Responsible Business Practices (RBP)

"We use national scale and local strength to engage employees and members in supporting causes actually identified by them, something few organisations do. As a result, our ‘Responsible Business Practices (RBP)’ initiatives are going from strength to strength. We really are capable of making a difference to thousands of people, ensuring that Yorkshire Building Society is a place we can all feel proud to work."

John Faulkner, General Counsel and responsible for the ‘Responsible Business Practices (RBP)’ programme.

Being part of the community means a lot to us, and that’s why RBP is part of our culture. It’s all about considering and meeting the needs of communities, the environment and employees. Both our employees and members fully support our RBP programme, and the response from the communities and charities that benefit is testament to our success.

How does RBP operate?

Financial Donations & Support

The Charitable Foundation was set up as a registered charity in 1998 and aims to support good causes across the UK. Grants are made up of Society donations, employee fundraising and members who participate on the ‘Small Change, Big Difference’ Scheme.

The Scheme was introduced in 1999 and donates the pennies in interest from members’ savings and mortgage accounts. The maximum annual donation is 99p, but when multiplied by the half a million members taking part this scheme, it’s easy to see how it accounts for around two thirds of the foundation’s £300,000 annual grant.

Our Employee Involvement

With every member of staff being entitled to one days’ paid leave, ‘Actionteering’ offers activities throughout the year to provide our employees with great opportunities to help local projects. Launched in 2007, Actionteering not only helps to develop relationships with community partners, it also confirms our place at the heart of the community.

Our Environmental Policy

We take our Environmental Policy extremely seriously. Here are just a few of the initiatives we’ve launched over the past 7 years that have resulted in our status as ‘Carbon Neutral’:

• Purchasing all electricity from renewable sources
• Purchasing 100% recycled copier paper
• Introduction of Society-wide recycling facilities
• Offsetting unavoidable CO2 emissions through sponsorship of overseas carbon reduction programmes

RBP goes way beyond just sponsorship; we want our employees and members to enjoy the essential part they play and be as proud of their involvement as we are.