Grupa LOTOS has been awarded the Golden CSR Leaf in a ranking organised under the auspices of the ‘Polityka’ weekly and PwC. The Company has been granted this prestigious distinction for the second consecutive time. The ranking of socially responsible companies has been published by the ‘Polityka’ weekly for the third time, and supplements the ‘Lista 500’ ranking of Poland's largest companies.

“This year's charts show that there is a direct correlation between an organisation's high position in the list of Poland's 500 largest companies and the maturity of its CSR management. For many years, Grupa LOTOS has viewed corporate social responsibility as a foundation underlying all its activities and a part of its business strategy. We have been gradually implementing long-term programmes, in firm belief that business should be conducted in conformity with ethical principles, the needs of the society, and care for the natural environment,” said Jowita Twardowska, head of Communications and CSR at Grupa LOTOS.

The ranking was prepared based on the results of a questionnaire sent out to over 800 largest companies in Poland. The questions, just like in the previous years, were prepared on the basis of the key guidelines provided in the ISO 26000 standard, a practical guide to the responsible business concept, which defines the CSR framework and explains CSR values and ideas. The questionnaire covered activities in seven areas, including corporate governance, human rights, conduct vis à vis employees, environmental protection, care for the customer, business integrity and social involvement.

This year, Golden CSR Leaves were awarded to 14 companies, Silver Leaves − to 17 companies, and White Leaves − to 33 companies. Winners of the Golden CSR Leaves declare that they have developed a CSR strategy or a sustainable development strategy, and operate in compliance with a code of ethics adopted within their organisations. They take care to ensure assessment and development of their employees, and they build responsible relationships with their trading partners and clients, as well as with the local communities. They communicate the effects of their activities, some of which are reviewed by external auditors, in annually prepared reports.

When analysing this year's questionnaires, the ranking organisers concluded that in 2013 companies concentrated their efforts mainly on four out of the seven CSR thematic areas, namely: care for the customer (98%), local community and social involvement (98%), employees (91%) and corporate ethics and principles of conduct (87%).

Leaders of this year's ‘Polityka’ weekly's Golden CSR Leaf 2014 ranking (in alphabetical order):

ABB Sp. z o.o.
CEMEX Polska
Danone Sp. z o.o.
GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals SA Group
Grupa LOTOS SA
Grupa TAURON
Grupa Żywiec SA
ING Bank Śląski SA
Kompania Piwowarska SA
Mars Polska Sp. z o.o.
MONDELEZ POLSKA SA
Nestlé Polska SA
Orange Polska
Schenker Sp. z o.o. (DB Schenker Logistics)

For more information, see: http://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/rynek

Communication Office, Grupa LOTOS S.A., ul. Elbląska 135, 80-718 Gdańsk, Poland, tel. (+48) 58 308 87 31, (+48) 58 308 83 88, e-mail: media@grupalotos.pl