Diversity is still a blind spot for big business

FTSE 100 companies have made progress on many corporate responsibility issues over the past five years, but they are not doing so well on board diversity and equal opportunities.

Ethical Investment Research Services says the greatest improvements have been in environmental policy development, human rights and the supply chain. Its latest report shows a fourfold increase in companies with an 'exceptional' environmental policy - up from four in 2003 to 16 in 2007- while the number having only basic or limited management of supply chain labour standards fell from 50 to 30.

But environmental reporting is still 'poor' overall, and a third of companies are judged to have inadequate or weak reporting.

In addition, despite new equal opportunities legislation, two companies lack public policies on the issue and 14 are without supporting systems such as flexible working. Eiris says these levels have remained 'relatively constant' for five years. On no company boards do women make up more than a third of the directors.