accurately measure and manage all aspects of their social and environmental performance; shape how they integrate and improve corporate responsibility throughout their business operations and benchmark themselves against competitors.

Despite the ongoing economic challenges facing business, the 2013 CR Index paints a positive picture of levels of commitment to responsible business in the UK. Participating companies achieved a high average score of 90% indicating that companies are continuing to overcoming commercial pressures to maintain their investment in and engagement with responsible business.

Gentoo was announced as a Gold company, which means that it is able to demonstrate openness and transparency through effective public reporting of its material environmental and social issues, programmes and performance. Gold companies also tend to expand and adapt their risk management processes by incorporating relevant aspects of corporate responsibility, risk and opportunity and are able to articulate their CR strategy in an effective manner with clear and measurable targets. The announcement had been timed to coincide with Responsible Business Week (15-19 April 2013) an initiative taking place across the UK this week to raise public awareness of the powerful, positive role of business in society.

Gentoo Chief Executive Peter Walls said: “This is a fantastic result for Gentoo. Improving our customers’ Art of Living is at the heart of everything we do. Over the last year we have welcomed 28 new recruits on to our apprenticeship programme which was arranged to give more access to employment for Gentoo customers and residents. The programme not only gave support to the successful applicants within the workplace but also with their personal development, helping them to gain valuable experience for future employment.

“Last month, we hosted our ‘Opening Doors, Creating Opportunities’ event for our Supply Chain and Contractors, highlighting the difficulties faced by young people attempting to enter the jobs market. So far, 61 of the 69 businesses who attended the event have given commitment to working with Gentoo on the agenda.”

Stephen Howard, Chief Executive, Business in the Community said: “The CR Index tells us that, despite the complexities of this agenda and the tough economic challenges they’re facing, our leading companies are continuing to invest in responsible business and truly integrate it within their operations.

Responsible business matters – to businesses, employees, communities and the long term sustainability of the planet. As we launch the UK’s first Responsible Business Week to celebrate the powerful positive role business plays in society, this Index is a key tool to help the public to understand what good business looks like while also providing examples to inspire many more companies to accelerate the pace of change within their business.

I congratulate Gentoo for achieving Gold because it signifies a key step on the journey, a willingness to rise to the challenge and that they are part of a movement of responsible business in which all companies have their unique part to play. We look forward on working with, supporting and challenging Gentoo to build on this achievement as we, together drive the transformational change needed to deliver a sustainable economy.“

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Laura Facey .