Credit Unions have the best sustainability reputation in Ireland out of 100 organisations measured, a new survey reveals today.
Glanbia, Fáilte Ireland, Lidl Ireland and An Post hold the remaining top five positions of the Ireland Sustainability RepTrak Index 2022 study.
Credit Unions took top spot with a score of 80.1 and were the only organisation to receive an "Excellence" classification.
Now in its 11th year, the index ranks 100 of the largest, most familiar, and most important organisations in Ireland by the public's perceptions of their performance across social performance, ethical standards, workplace, and environmental impact.
For the last 10 years, the Reputations Agency has calculated sustainability rankings using nine factors or indicators of sustainability.
The Sustainability/ESG model has been augmented this year to introduce four new factors, bringing it to 13 sustainability factors across environmental impact, social performance, conduct and workplace.
Niamh Boyle, Managing Director of The Reputations Agency, said society expects organisations to play their part in the community, economy, environment, dealing with the big issues that we face today, not just in Ireland but globally.
"The results of the Ireland Sustainability RepTrak Index 2022 show that the Irish Public perceives over half of the organisations studied to be doing an inadequate or fairly mediocre job in sustainability, while the other half have robust sustainability strategies in play," Ms Boyle said.
"We know that many organisations are working hard and investing more each year in their sustainability agendas, but they continue to struggle to achieve cut through and to really embed themselves in consumers' minds as leaders in sustainability," she added.
ILCU President Helene McManus said the fact that credit unions have been recognised by the public as having the best sustainability reputation in Ireland is testament to the hard work of credit unions across the country in providing an excellent service day in day out to their members.
"Credit unions are already known for their ethical lending practices and the positive social impact they have on their local communities through sponsorship and support for local groups," Ms McManus said.
"Credit unions have been at the heart of Irish communities for over 60 years and today's accolade is an acknowledgement of their positive influence on society and the special place they hold in the minds of Irish people," she added.
