EcoVadis Platinum rating places Valpak by Reconomy in top 1% for sustainability

The UK’s largest compliance scheme, Valpak by Reconomy, is celebrating after earning a rare Platinum sustainability rating from EcoVadis. The Platinum award is an accolade awarded to just one per cent of 130,000 global companies assessed each year.

Steve Gough, CEO at Valpak, welcomed the award, saying: “As a company that was launched to support and advise others on their sustainability journeys, it is our responsibility to lead by example. Making it into the top one per cent is an exceptional achievement for the whole Valpak team.”

Valpak scored particularly highly in environmental certification, including Real Living Wage accreditation, impact reporting, Thrive at Work and Zero Waste to Landfill accreditation. As a Reconomy brand, Valpak has also benefited from group-wide initiatives such as the group menopause and social dialogue policies.

The EcoVadis rating is based on performance across four areas:

* Environment – tackling emissions, recycling and environmental impact.

* Labour and human rights – ensuring safe, inclusive and equitable workplaces.

* Ethics – ensuring the highest standards of integrity.

* Sustainable procurement.

Each area is scored on policies, actions and results. Organisations are rated from Bronze to Platinum and provided with a score card that highlights potential areas for improvement. Following its Gold rating last year, Valpak created an action plan that led to additional policies as well as improving overall management of sustainability and increasing visibility around sustainability reporting, using publications such as the company’s annual impact report. 

Specific developments included:

* greater engagement with the supply chain to introduce environmental clauses;

* improved internal communication around career management and training, and the opening of a dedicated wellbeing room at Valpak’s office;

* increased visibility around renewable energy generation and consumption; and,

* improved visibility around ethics reporting.

EcoVadis sustainability ratings cover more than 220 industry categories across 180 countries and regions. Of the two million businesses that apply for screening with EcoVadis each year, only 130,000 are rated. Just one per cent of these achieve the Platinum rating.

Gough concluded: “If we are to tackle the challenges we face globally, businesses need to address their impact and identify ways to improve. One of Valpak’s key strengths in gaining the highest level of Ecovadis assessment was the depth of our policy measurement. However, while we celebrate our achievements, we are conscious that this is not the conclusion – we will continue to prioritise sustainability throughout the business and our supply chain.”

To view Valpak accreditations and certifications, visit: https://okt.to/qD7pcy]

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Editors notes

* Valpak’s mission is to create a sustainable, waste-free world. We are driven, not by today. We are driven by tomorrow.

* We help our clients to reduce waste and recycle more, continually innovating and using leading data science and expertise to inspire businesses, help push ourselves – and our industry – forward. We don’t just show our customers how to navigate waste regulations; we help them become more sustainable, through our ever-increasing capabilities and pioneering innovations.

* Valpak is the largest environmental compliance scheme in the UK. We work with major names, such as Aldi, Tesco, ASOS, and Miele, and manages compliance for more than 2,000 businesses. In 2022, it celebrated its 25th anniversary.

* Valpak is a Reconomy Group company. Reconomy Group is an innovative, tech-led provider of services to enable the circular economy, with the purpose of creating a truly sustainable world by conserving finite resources. Enabling businesses around the world to improve their ESG outcomes, the Reconomy Group delivers value through its unique set of integrated capabilities - Recycle, Comply and Re-use.​

* Reconomy Group serves businesses of all sizes in the following sectors: retail, hospitality, leisure, manufacturing, facilities management, transport and logistics, construction, house building and infrastructure.

* Valpak services include::

Compliance under Waste Packaging, WEEE, and Battery Directives.

Data insights.

International compliance.

Recycling services (total waste management options and solutions for niche materials).

Consultancy.

Accreditation under environmental schemes, such as Zero Waste to Landfill. 

* Valpak invests in pioneering systems and expertise which enable its customers to analyse, assess and improve product design. The Product Data Hub, Insight Platform and dedicated teams work together to drive change.