8 June 2011

The Costain Group has achieved Platinum in Business in the Community`s (BITC) 2011 Corporate Responsibility Index (CRI), the UK`s leading voluntary benchmark of corporate responsibility.

The CRI helps companies to integrate and improve corporate responsibility throughout their business operations, by providing a systematic approach to managing, measuring and reporting on business impacts in society and on the environment.

Achieving Platinum means that Costain has integrated corporate responsibility (CR) into its business model and has clear CR responsibilities and incentive structures at board and operational levels. Platinum companies have a structured approach to data collection and social and environmental impact assessment.  They can demonstrate 3-4 years of performance improvement across their key impacts. They act and report with a high level of transparency and stakeholder engagement, and the materiality, completeness and responsiveness of their published data is often third party assured.

"We are delighted to achieve Platinum in BITC's Corporate Responsibility Index for the first time. The index provides vital third party assessment of our performance and includes many of our key customers such as National Grid, Network Rail, Severn Trent and United Utilities. Effective management of all of our stakeholder relationships goes to the very heart of how we do business at Costain." Andrew Wyllie, Chief Executive, Costain.

Stephen Howard, Chief Executive, Business in the Community said: “I congratulate Costain on achieving Platinum in the 2011 BITC Corporate Responsibility Index. It is a challenging time, but the results of this year’s Index demonstrate that companies are still focused on transforming their businesses in order to have a positive impact on society. All the companies who participated this year are at different stages in their responsible business journey, but they are all taking these issues seriously and are prepared to lead by example.”

The full results of the 2011 CRI, including commentary and analysis, are published in the Financial Times Responsible Business supplement today, 8 June.

ENDS