The construction industry has greatly improved its corporate social responsibility score over the past year, but still lags behind other sectors

The annual ranking is produced by Business in the Community, a charity that rates firms on criteria such as their green credentials, transparency, health and safety, equality and diversity.

The charity only considers FTSE 350 companies and its own membership, which includes more than 800 firms, 42 of which are in construction. The companies that score 70 or more out of 100 are ranked on the index.

Out of the 141 companies that made the grade, construction contributed six. This was better than the three that made it in 2007, but far fewer than other sectors. The leading industry was financial services, which had 17 members in the list, including Barclays and Lloyds TSB.

The six firms with the highest CSR score in construction were Aggregate Industries, BAM Construct, Carillion, Costain, Marshalls and Wates. Carillion was the highest ranked, followed by Wates. In support services, Amec, Amey, Mitie and WSP made the grade.

In terms of score, all construction entrants averaged 83%. This was 16 points more than 2002, and the same as the average for all sectors. But it was behind utilities (94%) insurers (93%) and retailers (89%).

The industry has been late coming to the party but recently has taken huge steps

Caroline Cook, BAM Construct

Business in the Community said improvement in construction had been driven by increased demand from clients for eco-friendly policies, use of responsible products and financial integrity.

Graham Watts, chief executive of the Construction Industry Council, said: 鈥淒oubling the number of firms in the top 140 is a good start, but there鈥檚 a long way to go before the industry gets its rightful proportion.鈥�

He added that the recession was unlikely to hinder progress. 鈥淥nce companies realise it鈥檚 better for business to be more responsible, they are unlikely to go back.鈥�

Caroline Cook, BAM Construct鈥檚 head of CSR, said: 鈥淭his is very positive for us. The industry has been late coming to the party in CSR but over the last 10 years it has taken huge steps in areas such as health and safety.鈥�

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