Singapore-based sustainability consultancy CSRWorks International has launched an all-in EcoVadis service aimed at smaller companies that lack dedicated sustainability resources or expertise.
Small companies facing growing sustainability requirements from customers and supply-chain partners have a new option for managing their EcoVadis assessments.
CSRWorks International, an EcoVadis Strategic Partner, has launched an EcoVadis Small Company Package, designed for businesses that may not have a dedicated sustainability professional or previous experiece with sustainability ratings.
The service is intended for both first-time EcoVadis participants and companies that have already been assessed but want to address gaps and strengthen their sustainability management practices before their next assessment.
For many smaller businesses, sustainability ratings present a practical resource challenge. A company may be asked by a major customer to obtain an EcoVadis rating without having anyone internally whose primary responsibility is sustainability.
CSRWorks says its new package is designed to address that gap by acting as an extended sustainability expert team.
The firm works with participating companies to review existing sustainability practices, identify gaps, strengthen relevant policies and processes, improve documentation, organise supporting evidence and manage the assessment and submission process in collaboration with the company.
“For a small company, the biggest barrier is often not willingness but capability,” said Rajesh Chhabara, Managing Director of CSRWorks International. “A customer may ask for an EcoVadis rating, but there may be nobody in the business who has dealt with a sustainability assessment before. Our role is to bring that expertise into the company, strengthen what sits behind the assessment and help manage the process from beginning to end.”
The package also caters to companies that have completed an EcoVadis assessment previously but received a lower-than-expected result.
Rather than simply focusing on the next questionnaire, the approach involves examining the underlying sustainability management system and identifying where policies, implementation, documentation or supporting evidence may need to be strengthened.
Sustainability ratings increasingly influence supplier relationships and procurement decisions, but the underlying objective is not simply to improve a score. Companies need credible policies, management processes, actions and evidence that demonstrate how sustainability issues are being managed in practice.
CSRWorks is one of the longest-standing EcoVadis Strategic Partners and has supported more than 500 EcoVadis assessments globally. The firm provides sustainability advisory, assurance, verification and training services from Singapore to companies worldwide.
The launch comes as sustainability requirements continue to extend deeper into global supply chains, bringing smaller suppliers into sustainability assessment, disclosure and due-diligence processes that were previously concentrated among larger companies.
