ScottishPower's Chief Executive Ian Russell today (July 10) called for robust measures to be put in place for businesses to report and benchmark their corporate social responsibility.

In a keynote address to an audience of international business leaders at Business in the Community's 20th Anniversary Conference in London, Ian Russell said he wanted to see a measurement index that was fair to all industry sectors, adaptable and flexible and put together by those with a business understanding.

"I believe we'll be able to compare and benchmark CSR performance when the correct tools are in place to record progress and achievements against targets in clearly defined categories appropriate to each business sector. But as well as providing transparency of approach, any CSR measurement tools should encourage development and innovation," he said.

Outlining the benefits of managing a consistent CSR approach throughout the whole of ScottishPower's operations, Mr Russell said that responsible business practice has never been more crucial to commercial success.

"Since we believe in the business case for CSR, we do feel that over time the quality of our performance in these areas will be increasingly taken into account by those interested in the financial health, and future performance, of our business," he said.

"As the City's interest grows, benchmarks of performance will attract more attention. We would welcome this, as it benefits our business to have a measure against which we can constantly challenge ourselves."

Six of ScottishPower's community programmes and social business practices, more than any other company, were declared 'examples of excellence' in the 2002 Business in the Community Awards for Excellence. Four have gone forward as finalists in three categories, including the overall 'Company of the Year Award' to be announced on Thursday evening (July 11).

The full text of Mr Russell's speech can be found on Business in the Community's website.

Further information:

Simon McMillan                                                                0141 566 4875