A wide range of businesses operating in the eastern region are among those recognised in a new corporate responsibility table compiled by Business in the Community (BITC).

The charity’s CR Index for 2014 reveals that regional water company Anglian Water, Essex & Suffolk Water parent group Northumbrian Water and Sizewell B owner EDF Energy have all retained the Platinum Big Tick awards they received from BITC last year, the highest rating avaiable.

Chelmsford-based technology company e2v and transport group Go-Ahead, owner of the Hedingham, Chambers and Anglia Bus operations in the region, have both retained their Platinum awards for another year.

Stansted Airport owner Manchester Airports Group is among a number of businesses recognised under a new star-based rating system which BITC has introduced this year, receiving three and a half stars out of a possible five.

So too are transport operator FirstGroup, which includes bus services across Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, with two and a half stars, and Magnox, owner of the former Bradwell nuclear power station site, with two stars.

The CR Index is designed to provide an insight into how leading businesses and driving reponsible business practice and to enable the firms to benchmark and track their performance and identify areas for improvement.

Stephen Howard, chief executive of BITC, said: “The 2014 CR Index shows us that companies are making real progress to integrate responsibility throughout their operations.

“We know that companies are now increasingly discussing CR at board level, transforming company culture through embedding CR into training, and unlocking innovative products and services by looking ahead to the long-term challenges and opportunities of responsible business.

“Crucially, this shift is being driven by a tranche of responsible leaders that understand the new contract now required between business and society to drive change.”

Other national names retaining Platinum Big Tick awards this year include the troubled Co-operative Group, banking groups Barclays and Lloyds, retailers Sainsburys, Marks & Spencer, Kingfisher and Alliance Boots, accountants PwC, financial services firm Legal & General, energy distributor National Grid and vehicle manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover.

Platinum awards have been retained by the BBC, Nationwide Building Society and WH Smith, while new star-ratings include four for BSkyB, Royal Mail and KPMG, three for Morgan Sindall, two and a half for Whitbread and two for Greggs.