Sector:  Other
No.of Employees:  151-200
Region: North West

Summary
HMG Paints Ltd, a family-owned business, believes that the commitment for social responsibility has to come from the top and their owners feel strongly about giving something back to society. Their initiatives enhance HMG Paints' prospects for employing any future workforce as well as enhancing their current reputation both locally and further afield.

Background
HMG Paints Ltd, a family owned business, believes that the commitment for social responsibility has to come from the top and their owners feel strongly about giving something back to society. Almost 85% of their workforce live within a five-mile radius of the company and any investment made to community initiatives, educational links etc. feeds back to the company with greater motivation from employees together with an enhanced understanding amongst the local community of what HMG Paints does. Many of their educational projects have a two-way benefit, the positive input to the school and the training resource to the company.

How they do it

• Provide resources for local initiatives. HMG Paints helps many local initiatives with materials, facilities etc which is sometimes advantageous to the company as they can use materials which would otherwise be discarded as waste, which has obvious positive environmental benefits.

• Commitment to local education. As members of the Manchester Citypride Education Business Partnership (MEBP) they are very involved in educational links through the provision of outdoor classrooms, work experience opportunities, mock interviewing, industry challenges, careers fairs etc.; the list is fairly extensive.

• Commitment to urban forests. HMG has its own woodland and wildlife area which has been built up over the last ten years and which is of great value to local schools as well as the local community.They are also part of the Red Rose Forest, which is creating urban community forests through similar links to the River Irk Project.

• Networking for the public good. The company are members of the River Irk Project which is looking to regenerate the land within the Irk Valley. It links local community groups and the public and private sector.

Business Benefits

• Enhanced company profile. HMG Paints have a greatly enhanced presence locally, regionally and nationally and are held up as an exemplary site which acts as a good morale booster and sales tool. The company strives for stability and success and these projects reflect these aims. In 2000, HMG Paints was awarded the Coatings Care Award, given by the British Coatings Federation (BCF) for responsible care in Health, Safety and the Environment. HMG were cited as having made outstanding contributions to the community. They also won the 2003 North West Business Environment Award for Waterside Regeneration.

• Investment in future employees. Since most of HMG's staff come from their local community, an investment in local schools is an investment in their future workforce.

• Professional development for company staff.