First of all - what is Ecovadis all about?

EcoVadis is a collaborative platform, which allows companies to assess their environmental and social performance as well as those of their suppliers. EcoVadis combines technology and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expertise to deliver simple and reliable supplier scorecards. These scorecards cover 21 CSR criteria along four main themes: environment, labor practices, fair business
practices and sustainable procurement and result in a company’s overall rating.

Why did DKSH participate in this assessment?

Our business in France is primarily focusing on marketing, selling and distributing performance materials. Many of our suppliers and clients are keen to see our progress in terms of sustainability and therefore suggest our participation in such external ratings. After having investigate about Ecovadis program, we decided to participate to prove our efforts and progress in terms of sustainability to our external stakeholders. Additionally, we were deeply interested to know more about which areas for improvement we could focus on. Indeed, participating in the EcoVadis program is a good opportunity for us to show that we are responsible when it comes to selecting our partners, ensure compliance in our activities and work towards responsible business growth. Moreover, being part of this program enhances our credibility.

Can you share some of the strengths of DKSH France and room for improvements that Ecovadis identified?

We are proud to be awarded with a gold rating and we are above our industry-average for all four criterias. We are especially strong when it comes to labor and fair business practices. This confirms our systematic compliant behaviour across our entire business.
In environment, we are rewarded for our waste management measures and the handling of hazardous materials. But this is not the end - we are already developing new initiatives to reduce our environmental impact and for improving further our sustainable procurement.

What are the benefits for you when you receive such great rating?

We believe that companies performances in sustainability will become more and more important when it comes to selecting business partners. Such ratings do push ahead our business! DKSH France is also ISO 9001 certified and a member of Responsible Care charter.
Therefore this gold rating from EcoVadis is a further evidence of DKSH France's commitment to sustainability. It demonstrates our current and potential clients and customers, that DKSH is a trustworthy partner and takes responsibility for the impacts that our business creates.

Jean-Dominique Foulon
Managing Director, DKSH France SA

Marie-Paule Guay
Business support, Personal Care Industry