Ireland’s Credit Unions have the best sustainability reputation in Ireland, according to the latest Ireland RepTrak Sustainability Index 2022 study which is carried out by The Reputations Agency.
In all 100 organisations were measured as part of the survey with Glanbia coming in second place, followed by Fáilte Ireland in third, Lidl in fourth and An Post in fifth place.
The independent study was carried out by The Reputations Agency and is based on the views of over 6,500 members of the public in the Republic of Ireland who participated in an online survey for over two months from 3rd January to 14th March 2022.
As part of the research, The Reputations Agency examined Ireland’s top performing organisations across 13 key “sustainability drivers” analysing what is resonating with the public and driving this success. This study measures the public’s perception, drawn from both their experiences and many communications touchpoints they have had with each of these 100 organisations. However, it also stresses that this is not a measurement of the sustainability strategies underway or their direct impacts but of how well, or not, these have been absorbed and understood by the public.
According to Niamh Boyle, MD, The Reputations Agency: “Society expects organisations to play their part in the community, economy, environment, dealing with the big issues that we face today, not just in Ireland but globally. The results of the Ireland RepTrak® Sustainability Index 2022, show us that the Irish public perceive over half of the 100 organisations studied to be doing either an inadequate (nine percent) or fairly mediocre (47 percent) job in sustainability, while the remaining 43 per cent are perceived to have robust sustainability strategies in play. We know that many organisations are working hard and investing more each year in their Sustainability agendas, but they continue to struggle to achieve cut through and to really embed themselves in consumers’ minds as leaders in sustainability.
“Organisations are widely scrutinised on their alignment with social causes, their environmental impact, their behaviour, their values, and the internal culture they create. The public are more attuned to the reputation of an organisation than ever before, and for the public – actions speak louder than words. We know that sustainability, which in our study comprises Environmental Impact, Social Performance, Conduct, and Workplace, drives 51% of an organisation’s reputation but for many, their sustainability reputation is holding their overall corporate reputation back. These more intangible drivers and factors are now more important to an organisation’s reputation than the products or services an organisation sells,” she says.