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BT's CSR in spotlight in Australian press
21 May 2008
It follows the announcement that the company has won coveted gold band status in Australia and New Zealand for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies.
Forty companies took part in the annual Australia and New Zealand Corporate Responsibility Index organised by the St James Ethics Centre in partnership with Australian newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
The article said BT is among leading multinationals which are way ahead of Australian companies when monitoring their impact on society and the environment.
Scoring 97.82 per cent, BT came just behind Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) at 98.64 per cent. Other multinational frontrunners included Xstrata, Unilever, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Cadbury Schweppes, Anglo American, Serco Group and Ford.
Among the Australian entrants, EnergyAustralia came first scoring 95.51 per cent, with national law firm Minter Ellison in second place and Foster’s Group third.
The article quoted Raj Kapoor, managing director of BT Global Services Australia.
He outlined how BT developed its own brand of corporate citizenship, which aims to spread the benefits of corporate responsibility as broadly as possible. “We cannot deny profit is a driver for our business, but it is equally important to contribute to sustainable economic growth,” said Raj.
“We cannot ignore our responsibility. It is not only ‘nice’ to do, it makes good business sense.”
BT was also highly rated in the management practice section - topping marketplace management and workplace management.
And BT’s Asia Pacific CSR representative Brett Lyndon was quoted on BT’s use of communications products to tackle climate change. BT’s vision, he said, is simply to help tackle climate change through the innovative use of its communication products.
“We are in a uniquely privileged position to not only lead but help the rest of the business community in reducing footprint,” he said.