CORE is Business in the Community’s framework for identifying and measuring corporate responsibility activity and performance across organisations. It has been designed to work for the type and size of companies that make up the Northern Ireland economy. Other companies in the province that have achieved Silver CORE accreditation include Diageo, BT and George Best Belfast City Airport.
Niall Martindale, director of regulation and pricing for firmus energy, commented: “We are delighted that Business in the Community has recognised our commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR), which we have built into the heart of our business. CORE is the only NI industry standard for companies that are committed to integrating CSR into the way they do business. It is awarded to organisations which have demonstrated adherence to the highest levels of best practice in terms of social accountability across a diverse range of business disciplines.
“Assessment for the standard included the areas of people, planet and place, as well as marketplace responsibility, stakeholder engagement and responsible leadership and, as it needs to be renewed every two years, it also encourages and recognises our continuous improvement.
“firmus energy is active in more than 30 villages, towns and cities across Northern Ireland and engaging with each of these communities remains an important focus for us, ensuring we make a positive contribution wherever we can. We have a dedicated CSR team made up of employees from right across the business including customer services, engineering, marketing, regulation, billing, sales, finance and pricing. This team delivers a programme of community involvement such as charity fundraising, volunteering for external community groups and providing support to local events.”
Kieran Harding, Managing Director of Business in the Community, added: “CORE is made up of ten assessed areas and enables companies to map their entire corporate responsibility activity and benchmark it against other organisations. The process is verified by external assessors and overseen by an independent panel of experts. By completing the Standard, companies gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, providing a baseline for next steps and further improvements.”
Niall concluded: “firmus energy’s core values are clarity, empathy, integrity and teamwork and we strive to embody these values in our everyday activities. By being a socially accountable business, both internally and in the many areas in which we operate, we are working to give back to our communities and customers, wherever and whenever we can.”
