Today, Provident Financial Group published its 2015 corporate responsibility (CR) report. The report sets out the corporate responsibility (CR) performance in relation to Provident Financial plc and its main businesses – Vanquis Bank, the Consumer Credit Division (comprising Provident, Satsuma Loans and Glo) and Moneybarn – in the UK and Ireland, and the group’s six key stakeholders: customers, communities, employees, suppliers, shareholders and investors, and regulators
This most recent CR report has, as in previous years, been independently assured against the AA1000 Assurance Standard (AA100AS). This means that a third party has evaluated the nature and extent of the report’s adherence to the AA1000AS principles of inclusivity, materiality and responsiveness and assures the CR performance of the organisation. This assurance provides Provident Financial’s stakeholders with confidence in the veracity of the CR performance information that has been disclosed. It also reflects the seriousness with which the company approaches CR reporting.
Investors, analysts and rating agencies all consider assurance when making investment and ratings decisions. Furthermore, good assurance provides useful management information on company performance, and the systems and processes behind the management and reporting of sustainability issues.
Peter Crook, Chief Executive of Provident Financial, commented:
“This CR report seeks to provide our stakeholders with a comprehensive account of how we are delivering against our Social Purpose and continuing to serve our 2.4 million customers in a responsible and sustainable manner at every stage of their relationship with us, as well as managing the other issues that are material to our business activities. This includes how we treat our employees, agents and suppliers, as well as supporting and investing in the communities we serve, engaging the investment community in CR, and ensuring that we minimise our environmental impacts.”