Imerys : Platinum rating from EcoVadis recognises Imerys’ continued sustainability improvements
September 04, 2020 at 07:25 am EDT
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September 04, 2020
Platinum rating from EcoVadis recognises Imerys' continued sustainability improvements
Imerys received in August the highest recognition possible from global business sustainability assessor EcoVadis - the reward of its continuous improvement efforts in corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Imerys is among the leading companies to receive business sustainability assessor EcoVadis' new recognition level for the highest-performing organizations for corporate social responsibility.
Imerys received in August the highest recognition possible fromglobal business sustainability assessorEcoVadis- the reward of its continuous improvement efforts in corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Recognition puts Imerys in top 1%
The company has been rated Platinum, a new medal category created in 2020 by EcoVadis. The Platinum rating recognises thetop 1% of companiesevaluated for theirenvironment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement performance.
The latest scorecard continues Imerys' upward trajectory. In EcoVadis' 2019 sustainability assessment, Imerys was certified Gold - the top rating at that time.
Leah Wilson, Imerys' CSR Vice President, says the Platinum rating reflects the company's ongoing commitment to implementing world-class processes, achieved largely throughthe company's own CSR program, SustainAgility, which launched in 2018.
When we submitted our 2019 assessment, we talked about our ambitious targets and what we planned to do. Our Platinum status recognises the fruits of our labor over the past two years and the continuous improvement efforts we have made across our Group. All departments have worked hard to further embed our sustainability principles in everything we do.
Leah Wilson
Imerys' CSR Vice President
Improvements in environmental, labor, ethics and procurement performance
Imerys improved its score in every pillar of EcoVadis' evaluation. Significant environmental milestones include the approval of Imerys'emissions reduction targetsby the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a partnership between Carbon Disclosure Project, UN Global Compact, World Resources Institute and WWF.
SBTi champions science-based target-setting to ensure companies are prepared for and contribute to the transition to a low-carbon economy.The Group also demonstrated significant progress in the implementation of its biodiversity roadmap (43% of the three-year plan completed in a year), which is part of itsAct4Naturecommitments.
Onlabor and human rights, Imerys has reinforced its commitment to employee wellness and wellbeing. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic particularly, information on good hygiene practices, mental health advice and available support was shared regularly. Imerys' Diversity & Inclusion charter, and three-year program with measurable goals and actions (well on track with already 29% completed in a year), are creating greater awareness and transparency on D&I performance.
With regards toethics, new procedures launched in 2020 support Imerys' efforts tobuild constructiveexternal relationships:Stakeholder Management and Community Relations andSponsorship and Charitable Donations. These new guidelines and tools help Imerys sites identify initiatives and develop partnerships that have long-term impacts and take into account local culture and socio-economic conditions. They are consistent with the company's ambition to contribute to local education and skill development, as well as environmental stewardship in particular. A grievance mechanism for local communities has also been formalised.
Onsustainable procurement,Imerys deployed a third party screening of its suppliers, to review and improve the sustainability of their processes. Suppliers' Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) performance will be independently assessed against the same criteria used to assess Imerys to ensure all partners are aligned withImerys' Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.
Imerys installed solar panels on several sites to supply energy to the local grids.
Embedding sustainability best practice
'What sets us apart is our engagement - with the communities themselves, but also in inspiring employees around what we are trying to achieve, says Leah. These policies and actions are not just words on a page. Whether it's a safety culture maturity matrix or occupational health assessment, the tools translate into actions implemented at our sites.'
The EcoVadis review is annual, which means Imerys is committed to ensuring its Platinum-rated approach becomes an intrinsic way of doing business.
'We aim to accelerate our efforts to make sure the positive actions and examples support systemic change, concludes Leah.Sustainability requires continuous improvement and we are using our EcoVadis assessment to seize opportunities to raise the bar.'
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Imerys SA published this content on 04 September 2020 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 04 September 2020 11:24:03 UTC
As a world leader in mineral specialties for the industry, Imerys offers high-added-value business solutions for a wide range of sectors, from process industries to consumer goods or construction products. The group actively mobilizes its knowledge of applications, technological expertise and materials science know how to provide high-end solutions that value its mineral resources, develop formulations or produce synthetic minerals. All these actions bring about essential properties to its customers' products and their performance such as refractoriness, toughness, conductivity, opacity, durability, purity, lightness, filtration, absorption, or hydrophobicity. Imerys is strongly committed to responsible developmentin particular, to contribute to the development of environmentally friendly products and processes. The activity is organized around 2 areas:
- Performance Minerals: the segment brings together three geographical business areas - Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), America and Asia/Pacific (APAC). This segment encompasses functional additives that give unique properties to the products they compose. It serves the plastics, rubber, paint and coatings, filtration, ceramic materials, renewable energy, paper and cardboard, food, health and cosmetic industries;
- Materials and High Temperature Solutions: the segment, managed globally, brings together two business areas - High Temperature Solutions and Refractories, Abrasives & Construction. This segment facilitates production processes involving high temperatures. It serves the refractory, foundry, metals, abrasives and building chemicals markets.
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