Unipart scores 100% in Responsible Business Index

Unipart Group has scored 100% in the Business in the Community 2016 Corporate Responsibility Index - the UK’s leading benchmark of responsible business.

Unipart has 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. 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 has been timed to coincide with Responsible Business Week(18-22 April), an annual campaign to inspire more 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 robust framework to provide evidence of how they systematically measure, manage and integrate responsible business practice into mainstream business strategy and operations.

Stephen Howard, Chief Executive, Business in the Community said:

“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. I congratulate Unipart for achieving its ranking and look forward to working together to create a more sustainable future.”

The CR Index assessment highlighted Unipart’s commitment to corporate responsibility as an integrated, long term philosophy rather than individual initiatives. Corporate responsibility is recognised as part of the company’s values and demonstrated through the day-to-day activities of its people.

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’sWorkwellprogramme 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. Unipart brings together graduate and apprenticeship schemes with programmes such asUnipart Inspires, which provides mentoring and training for young people who are not in education or employment.

As a global enterprise, Unipart continues to pursue an ethical approach to procurement. It engages many of its business partners in long term, shared destiny relationships in which improvement activities in the supply chain yield mutual benefit for both Unipart and its suppliers.

In 2015, for instance, those efforts were recognised when Unipart was named thebest supply chain companyin Europe for its relationship with Waterstones.This was among five top supply chain awards won by Unipart, including the Automotive Supply Chain Global Award for its partnership with Mobis.

Similarly, in the area of environmental performance, Unipart maintains a rigorous programme of continuous improvement. In 2015, most parts of the company achieved over 85% recycling in most sites, while Baginton and other sites working with Sky achieved 100%.

The company made significant reduction in its use of resources such as gas, water and electricity, earning three coveted British Safety Council Globe of Honour awards for excellence in environmental management.

Around the world, Unipart people engage in community programmes raising funds and working closely with schools and charities to tackle local issues.

“We are proud of our 30 year relationship with Business in the Community, which has acted as our inspiration and coach for corporate responsibility,” said John Neill.

“We know that sustainable continuous improvement is achieved by less than 1% of companies in the world. That’s why, for 30 years, we have been building and using The Unipart Way for our own companies and our clients. The Unipart Way enables employees to improve their own productivity, and to assist suppliers and community partners to improve as well.”