Phoenix Natural Gas has secured Gold recognition for its focus on corporate social responsibility.

The leading Northern Ireland gas provider received Gold level standard in the CORE accreditation from Business in the Community.

CORE is Northern Ireland's only corporate responsibility standard and is a framework for identifying and measuring corporate responsibility activity and performance across organisations. In achieving the accreditation, Phoenix Natural Gas has shown evidence of strong procedures that drive performance forward in all the key corporate responsibility areas of People, Planet and Place.

Michael McKinstry, Phoenix Natural Gas Chief Executive Officer, said: "Since arriving in Northern Ireland 26 years ago, natural gas has lit up the path to a greener future for local energy consumers. Today, Phoenix provides over 210,000 households with an energy source that has removed over 7.5 million tonnes of CO2 from the environment, the equivalent carbon saving of 350,000 cars removed from Northern Ireland's roads.

"Phoenix is proud of its environmental credentials and the focus it puts on corporate social responsibility. For us, CSR is entwined with the business strategy, sitting comfortably alongside a long-term, sustainable business which is creating real economic, social and environmental value.

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"Driven from the top, corporate responsibility is embedded at every level in the organisation and embraced by all staff. It's this transformational approach that we believe identifies us as an organisation that embodies responsible business, as evidenced by Phoenix being a dominant award winner in previous accolades from Business in the Community for Corporate Responsibility excellence.

"Following on from our Silver CORE award in 2019, we took all feedback on board and knew we could set about raising the bar in terms of our corporate responsibility and to be recognised as being among the very best in Northern Ireland. Through our membership with Business in the Community and the CORE Standard for Responsible Business, we will continue to benchmark ourselves and seek additional new ways to add real value to the people, planet and places that we serve."

Kieran Harding, Managing Director of Business in the Community, added: "CORE strategically supports companies to develop their approach to corporate responsibility. It has been designed to help businesses that are committed to integrating corporate responsibility into the way they do business by benchmarking performance across ten key business areas.

"The process is verified by an external assessor and overseen by an independent panel of experts. By completing the CORE Standard, companies gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, providing a baseline for next steps and further improvements.

"I congratulate Phoenix Natural Gas on achieving Gold CORE accreditation which is a true reflection of the company's dedication and commitment to responsible business. Phoenix Natural Gas has been a long-serving advocate of corporate social responsibility in Northern Ireland and I am delighted that the company’s success continues to be recognised in this area."