As the pace and the pressure increase to both lessen our impact and protect the environment it has never been more important to be sustainably accountable. Yet, it can be difficult to see both the small details and big picture of this impact.
The business community has become increasingly cynical of empty promises. Many have grown wise to (and tired of) ‘greenwashing’, and expect brands to step up and be sustainably accountable for their actions. But how does a company prove that its dedication to positive change is more than just beguiling words?
Setting goals and measuring success against Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors is an effective framework for ensuring sustainability practices are meaningful and effective. At Smart Pack, being transparent about our ESG practices, targets, and performance is essential to being accountable. It’s how we can show that we’re doing far more than pushing an empty slogan.
Many of our customers, particularly larger companies, need this information too. Ensuring they meet their own ESG reporting needs and fully understand their supply chains is vital.
Our clients don’t just want sustainable packaging options, they need to be able to prove that the packaging supplier they’ve chosen is a truly better option.
We knew we needed to increase our reporting capabilities so clients could be confident every part of our supply chain was covered and accountable – and that this information was backed-up with solid data.
Stepping up our sustainable accountability
In 2022, we began to consider our options for improved and more transparent sustainability reporting. There are plenty of options, but one stood out from the rest.
EcoVadis is considered the gold standard for measuring the sustainability performance of a company. This internationally recognized standard also matched the global scale of our network. EcoVadis was the right fit for our ambition.
To become EcoVadis rated we’ve had to complete a rigorous assessment process. This included measuring and sharing data on 21 different ESG indicators, including:
- Environment – Evaluating our environmental impact, from energy consumption and emissions, to waste management
- Labour and human rights – We’ve looked closely at our health and safety practices, working conditions, and diversity across Smart Pack’s operations and supply chain
- Ethics – Ensuring we stay true to strong ethical business practices and do not participate in corruption or anti-competitive practices
- Sustainable procurement – Looking at the sustainability of how Smart Pack sources our goods and services.
EcoVadis’ experts then spent months assessing the information and data and reviewed our performance and practices based on the Global Reporting Index (GRI), ISO 26000, the United Nations Global Compact and other international standards.
We’re proud to say that we achieved a Platinum rating, scoring particularly highly on environmental and ethical factors. This rating is in the top 1% of EcoVadis rated companies
The importance of accreditation
Good accreditation is all about delivering credible accountability. It’s easy enough to look at your own ESG factors and environmental initiatives and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. What is harder is to put your framework and processes under someone else’s microscope.
Engaging an internationally recognised auditing firm to conduct an assessment has enabled us to look deeper at our practices and our targets. By measuring our progress against international standards it has revealed areas for improvement and helped us to define our targets more clearly.
Our clients and contacts operate on a global scale, and we understand how important it is to reassure them that we’re doing everything we can so that our supply chain is absolutely transparent and entirely accountable. Everything is that much easier when we’re using frameworks and data to demonstrate the results.
Accreditation is reassessed annually and we’ll need to continue to perform at a high level to keep our rating. Of course, we can’t afford to take our foot off the accelerator. Consistently striving to do better, to keep measuring and assessing all that we do, helps us to grow and improve.
Accountability is a powerful tool to help companies do better by their customers, their communities and the environment. At Smart Pack we’ve found EcoVadis is perfect for first setting the standard and then inspiring our team to surpass it.
