A Silver Star for Corporate Responsibility

City West Water has been recognised ...

City West Water has been recognised in an independent measure of responsible and sustainable business practice after being awarded a Silver Star in the 2009 Corporate Responsibility Index Awards.

Developed in consultation with business, the Corporate Responsibility Index provides a benchmark designed to measure, manage, report and improve the impacts that companies have on society and the environment.

City West Water Managing Director Anne Barker said it was an honour to be recognised for the considerable resources the water retailer dedicates to being an active member of its community.

“Our community is the cornerstone of the City West Water business – without the support of our customers at a residential, business and community level we could not enshrine an ongoing culture of sustainable and efficient water use,” Ms Barker said.

“We take our corporate responsibilities seriously – and engage our staff, community, customers and suppliers to protect and enhance our environment and become more sustainable.”

“It also shows that we don’t just talk about our commitments, we actually deliver on them.  A large part of the benchmarking looks at our workplace and we have also been recognised for our commitment to training and development, which makes our business a great place to work.”

"The Corporate Responsibility Index began in 2002, and since then has rated more than 350 companies globally, including 70 in Australia and New Zealand. This year, 14 Australian companies were voluntarily assessed on criteria that include community involvement strategy, environmental impact, management practice and social impact”.

City West Water was commended for its impressive customer and supply chain management initiatives including training of staff, dealing with customers with special needs and the support programs available to them.

In addition, City West Water was also recognised for its well communicated and committed approach to improving its corporate responsibility and sustainability performance, demonstrated in the improvement from a Bronze Star award in 2008.

Ms Barker said the water retailer’s willingness to have its corporate responsibility benchmarked was testament to its broader organisational vision of being a truly sustainable water business.

“Our organisation-wide commitment to sustainability goes further than conventional environmental considerations – it reaches to the economic and social aspects of our business as well.”

“As a provider of an essential service to so many people of various backgrounds, it’s imperative that that we operate in a manner that takes into account the impact we have on our communities.”