Lidl NI shows leadership in responsible business practice

Lidl NI is one of two Northern Ireland companies to be awarded the prestigious CORE: The Responsible Business Standard – accreditation in recognition of their commitment to doing business in a way that is better for employees, the planet and the communities where they operate.

CORE: The Standard for Responsible Business, is a framework developed by Business in the Community – the responsible business network – that maps the corporate responsibility of an organisation.

Accredited companies go through an external verification process that recognises best practice in a number of areas including health and wellbeing; biodiversity; diversity and inclusion; resource efficiency; community engagement; and responsible readership.

Silver Level for Lidl

Retailer Lidl Northern Ireland has been successfully accredited for the first time, at Silver level.

Currently, 30 organisations in Northern Ireland currently hold CORE accreditation.

Diane Dodds, MLA and Minister for the Department of the Economy met with Noel Mullan, Commercial Director, Heron Bros, and Angela Connan, CSR Manager for Lidl Northern Ireland, to congratulate both organisations on their success.

Minister Dodds said: “Both Heron Bros and Lidl Northern Ireland have demonstrated that they are committed to responsible business and inclusive leadership, innovating to tackle pressing social issues, and using their business acumen and resources to support their communities, and repair and rebuild our planet.

Challenging year

“2020 has been a very challenging year for business, which makes it even more important that we recognise these two organisations as leaders in corporate responsibility practice, and thank them for going beyond profit, to drive responsible activity within all that they do.”

Angela Connan, CSR Manager, Lidl NI said “Lidl NI is delighted to have achieved Silver level CORE accreditation. CORE has provided a way for us to not only demonstrate our commitment to being a responsible business to our stakeholders and customers, but it also provides a baseline that allows us to continually improve our practices and supports our business to grow in a responsible and sustainable way.”

To find out more about CORE: The Standard for Responsible Business, and Northern Ireland’s CORE accredited organisations, visit www.bitcni.org.uk/core.