Phillips 66 Earns High Marks for Corporate Social Responsibility

HOUSTON -- Phillips 66 is the top U.S. company for corporate social responsibility, according to a just-released survey by Universum. The research firm surveyed 20,812 U.S. college business students and the majority said Houston-based Phillips 66 -- which lends its 76, Conoco and eponymous brand names to thousands of convenience stores and gas stations -- is the best corporate citizen in America.

Cellular telephone provider T-Mobile and City Year, a non-profit organization committed to increasing high school graduation rates, tied for second in the survey.

A company's corporate social responsibility reputation can have a significant impact on recruitment efforts, Melissa Murray Bailey, Universum's president of the Americas, told Forbes. "It's important for companies to know that there are students out there who value [corporate social responsibility] highly when choosing an employer and not to forget to communicate that message to target likeminded employees," she said.

All of the 20,000-plus business students were asked what company is the most ideal to work for and why. According to Vicki Lynn, Universum's senior vice president of client talent strategy, Phillips 66 was selected because the students recognized how hard the company has worked to refresh its brand since being spun off from ConocoPhillips Inc. on May 1, 2012.

"Phillips 66 is known because one of its core products is consumer facing (gas for our cars, for example) and it has focused its business on how its products improve our lives," Lynn told the news outlet. "Its business is largely focused on energy manufacturing and logistics operations, and they have focused on how to improve gas for cars, jet fuel, home heating products and plastics. It does this by supporting conservation programs, using energy materials efficiently and demonstrating respect for our natural resources."

Phillips 66 also places a special emphasis on caring for the environment and sustainability within the regions where its brands are located. "Recently, it contributed $1 million to the Oklahoma tornado relief efforts and matched employee relief fund donations as well," Lynn noted in the Forbes report.