EcoVadis: why we are so delighted with the silver medal

Circet is experiencing a strong growth curve. That’s great, provided our economic ambitions continue to go hand in hand with our respect for society and the environment. EcoVadis helps us stay true to these sustainability goals. By achieving this silver medal, we show the outside world that we take corporate social responsibility very seriously.

What is EcoVadis?

“EcoVadis is an international organisation that assesses all kinds of measures that you take as a company to implement corporate social responsibility,” explains Circet prevention advisor and environmental coordinator Kyani Van den Eede. “This ranges from measures to reduce your carbon footprint to ethical procurement processes and well-being at work. In concrete terms, you complete the EcoVadis questionnaire, supporting each answer with evidence.”

Circet achieved a silver medal: what does it mean?

Kyani: “First and foremost: that we are doing well! Last year we obtained the bronze in Belgium and silver in the Netherlands, so the climb towards the highest step of the podium has begun. At the same time, the benchmarking is interesting. That's the comparison of our scores with those of tens of thousands of other participants. We are among the top 13% of companies that took part in this year's assessment.”

Why is it important to earn recognition like the EcoVadis medal?

Kyani: “Firstly, it is a quality check of various aspects of our sustainability: environment and climate, working conditions, ethics, regulatory compliance, and so on. In which areas are we performing well, and where should we focus our efforts to do better? In addition to awarding a medal, EcoVadis provides us with tools to help us systematically improve our performance.

Secondly, it is the perfect way to provide objective evidence to the outside world that you are engaged in responsible entrepreneurship. Our customers want assurances that we screen our suppliers and subcontractors carefully, that working conditions are safe and pleasant, or that we try to avoid waste. By the way, we also get similar questions from candidates.

Finally, and perhaps the most important reason: as a major international company, we feel it is our duty and responsibility to do our part for the environment and society. That is why we recently created ESG teams within Circet, at both local and group levels.”