Sidel received a Silver CSR rating from EcoVadis, a sustainability rating platform used to understand, track and improve environmental, ethical and social performance worldwide. This represents a step forward compared to the rating the company achieved in 2016, reflecting the energy and dedication that is put into CSR performance across the Group - whether it is environmental impact, safety at work, business integrity or sustainable procurement.
Respect for the environment and a strong focus on CSR and Corporate Governance is fundamental to Sidel. In addition to EcoVadis, the company also works with SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange), the largest collaborative platform for sharing ethical supply chain data.
Christophe Le Toullec, Sidel Group HS&E manager, is in charge of supporting the EcoVadis evaluation. He comments, “We are dedicated to helping our customers act in an environmentally responsible manner without compromising their economic performance. We continue to implement CSR in everything we do to help us achieve this and are pleased to see we improved our EcoVadis rating this year by approximately 10 points compared to 2016.”
As a rating platform, EcoVadis focuses on the whole supply chain, with a system that brings together buyers and suppliers, to accelerate transparency and foster a more sustainable business. The assessment framework is customised for each company according to its activity, size, and geographic location of its operations. Generally, the auditing process is performed on a yearly basis, according to four larger areas of interest. Two of these areas of interest are more people-centric, the so-called social and ethical factors, such as employee health and safety, working conditions, discrimination, as well as corruption and bribery, data security and anti-competitive practices. Additionally, the rating platform looks at environmental factors, such as use of water, materials and waste, pollution, and product end of life. Lastly, EcoVadis also surveys the entire supply chain, rating environmental and social practices of both customers and suppliers.
For Sidel, which achieved an above-average performance in all evaluated areas, this approach is a particularly relevant method of benchmarking CSR performance, given the company’s goal to continuously deliver maximum quality to consumers, while committing to a sustainable future with solutions that protect the planet’s resources. Stephane Aymonier, HS&E Director for the Sidel Group, explains, “It all comes down to our ability to understand our customers’ needs, targets, the markets they serve and demonstrate how our solutions and equipment can improve their performance, while contributing to a reduced environmental impact. This is what we really mean by Performance through Understanding.”
EcoVadis carries out extensive and thorough evaluations of companies’ CSR management systems, looking at policies, actions and results. It maps the sustainability performance of 40,000 supplier companies across 150 sectors, in 120 countries, and is used by many global companies, including key players such as Nestlé and Coca-Cola.
