BT tops Dow Jones Sustainability Index

Today (2 September) BT has been ranked as the world's top telecomms company in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the fourth year running.

The company was one of some 2,500 companies assessed by Dow Jones as part of its annual review. Sustainable businesses are defined as those that manage their risks and exploit opportunities deriving from economic, environmental and social developments to deliver long-term shareholder value.

The indexes track the financial performance of such companies worldwide. Areas covered include corporate governance, investor relations, environmental management, community investment, human rights, supply chain, diversity, digital inclusion, human rights and risk management.

The citation says: "BT Group's sustainability performance tops the telecom sector for the fourth year running and bolsters the leadership position of the company. The implementation of a sustainability driven strategy across all business operations has become a central pillar of BT's business plan. BT displays strong performances in most sustainability criteria. This performance is supported by outstanding monitoring and reporting systems that allow the measurement of a comprehensive range of non-financial key performance indicators.

BT has first rate processes for the selection and monitoring of its suppliers in place, successfully translating ethical procurement principles into its supply chain. In FY 2003, off-shoring of call- centre activities to India represented a major reputational risk, yet BT managed to pro-actively initiate a third party investigation to address the issue, communicated the findings in a transparent manner, thus unveiling a commitment to good corporate citizenship."

BT group communications director Robin Pauley said: “BT is thrilled to have won this accolade for the fourth year running. It demonstrates how seriously BT takes its responsibilities ; each year the criteria for success in the Index become more demanding and BT continues to rise to the challenge."