Go-Ahead has achieved a ‘gold’ rating in Business in the Community’s (BITC) 2012 Corporate Responsibility Index (CRI), a voluntary benchmark of corporate responsibility.
Go-Ahead has participated in the index since it began 10 years ago and gained full marks across all categories in the integration section, which tested whether corporate responsibility (CR) is implemented and embedded throughout its businesses. Full marks were also given in five out of six of the areas in the corporate strategy section, which rewards companies for placing CR values at the heart of their business.
Go-Ahead’s commitment to reducing its impact on the environment through its Driving Energy Further initiatives in bus and rail meant it achieved 100% in the environmental impacts section, beating the benchmark across all sectors in the index.
Achieving gold means it can:
- demonstrate openness and transparency through effective public reporting of its material environmental and social issues, programmes and performance;
- expand and adapt its risk management processes by incorporating relevant aspects of corporate responsibility risk and opportunity; and
- articulate its corporate responsibility strategy in an effective manner and include clear and measurable targets.
“This is great news for the group,” said David Brown, Go-Ahead chief executive. “The survey recognises our commitment to operating our rail and bus businesses responsibly and to making a positive impact on the economy and society.
“It is also good to see our work to reduce our impact on the environment being recognised – we have reduced our CO2 emissions by 12% per passenger journey since 2008 and are on target to meet our 20% reduction target by 2015.”
Stephen Howard, chief executive of Business in the Community, said: “I congratulate the Go-Ahead Group on achieving Gold in the 2012 BITC Corporate Responsibility Index. The CR Index has helped to highlight clearly those best practice examples that bring to life in a powerful way what integrated responsible practice really looks like.
“As we celebrate 10 years of our CR Index it has given me great pleasure to witness each company’s responsible business journey and the transformations they are making both within their businesses and the impact they have in our communities”.
