Hoogstraten, Belgium. September 16, 2024, we are proud to announce that deSter has been awarded the Platinum rating from EcoVadis. Previously, deSter held a Gold rating, but in the last year, we improved our score from 76 to 84 (out of a possible 100 points). This great achievement recognizes our efforts in reaching our ESG goals in the past year. On top of that, deSter has been named a “leader” in carbon management, which is the highest level on this topic, presenting us as a company with a strong GHG management system and best-in-class decarbonization commitments, actions, and reporting capabilities.
“Caring for our planet should be a concern for all of us; we should not wait for others to take action. There is still so much to do to further reduce our impact and to protect our planet and all life on it. I am incredibly proud of our EcoVadis achievement, which is a testament of our commitment to leading our industry and bringing change. I hope it is an inspiration to others,” says Philippe De Naeyer, Director Sustainability at deSter.
There are a number of ways that we at deSter were able to raise our score for this Platinum rating. We had an impressive 50% reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions since 2019 (scope 1, 2 and 3), exceeding our target of 25% by 2025, mainly due to our progress on product circularity and expansion of local production. By focusing on the design and development of circular products, we increased revenue from circular products to 60% of our 2023 revenue, with 20% being reusable and 40% compostable. We have also been able to reduce the weight of the total number of single-use plastics we sold by 52% since 2019 and are continuing to find new ways to lower that number even further. We have increased the number of audited suppliers and associated corrective action plans with regard to our sustainable procurement process, also initiating our supplier engagement process on carbon reduction. We invested in training and well-being programs and conducted a holistic global employee survey that identified additional areas of growth. For further information on deSter’s sustainability actions, please read our 2023 Sustainability Report here.
It is a well-earned honor to be counted in the top 1% of these companies due to our Platinum rating. Under the motto “Sustainability is a journey and not a destination,” this is a massive milestone for deSter and a great motivation to continue increasing our commitment to sustainability.
Media Inquiries:
deSter Communications Team
dester.communications@gategroup.com
About EcoVadis
Ecovadis is the world’s largest and most trusted provider of sustainability ratings. The EcoVadis Medals symbolize the ratings that are awarded based on a company’s percentile rank, which is calculated at the time of scorecard publication. They compare a company’s performance with all rated companies in the EcoVadis database, which includes more than 130,000 companies, over the previous 12 months. These are companies from all industries, not just related ones.
About deSter
deSter, a gategroup member, is a leading provider of innovative and sustainable food packaging and serviceware concepts to the aviation, hospitality and foodservice industries. The company combines 75 years of manufacturing expertise with the latest product technology and material developments. deSter has production units in Hoogstraten (BE), Barcelona (ES), Lima (US) and Prachinburi (TH), and global sales offices worldwide. www.dester.com