Responsible for excellence

11/06/2009

Northumbrian Water Limited, of which Essex & Suffolk Water is a part, has been recognised nationally as being an example of excellence for corporate responsibility.

The water company, which supplies water services to 1.8 million customers in Essex and Suffolk, and water and wastewater services to 2.6 million customers across the North East, is one of only seven companies in the UK to achieve the prestigious Platinum Plus status in the Business in the Community’s (BITC) seventh Corporate Responsibility (CR) Index.

The utility, which received Platinum status last year, is one of 141 businesses which participated in the CR Index’s rigorous process of examining companies’ business strategy and environmental, economic, social and sector impacts.

Northumbrian Water Limited, BT, Co-operative Financial Services, EDF Energy, National Grid, Scottish and Southern Energy and United Utilities are the first companies to be bestowed with Platinum Plus status and one will be named as Company of the Year next month at a ceremony at St James’s Palace in London.
 
This year hundreds of companies also entered the BITC Awards for Excellence and 106 companies achieved one or more Big Ticks.  Two Big Tick awards, which are the most respected endorsement of responsible business practice, have been given to Northumbrian Water Limited. 

The Healthy Workplace Award, which recognises improving health and wellbeing of employees, rewards schemes including employee health initiatives, the company’s stress management programme and health and safety standards and processes. The Power in Partnership Award applauds companies that are having an impact on society through collaborative action.

One example of Essex & Suffolk Water working in partnership is ‘Get Into Water’, an initiative launched by the water company and youth charity The Prince’s Trust. This three-week programme provides unemployed 16 to 25 year olds from the Essex area with the opportunity to gain some valuable hands-on work experience, before hopefully moving into employment in the water industry.

Northumbrian Water Limited managing director, John Cuthbert, said: “The announcement today again demonstrates that corporate responsibility is an integral part of our daily business and is key in our longer term business strategy.  I am immensely proud of our achievement and of every single employee.”

Richard Garnett, Prince’s Trust East of England Get Into Programme Manager, said: “The Get Into courses were developed in response to Prince’s Trust research which showed young people wanted worthwhile jobs, which offered them career opportunities but often felt held back in life by their lack of skills, experience and qualifications. The Get Into Water course has helped the participants overcome these obstacles by developing their practical skills and experience to help move them into employment.”

For more information about Essex & Suffolk Water’s corporate responsibility model log onto www.eswater.co.uk and for further details about the awards log onto www.bitc.org.uk.

For further information please contact Sarah Pinkerton on 01245 212862.