How Ratings Helped LC Packaging Gain an Edge and Become a Sustainability Leader

EcoVadis is glad to welcome this guest blog post from LC Packaging, the manufacturer and distributor of flexible packaging solutions.

Three years ago, in 2017, we launched our very first sustainability strategy at LC Packaging: Sustainability Vision 2022 – No time to Waste. With the launch of this vision, our professional sustainability journey started. 

We wanted to be a leader in sustainability by the time we celebrated our 100th birthday in 2023. Two years early, we have achieved that goal. An important part of our journey toward this goal, maybe even the crucial part, was conducting the extensive annual EcoVadis assessment. How can an assessment have so much impact? Let me explain.

Our Baseline Turned Out Promising

In 2017, one of our customers asked us to conduct an EcoVadis assessment to prove our commitment to sustainability. The assessment reviews how we operate in four areas: Environment, Labour & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. Our first assessment, while challenging and requiring a lot of work, was probably the best step we could have taken. We had to answer over 300 questions related to 21 sustainability topics. I really didn’t know ‘customer health & safety’ or ‘responsible information management’ were sustainability topics – did you?

For each question we answered “yes” to, we had to upload supporting documents. No documents uploaded means your answer is “no”. Each and every document is checked by a team of analysts – it is a very rigorous assessment. Even though we were rookies in this methodology, and in the world of professional sustainability for that matter, our existing sustainability efforts were enough to earn us a Silver Medal. Of the 50,000 companies assessed at that time, we belonged to the top 25%. This was our baseline – not a bad start.

A Reward for Our Efforts and Commitment

Our sustainability journey was accelerating. From 2017 to 2019, we did our utmost to understand an array of sustainability and topics and better structure our company-wide efforts. We wrote policies. We created awareness among our colleagues and our external stakeholders. We built partnerships to achieve our goals and started reporting on our outcomes. Everything we did helped us to understand so much more about our company and the impact we can have. Sustainability was given a face.

As the EcoVadis Rating is only valid for one year, in 2019, we decided to go through the somewhat dreaded assessment again. This time, almost all departments within the company were involved. Sustainability was much more integrated into our practices, so everyone had information to share. And, as a result, everyone, not just myself and the management team, was delighted when we were awarded a Gold Medal.

The medal was and still is the diploma for our efforts and commitment. The icing on the cake. With our Gold Medal, we belonged to the top 5% of all companies assessed. Alongside the rating, the specialized team of EcoVadis analysts also provides extremely valuable feedback on our strengths and areas for improvement.

We Became a Leader

And in 2020 we received a Platinum Medal. PLATINUM! We belong to the top 1% and we couldn’t be more proud. Every year we understand more about our impact and grow as a company. All colleagues are involved now one way or another. By actively conducting our awareness training sessions. By helping local communities and initiating sustainable innovations. By selecting production partners who share our values. By helping us work in the cloud and communicate via Microsoft teams so we do not have to jump on a plane as much. By always paying our production partners on time and upfront if needed and by supporting them in difficult times. By explaining to our customer the importance of reusing and recycling our packaging after use. By simply speaking out against misconduct. By treating each other well and by turning off our screens when we go home.

So, to sum it all up: Each year we conduct the EcoVadis assessment, and yes, it can be tough and requires a lot of work. But it also shows us where we stand, what our impact is and what we can do to improve. It keeps sustainability top-of-mind and motivates us to walk that extra mile. It is a reward for the company and all colleagues involved who do their best every day to do good.

As many as 94% of our colleagues say they are proud to work for LC Packaging, and I am definitely one of them. I think we can also be proud of ourselves because, in the end, everything we have achieved so far is a team effort: Platinum!

Interested in reading more about our achievements? Check out our Sustainability Update 2020.

About the Author

Manager Communications and Sustainability, LC Packaging International Lotte Mastwijk has over 14 years of field experience in various industries and joined LC Packaging in 2014 to establish its global communications strategy. In 2017, she also started specializing in sustainability, resulting in LC Packaging’s first 5-year sustainability vision.

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