One of Europe’s leading private manufacturing, logistics and consultancy companies, Unipart Group has scored 100% in the ‘Business in the Community 2016 Corporate Responsibility Index’ - the UK’s leading benchmark of responsible business.
Unipart Group has now been awarded five stars – the highest rating possible – for a second year in a row.
Commenting on the award, Unipart chairman and Group chief executive, John Neill said: “To score 100% in the Corporate Responsibility Index is an amazing achievement for people across our group of companies.
“The CR Index is a demanding, evidence-based process and it is fully in line with the philosophy and principles of ‘The Unipart Way‘, which engages all our people in searching for thousands of improvements every day.
“The 100% rating demonstrates that companies can achieve exceptional results for corporate responsibility while continuing to raise levels of productivity and deliver strong performance. By empowering our employees, we find solutions that work for our business as well as for the communities in which we operate.”
The announcement of the 2016 CR Index coincidea with the recent Responsible Business Week, an annual campaign to inspire businesses to take action which creates positive change in society.
The CR Index is a robust benchmarking tool, which assesses companies against a diverse range of factors. It provides businesses with a solid framework to provide evidence of how they systematically measure, manage and integrate responsible business practice into mainstream business strategy and operations.
Chief executive of Business in the Community, Stephen Howard commented: “Genuine responsible business starts in the engine room of companies.
“It’s about how companies translate their values into behaviour and decision-making, create the right culture and drive societal and economic value in the process. The CR Index helps companies take an in-depth look at their business from the inside out and it’s encouraging to see companies increasingly integrate responsible business at all levels of an organisation.”
The CR Index assessment highlighted Unipart’s commitment to corporate responsibility as an integrated, long term philosophy rather than individual initiatives.
For instance, for nearly 30 years, Unipart has demonstrated its commitment to developing people through the Unipart U, one of the first corporate universities in Europe, and through the ‘Gate to Great’ employee development programme.
Unipart’s Workwell programme extends that commitment into the areas of learning about personal health, safety and wellbeing. In 2015, Unipart won its highest ever number of safety accolades, earning seven swords of honour from the British Safety Council.
The company has also set out to attract and develop its next generation of leaders through its inclusive talent pipelines, including its groundbreaking collaboration with Coventry University to form the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME).
Around the world, Unipart people engage in community programmes raising funds and working closely with schools and charities to tackle local issues.
