Yorkshire Water has reached the final of the 2015 Responsible Business Awards, run by the charity Business in the Community.

Yorkshire Water is one of just five companies in the UK to be named a finalist in the ‘Responsible Business of the Year’ category of the presitigious awards scheme – which champions businesses that take action to address social and environmental issues and transform their communities.

The company has been recognised for a range of initiatives, including providing financial support mechanisms for those that struggle to pay their bills.  This involves aiming to support 24,000 of its most vulnerable customers by 2020 through schemes such as its Social Tarrif that could result in bills dropping as much as £150 per year for those eligible.

From an environmental perspective, the utility firm has reduced its carbon emissions by 15% since 2008/09 and had its lowest ever numbers of pollution incidents in 2014/15.  As a key driver of the region’s economy, the company is also committed to hiring 160 new apprentices by 2020 and is a Living Wage provider.

Commenting, Richard Flint, Yorkshire Water’s Chief Executive, said:

“We strive to continually improve and demonstrate our business leadership, and I can point to many successes in our approach.  We are achieving our best ever performance for customers and the environment whilst reducing bills to keep them affordable.”

Senior representatives from Yorkshire Water will go head-to-head against the other finalists in the last highly competitive stage of the awards. Each will pitch their submission in front of a panel of industry experts and business leaders who will choose as winner, the company which best demonstrates significant impact and a strong business case.

The overall winners in each category will be announced by Business in the Community in London on 7 July 2015.