Last month, deSter received its first-ever Platinum rating from EcoVadis, a milestone that places us among the top 1% of companies assessed by EcoVadis globally. This achievement marks a significant step in our journey towards responsible business practices and underscores our commitment to continuous improvement in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance.
For those unfamiliar, EcoVadis is a globally recognized platform that evaluates the sustainability performance of over 130,000 organizations worldwide. It assesses companies across four key themes: Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, Environment, and Sustainable Procurement, covering 21 criteria in total. Each criterion requires comprehensive documentation, ensuring that every action taken is supported by solid evidence.
Joint Efforts, Shared Success
We first participated in the EcoVadis assessment in 2016, achieving a Bronze rating. However, as we began to understand its deeper value — not just as a rating system but as a tool to measure and challenge our own progress — we became more invested in the process.
By 2022, the deSter ESG team had grown to three people who led the way, but the support from every department within the company was crucial. We also nominated ESG ambassadors to embed sustainability even more into each part of the organization.
These efforts allowed us to improve our responses in the EcoVadis questionnaire, providing more detail and stronger evidence of our progress across all areas. As a result, we were awarded the Silver Medal in 2022. In 2023, we achieved the Gold Medal, which served as a crucial milestone towards earning the Platinum award in 2024.
2024: Building Momentum for the Future
In 2024, our team focused on building upon our 2023 performance and feedback, with EcoVadis now ranking companies by percentile instead of points. Knowing the criteria grow stricter each year, we initially aimed to maintain our Gold rating, which would have been a solid achievement.
However, we exceeded our own expectations when we reached Platinum, raising our score from 76 to 84 out of 100. We improved in the following areas: Labor & Human Rights rose from 70 to 80 points, Ethics from 80 to 90, and Sustainable Procurement from 80 to 90. Despite stricter standards, we maintained our Environment score at 80 and achieved “leader” status in carbon management, the highest recognition for advanced decarbonization efforts.
What’s next?
Achieving Platinum is a significant accomplishment, but it doesn’t end here. We know there are still areas where we can improve, and we’re committed to pushing forward. Our #PeoplePlanetProduct strategy will continue to guide us as we work to reduce our environmental impact and increase our positive social contributions. Reducing carbon emissions and making our product portfolio more circular remain key priorities as we move ahead.
The EcoVadis assessment process encourages companies to continuously evolve by examining progress over previous years accompanied by clear, documented evidence. Moreover, new criteria are introduced each year to reflect changing global sustainability trends, which must be considered during submission. At deSter, we remain fully engaged with this process, ensuring we continue leading the way in sustainable practices within the Travel and Foodservice industries.
Sustainability is not a destination but a journey, and we are excited to continue along this path with the dedication of our global team. For more insights into our sustainability efforts, check out our 2023 Sustainability Report.