The Consult

EcoVadis is the world’s leading provider of business sustainability ratings, assessing companies on their environmental, social, and ethical performance. In the days where everyone wants to be “green,” EcoVadis is a platform that allows companies to assess key parts of their supply chain to ensure they aren’t just greenwashing.

“We were asked by one of our clients to participate in the EcoVadis Sustainability Assessment relative to our sustainability program,” recalls Jackie Baxley, Principal and EHS Practice Leader at HRP. “This particular client identified HRP as being a critical partner and supplier and they wanted to ensure that we were the type of company that presents limited risk for their business. Thankfully, we started formalizing our sustainability program several years ago. We were able to identify goals and objectives for our sustainability program, see how we’ve progressed over the years, and we’re backed by third-party validation that shows we are on the right track.”

To qualify for this recognition, HRP successfully completed the EcoVadis assessment process that scores companies on 21 specific sustainability criteria. Recognized with a Bronze Medal, HRP places within the top 50% of all assessed companies.

“It’s not an A+ rating,” says Jackie, “but it acknowledges that we have a program in place, and that our commitment to sustainable practices is more than just lip service. It shows that we are taking meaningful steps with our program and within the organization, but that we still have some opportunity for improvement.”

HRP’s EcoVadis score will be reassessed every three years, and the team has already identified some areas of improvement that are being woven into the company’s strategic planning initiatives.

“This validated that we’re focusing on the right things,” says Jackie, “and opened our eyes to certain items we hadn’t considered that we can focus on moving forward to improve our approach to sustainability.”