Responsibility Northwest concludes two year project and outlines the way forward for More Responsible Business

Responsibility Northwest, a two and a half year programme, set up to significantly increase responsible business practice in the Northwest has published its end of project report, along with research findings demonstrating the value of corporate social responsibility and the benefits for businesses and the region.

Responsibility Northwest, supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), has published ‘More Responsible Business’ available to download at www.enworks.com to outline the key findings, lessons learned and the way forward. The report describes the need to embed responsible business practice within the culture and aspirations of the Northwest business community. This is backed up by research findings, carried out by AccountAbility, outlining how the competitiveness of a region should be measured not only by economic performance but also by social and environmental considerations.

Over the project’s lifetime, Responsibility Northwest project partners have provided corporate responsibility assistance to over 1,300 businesses in the Northwest region in Cumbria, Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.

Ruth Woodall, Project Manager said: “Responsibility Northwest has demonstrated that corporate responsibility is fundamental to business success and the competitiveness of our towns, cities and regions. Acting more responsibly is about sound business management, minimising the risks and maximising the opportunities arising from a company’s social, economic and environmental impacts. Our approach has been to demonstrate the support that is needed for businesses in the region, how to engage companies and the potential benefits.”

Mark Hughes, Executive Director of Enterprise and Skills at the NWDA, said:

“Businesses that integrate corporate social responsibility into their practices can reap significant benefits in terms of competitiveness. Responsibility Northwest has been a great success in raising awareness of the strong business case for embracing CSR and encouraging companies to strengthen their commitment to sustainable development.”

The programme has highlighted the importance of businesses working together collaboratively, rather than in isolation, and the value of one-to-one business support and mentoring as a method to encourage companies to embrace corporate responsibility. In addition, the programme highlighted the ongoing need to track and monitor the relationship between regional competitiveness and responsible business behaviour.

Responsibility Northwest has also published case studies of their work, including a profile of

Fairfield Composting who undertook a training and awareness-raising project with market stallholders to encourage recycling and sustainable waste management, and the Birchwood Forum who worked together to develop and implement a green transport plan to tackle peak-time travel congestion and pollution control. The case studies and report findings from Responsibility Northwest are available to download from www.enworks.com

Notes to editors:

• Responsibility Northwest recognised that all businesses have impacts on the environment, the local economy and their communities and that these impacts affect the people that are important to a business – its customers, suppliers, employees and neighbours.

• Responsibility Northwest was a two and a half year programme, set up to significantly increase responsible business practice in the Northwest and to strengthen links between corporate responsibility and improved competitiveness. The programme’s vision was to create an internationally recognised region where businesses work to deliver sustainable development.

• Responsibility Northwest was a partnership programme led by Sustainability Northwest and ENWORKS. Project partners were AccountAbility, Business in the Community, ENWORKS, the Northwess Business Leadership Team, Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sustainability Northwest and The Cat’s Pyjamas. The programme was funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency, ERDF Objective 1, ERDF Objective 2 and Liverpool Chamber of Commerce from November 2005 to March 2008

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