Expectations relating to corporate responsibility are higher than ever before and maintaining society's trust and confidence is an increasing challenge for companies everywhere.

Stakeholders are of course still looking for a good return on their investment, but they increasingly want assurance that they are investing in a business that delivers shareholder value in a responsible way. Similarly, employees and potential employees still want the best reward and benefit package they can get, but they also want to work for a company whose values they can recognise and relate to. Customers expect high ethical standards as well as high quality products. Local communities only welcome those businesses that can demonstrate good corporate citizenship.

We believe that good CR performance depends on achieving an acceptable balance between the economic, environmental and social priorities of sustainable development and in this section of our website, we provide details of our commitment to achieving that balance.

As our Chief Executive Sir Tom McKillop says: "CR is not an add on extra - it is an integral part of all that we do and I am determined that we will continue to be a company that is welcomed as a valued member of the global company."