By James Atkinson
Diageo Australia has again been acknowledged as a leader in sustainability practices, achieving a Platinum rating for the third year running in the Business in the Community's (BITC) 2013 Corporate Responsibility Index (CRI), the voluntary benchmark of corporate responsibility.
Diageo Australia has been recognised for its corporate social responsibility program that incorporates a focus on promoting responsible drinking. This includes the company's work with customers on Better Nights, a training package for bar staff to help reduce customer-related issues in and around licensed venues, support of social aspects organisation, DrinkWise Australia, alcohol awareness initiative DRINKiQ and consumer information website DRINKiQ.com, and responsible drinking information across all Diageo products.
Also part of Diageo Australia's corporate social responsibility programme are its targets to reduce environmental impacts, in particular water usage, carbon emissions and waste-to-landfill, and its commitment to employee wellness and engagement.
The CRI is an independent measure of responsible and sustainable business practices. A Platinum rating means that Diageo Australia integrates corporate responsibility (CR) into its business model and has clear CR accountability and incentive structures at board and operational levels.
This is the seventh year Diageo Australia has participated in the CRI, each year improving on the previous year's performance. Diageo Australia achieved a Platinum rating for the first time in 2011.
Diageo Australia managing director Tim Salt said he is proud of the work the company does to promote responsible drinking both with its customers and other organisations such as DrinkWise Australia.
"We measure our success as a business by more than financial targets – the contribution we make to communities and the environment, and being a leader in responsible practices, is fundamental to our day-to-day business," he said.