Sixth Corporate Responsibility Index results released

Canberra, 29 May 2009 – The sixth Corporate Responsibility Index (CRI) Awards were announced last night at the 10th National Business Leaders Forum on Sustainable Development at Parliament House, Canberra. Presented by Senator the Hon Nick Sherry, the winners included EnergyAustralia (Best Performance), Sensis (Best New Entrant) and Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Best Progress).

The Corporate Responsibility Index (CRI) is a strategic management tool designed by business for business ensuring a systematic approach to managing, measuring and reporting the various impacts companies have on society and the environment.

“The CRI is an integrated and comprehensive tool that allows for a professionally validated assessment of environment, social and governance performance. These are precisely the areas that need to be understood by the boards and senior management of organisations if they are to avoid some of the errors that triggered the current global recession.” Dr Simon Longstaff, Executive Director, St James Ethics Centre.

Other results from the sixth CRI include:

• Top five companies in order of performance: EnergyAustralia, Boral Limited, Minter Ellison Lawyers, ANZ and Foster’s Group Limited
• Eleven new companies joined the project
• The companies that have participated in all six iterations of the CRI score an average 93%
• To date over 70 companies have used the CRI in Australia and New Zealand

“Organisations completing the CRI are positioning themselves for the future. Eventually, the gloom will lift. I think that the sun will shine especially brightly on those who resisted the temptation to withdraw into their shells; rewarding those who invested in their capacity for responsible business conduct when it would have been so easy not to do so”. Dr Simon Longstaff, Executive Director, St James Ethics Centre.

For more information on the Corporate Responsibility Index or details of participant companies please contact Amanda Armstrong on Amanda [dot] Armstrong [at] ethics [dot] org [dot] au or 0414 844 174.