Provident Financial has been awarded a ‘platinum’ rating in Business in the Community’s annual corporate responsibility (CR) index, with an impressive score of 95.25%. The prestigious platinum rating is the highest companies can achieve, with only 24 of the 117 companies in the index making the grade, and recognises that Provident Financial is one of the UK’s most responsible businesses.

Business in the Community’s CR index is the UK’s leading voluntary benchmark of responsible business practice. It aims to help companies identify how they can improve their CR management and practices by providing a systematic approach to managing, measuring and reporting on business impacts on the environment, community, marketplace and workplace.

To achieve a platinum rating, Provident Financial demonstrated that it has fully integrated CR into its business model and has clear CR responsibilities and incentive structures in place across all levels of the business. Platinum-rated companies must have a rigorous approach to data collection and social and environmental impact, and be able to show at least 3 years of performance improvement across their key impacts. They must also act and report with a high level of transparency and stakeholder engagement, and the quality of their published data is often third-party assured.

Rob Lawson, Corporate Responsibility Manager, Provident Financial commented:

“We are delighted to have achieved a platinum rating in the 2009 CR index. Not only does it reflect our continued commitment to managing our business in a sustainable and socially responsible manner, it is also a reflection of the tremendous work that has been carried out by my colleagues across our businesses to ensure that our CR programme is at the heart of our business strategy.”

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

“I congratulate Provident Financial on achieving the platinum rating in the 2009 Business in the Community CR index. They are leading the way for other companies in the index to follow by ensuring that CR issues are taken seriously and that businesses are run in a responsible manner. At Business in the Community we believe this is crucial if we are to strengthen and stabilise our businesses and economy.”

 

For further information please contact:

Emma Noble
Provident Financial
01274 731111 ext 2745
emma.noble@providentfinancial.com
 

Notes to editors:

Provident Financial

Established in 1880, Bradford-based Provident Financial is the UK’s leading non-standard financial services provider. It employs 3,700 people and has 11,600 Customer Experience Managers and over 2 million customers across the UK and Ireland. Provident Financial has an extensive community programme, Good Neighbour, which invests in the communities in which its customers, Customer Experience Managers and employees live and work.

For more information visit www.providentfinancial.com

Provident Personal Credit, a subsidiary of Provident Financial, specialise in short term loans from £50 – £500.

Business in the Community

Business in the Community is an independent business-led charity and its CR index is the UK’s leading voluntary benchmark of corporate responsibility among FTSE100, FTSE250 and other businesses. Companies that take part in the Index are evaluated in terms of how responsible business practices are integrated into their core business processes, including community involvement, environmental impact, and the wellbeing of their workforce.

For more information on the CR index visit http://www.bitc.org.uk/our-services/benchmarking/cr-index