Thus, companies must identify, mitigate and monitor potential risks in their business relationships that can negatively impact their stakeholders and the environment. This task can prove immensely difficult for companies involved in international trade, particularly in keeping up with numerous global standards and collecting and analyzing the necessary risk data.
Sustainability Intelligence to reduce global trade risks
To better support clients in building sustainability and ESG risk resilience into their partnership strategies, S-GE has launched a joint service with EcoVadis. This new service provides customers with more detailed risk profiling and sustainability-related information on prospective and current business partners and helps them to easily include such considerations in their decision-making. This enables Swiss companies to meet their due diligence obligations and comply with international sustainability standards and ESG compliance requirements.
Why EcoVadis?
EcoVadis is a purpose-driven company whose mission is to provide the world's most trusted business sustainability ratings. Businesses of all sizes rely on EcoVadis’ expert intelligence and evidence-based ratings to monitor and improve the sustainability performance of their business and trading partners. Its actionable scorecards, benchmarks, carbon action tools, and insights guide an improvement journey for environmental, social and ethical practices across 200 industry categories and 175 countries. Industry leaders such as Johnson & Johnson, Unilever and BASF are among the 125,000 businesses that collaborate with EcoVadis.
What does the new service entail?
Sustainability risk data is rapidly gaining importance as a competitive criterion in the selection of business partners, including as a financing criterion, as a factor for employer attractiveness and customer loyalty, as well as for compliance with local laws and global standards. The EU’s far-reaching Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the proposed Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act are the axis of global sustainability and due diligence regulations.
"We are pleased to be working with S-GE and look forward to using the new service to provide Swiss companies with improved insights into risk and performance in global markets, helping them to identify or develop more sustainable business relationships and mitigate risk while strengthening their reputation and resilience. Together, S-GE and EcoVadis can make a huge contribution toward greater transparency and sustainability."
Tanja Reilly, Senior Strategic Business Development, D-A-CH.
S-GE with access to risk intelligence on business partners worldwide
By integrating the EcoVadis IQ Plus solution, S-GE can assign a predictive risk score for each prospective and already-listed business partner. This business partner risk profile is based on country and industry risks as well as an AI-supported DocScan and analysis of standards, codes of conduct and certifications.
Sustainability background check
While the risk indication from IQ Plus is primarily based on country and sector risks as well as the additional Doc-Scan, S-GE can use an additional light questionnaire (EcoVadis Vitals) to request further and more in-depth information on basic standards and regulations from business partners.
By equipping Swiss companies with this information during the business partner search and selection process, S-GE supports the growth of sustainable innovations and collaborations, while promoting positive contributions of its customers worldwide.
"We are looking forward to leveraging this new partnership not only to offer our clients better risk insights but also to highlight the potential in sustainability and promote growth. Swiss companies can make an enormous contribution to sustainable development in the global markets and international trade, as we provide the right information and foundations."
Adriano Bürgi, Regional Manager Consulting Americas
