How does EcoVadis certification boost CSR commitment?

The EcoVadis certification is emerging as a real lever for boosting companies’ CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) commitment. This internationally renowned certification body evaluates companies’ sustainability performance across four key themes: Environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. In a context where corporate responsibility is becoming a major issue for companies and their stakeholders, obtaining an EcoVadis certification helps showcase CSR efforts and gain credibility.

What is the EcoVadis certification?

EcoVadis is a leading certification body that evaluates the CSR performance of businesses worldwide. Founded in 2007, the EcoVadis platform relies on a robust, internationally recognised methodology to score companies on their sustainable development commitment.

The EcoVadis assessment covers four sustainability themes:

• Environment;
• Labour and human rights;
• Ethics;
• Sustainable procurement.

For each theme, the company is assessed based on a detailed questionnaire and supporting documents. The CSR evaluation criteria are adapted to the company’s industry and size, ensuring a relevant and fair rating. The dual objective is to encourage organisations to adopt better sustainable practices and facilitate business relationships between companies concerned about their societal and environmental impact.

What are the benefits of the EcoVadis certification?

Obtaining the EcoVadis certification offers several significant advantages for companies. Firstly, it highlights their commitment to sustainability and ethics, which can enhance their brand image and boost their market competitiveness. Secondly, the certification enables companies to meet their clients and partners’ CSR requirements, often essential in tender processes and supplier selection. Lastly, the EcoVadis assessment process itself provides a framework for continuous improvement, helping rated companies identify and address gaps in their CSR practices.

How to obtain the EcoVadis certification? The assessment process explained

To obtain an EcoVadis CSR rating, companies must undergo a rigorous evaluation process and methodology. Here are the main steps:

1. Registration: The company registers on the EcoVadis platform and provides general information about its business and CSR commitment.
2. Questionnaire: EcoVadis sends the company a detailed questionnaire covering the 4 assessment themes (environment, labour, ethics, sustainable procurement). The company must respond to this questionnaire by providing accurate, substantiated information.
3. Document analysis: In addition to the questionnaire, the company must provide supporting documents (certifications, policies, reports, etc.) to back up its responses. EcoVadis experts analyse these documents to verify the company’s compliance with the CSR evaluation criteria.
4. EcoVadis ratings: Based on the questionnaire responses and document analysis, EcoVadis assigns an overall score to the company out of 100, as well as a score for each of the 4 themes. This score determines the company’s EcoVadis medal (bronze, silver, gold or platinum) and badges. It is accompanied by a detailed report, including a summary of the company’s strengths and improvement areas.

The EcoVadis certification is valid for 12 months. Each year, the company must update its information and undergo a re-assessment to maintain its certification and receive a new EcoVadis scorecard. This continuous improvement process allows the company to progress in its CSR approach and showcase its efforts to its stakeholders.

Certified companies can choose to share their EcoVadis score and assessment report with their clients, suppliers, and other stakeholders via the EcoVadis platform. This sharing aims to promote transparency and encourage good CSR practices within supply chains.

To highlight a company’s CSR commitment, there are also 32 CSR certifications to be aware of, offering a wide range of specialisations and international recognition.

Collaborating with responsible suppliers: The asset of the EcoVadis certification

The EcoVadis certification is a valuable tool for companies wishing to work with responsible suppliers. By evaluating companies’ performance and CSR engagement, EcoVadis helps identify business partners most committed to sustainable development.

For companies concerned about their environmental and social impact, collaborating with EcoVadis-certified suppliers offers numerous advantages. First, it ensures these partners meet stringent criteria in terms of environment, working conditions, ethics and sustainable procurement. By working with responsible suppliers, companies can reduce risks related to their supply chain and strengthen their own CSR commitment.

Moreover, the EcoVadis platform greatly facilitates the search for certified partners. Thanks to this tool, companies can access a global database of evaluated suppliers and filter results according to their specific criteria (industry, location, EcoVadis medals and badges, etc.). This platform thus provides considerable time savings in the supplier selection process while ensuring their commitment to sustainable development.

Collaborating with EcoVadis-certified suppliers also means working with high-quality, reliable business partners who are transparent about their CSR performance. Companies can thus communicate confidently about their sustainable engagement and enhance their credibility with stakeholders (clients, investors, NGOs, etc.).

Manutan, a company EcoVadis-certified for its CSR commitment

Manutan is a company committed to CSR and sustainable development. This commitment has been recognised by EcoVadis, which awarded Manutan a gold medal for its CSR performance in 2023. This distinction attests to the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainable development and its determination to integrate CSR issues into its overall strategy.

With an overall score of 71/100, Manutan ranks in the top 4% of companies evaluated by EcoVadis across all sectors. This remarkable performance is the result of sustained efforts in various areas, including labour and human rights, and sustainable procurement. Manutan has managed to improve its sustainable procurement score by 10 points in one year, for the third consecutive year.

To achieve this level of excellence, Manutan has implemented various concrete actions, such as evaluating its suppliers, signing ethical charters and training its teams on CSR issues. This comprehensive approach enables the company to better manage risks, identify opportunities and engage its suppliers in a continuous progress dynamic.

The EcoVadis certification, as now international sustainability standards, reaffirms Manutan’s CSR commitments, in line with its mission “enterprising for a better world”. It also highlights the willingness of the company’s stakeholders to defend the same sustainable development convictions.

In its EcoVadis assessment, the Manutan Group was particularly recognised for its environmental policy, human resource management and commitment to sustainable procurement. This performance reflects the company’s determination to take concrete action to reduce its carbon footprint, promote workplace well-being and collaborate with suppliers sharing its CSR values.

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