Azelis receives second EcoVadis Gold rating

Azelis has been given an EcoVadis Gold rating for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance. This is the second time the company, a distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients, is recognised for its efforts in sustainability.

EcoVadis is the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, intelligence and collaborative performance improvement tools for global supply chain. Their CSR assessment methodology covers 198 purchasing categories, 155 countries, and 21 CSR indicators.

The EcoVadis Gold rating was an important prerequisite for Azelis’ membership to Together for Sustainbiliy (TfS), a global initiative for sustainable supply chains, which the company proudly announced recently.

Highlights of achievement

• With a score of 70 points out of 100, Azelis received its second EcoVadis Gold rating in a row, an increase of two points versus its last rating.

• Azelis secured its spot in the top 1% of distributors assessed by EcoVadis and top 2% of the 60,000 suppliers assessed by EcoVadis in all categories.

• With Azelis’ membership of TfS and UN Global Compact as a testimony, the company reinforces its ambition to be a catalyst of change when it comes to sustainable business models and to becoming a benchmark for the industry.

Ecovadis scoring basis

The EcoVadis overall score (0-100) reflects the quality of the company's CSR performance at the time of the assessment. To obtain the Gold rating, a company must score between 66 and 72.

Azelis achieved 70 points, a two-point increase compared to its previous rating. Azelis was assessed on four pillars: environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

Maria Almenar, Group Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) and Sustainability Director, comments: “In 2018, we were awarded the EcoVadis Gold rating for the first time, making us the first specialty chemicals distributor to receive this award. To now obtain this prestigious accolade for the second time in a row is a wonderful recognition of our group-wide efforts and commitments to implement the same high standards for our CSR performance across all regions in which we operate. We are convinced that CSR and sustainable innovation should continue to play an integral role in our business model.” 

Dr. Hans Joachim Müller, Azelis Chief Executive Officer, adds: “It is our genuine belief that only innovation and sustainable business can offer long-term partnerships with customers and suppliers, as well as considerable benefits to society. Our engagement for the EcoVadis assessment is therefore not a ‘nice-to-have,’ but almost a pre-requisite of an exclusive partnership between a principal and an innovation service provider like ourselves. It’s a new norm, a new responsible way of doing business. Both our membership of TfS and the EcoVadis Gold rating are moreover an important motivation and inspiration to our employees who have put our CSR efforts on top of their agenda, and it stimulates a sense of pride and belonging. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone involved in making this happen and specifically to Gerrit De Vos and Emanuele Ferrero who have contributed greatly to the Legal and HR pillars of our CSR program, and in particular to Maria Almenar who has been leading our CSR program with passion and determination.”

The Azelis CSR program, which was launched on a group level in 2017, is based on internationally recognized initiatives such as ISO 26000. It goes one step further than the Responsible Care and Responsible Distribution programs, which Azelis uses as a basis. In 2017, the company became a signatory member of the United Nations Global Compact and in February 2020 Azelis joined TfS. Azelis has four CSR pillars of its own: resources and environment, labor and human rights, fair business practices, and sustainable procurement. The company communicates regularly about its progress on integrating the Global Compact and its principles. The program also involves direct contribution to 10 selected UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Related report: Azelis gains EcoVadis Gold rating