The Unipart Group has scored a four star rating in the Business in the Community’s 2014 Corporate Responsibility Index.
The index provides an annual benchmark of responsible business and rates Unipart as one of this year’s highest rating companies for environment, community, workplace and business practices.
John Neill, Unipart chairman and chief executive commented on the announcement:
“We are very pleased to be among the highest rating companies in the CR Index.
“The achievement is the result of hundreds of activities across the Group led by highly motivated people and a culture of continuous improvement.
“I recently explained to an audience of business leaders, academics and students at Birmingham University that culture change is not ‘rocket science’ …. it’s actually harder than that. Creating a culture that engages employees and inspires them to work constructively in the community takes decades to achieve and remains an unending crusade.
“Unipart were amongst the first companies to engage with BITC in the Corporate Responsibility Index twelve years ago and, every year, we have managed to improve the key aspects of our performance. There is one simple reason: The Unipart Way.
“This powerful philosophy which engages and inspires employees to work with all of our stakeholders to continuously improve quality, reduce cost and be more innovative has enabled us to make hundreds and indeed, thousands of improvements in our operations around the world.
“Nearly 25 years ago, Unipart introduced the OCC programme, which we said at the time was our foundation for continuous improvement. Since that time, thousands of circles involving employees at every level in the company focus on ways to take waste out of our processes, reduce our carbon footprint and play a more responsible part in our communities. For instance, a number of our sites now have achieved 100% recycling rates.”
In the past 12 months the organisation has taken part in numerous programmes to inspire young people in their communities.
Unipart’s Talent Factory, a national programme designed to spark talent in young people by combining sport with challenging work experience, allowed local 14-17 year olds to spend an intensive and fast-paced week at Unipart’s site in Oxford.
As part of the Unipart Challenge, UTL employees mentored students across Warwickshire in setting up and running their own businesses generating over £5,000 for local charities.
In addition, Unipart’s manufacturing site in Coventry supported the study of science, technology, engineering and maths. In this scheme, sixty year 6 pupils designed and manufactured a powered vehicle.
Stephen Howard, Chief Executive, Business in the Community said: “The 2014 CR Index shows us that companies are making real progress to integrate responsibility throughout their operations.
“I congratulate Unipart for achieving a four star rating because it demonstrates a clear commitment to an integrated approach to being a responsible business.”
Based in Oxford, the organisation employs nearly 10,000 personnel worldwide, with an annual turnover of more than £1 billion and has a growing number of international sites.
