UK insurance group Aviva has been ranked the top performing insurer in the 2004 Business in the Community (BitC) Corporate Responsibility Index. This year the index had 139 participants, from which the company was ranked in fifth position overall and top of the insurance sector.
The index provides a systematic approach to managing, measuring and reporting the impacts companies have upon society and their environment.
Companies were assessed for their performance in five areas: corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, integration of CSR issues, CSR management, performance and impact, and CSR assurance. Aviva performed strongly in all five areas.
“It’s vital for a business to remain alert and responsive to the changes taking place around it,” says Anthony Sampson, Aviva’s director of CSR. “Its future depends upon how well it’s aligned to the society in which it operates. A strong CSR programme helps ensure that there is a close alignment and the CR Index provides effective measurement.”
Aviva’s CSR policy covers eight key areas: relations with workforce, customers, suppliers and the community; management of the environment, human rights, health and safety and adherence to standards of business conduct. The company regularly reviews performance in each of these areas and publishes a report annually to report on progress.
“The index shines a spotlight on strategic decision making, on the line of accountability and how the environmental and social impacts of the decision are measured and managed,” says David Varney, chairman, BitC.