Launch of the BACS Social Index

The Launch of the BACS Social Index shows it is a simple tool highlighting responsible businesses in New Zealand

A breakfast briefing hosted at Fonterra launched the BACS Social Index and presented the results of an in-depth Horizon Research report that reveals why it pays business to be community friendly.

The BACS Social Index began through the BACS Good Business Egg Awards that takes businesses recognised by New Zealand communities for good Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity through a process of evaluation to determine who comes up the best.

The BACS Good Business Egg Awards work as an independent process capturing activity that is acknowledged by communities as being great CSR initiatives, rather than business promotions.

Julie Donvin-Irons, founder of BACS said “This process identifies what is considered successful by community standards of CSR in New Zealand, providing real, grassroots commentary on the complex nature of CSR, made sometimes more complicated by some businesses, with slick marketing messages and poor reporting.

“Having hosted 4 years’ worth of Awards we noticed the same businesses bubbling to the top each year. Using this process has built up a story about how each business’s philosophy and culture supports positive and effective CSR activity that is valued by the communities they partner with.

“As Fonterra was in the 9/10 top category on the BACS Social Index alongside The Warehouse we were delighted they were prepared to launch this initiative. It’s good to see how New Zealand businesses are taking CSR seriously in communities and through the work of both BACS and Horizon Research we can see how they are developing.”

Graeme Colman Principal of Horizon Research said “Being perceived as community friendly can have a huge impact on who New Zealanders decide to buy from. New research finds 74% of adults nationwide say their perceptions of a company as being community friendly influence their decisions to buy from them.”

BACS uses the combined results aggregated over a span of 2 years to show the business profiles on the BACS Social Index and how they are maintaining their corporate responsibility in the eyes of the community.

The BACS Social Index identifies stellar social performers and encourages conversations about how to deliver on CSR goals in a way that is valuable, meaningful and digestible for all partners. These conversations lead to opportunities to share skills and knowledge between organisations, helping to develop connections for both business and community.

The top 30 New Zealand businesses will be acknowledged each year at the BACS Good Business Egg Awards.

The top 30 businesses and further reading on the Horizon Research can be found on the BACS website here.www.bacshares.org.nz

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