WACKER Scores Gold in EcoVadis Rating

As a member of Together for Sustainability (TfS), a chemical-industry initiative, WACKER not only evaluates the sustainability of its suppliers, but also subjects itself to an external assessment by sustainability ratings provider EcoVadis. In 2024, the Group once again earned a Gold Level Recognition Medal. The company raised its rating from 73 (2023) to 77 points.

Contributing toward this improvement was the successful integration of sustainability criteria in procurement, including the Sustainable Procurement Policy, which EcoVadis has rated as exceptional. The guideline regulates all our processes relating to the evaluation and improvement of suppliers, as required by the German Supply Chain Act. Significant measures were also successfully implemented at suppliers, due especially to the Together for Sustainability initiative, which includes introducing guidelines for assessing CO₂ emissions. The fact that WACKER sets qualitative and quantitative targets for all key sustainability issues was also rated positively. WACKER also improved its ethics rating by measures such as better and more transparent reporting – for example, by expanding compliance training on business ethics for targeted risk groups. Another contributing factor is the ongoing revision and further development of our global reporting channels, for example, through a global communication concept for the whistleblower process at WACKER worldwide. Comprehensive reporting in relation to recognized standards and conducting a materiality analysis also boosted the ranking result. The advanced management system in this area was particularly emphasized, including corporate guidelines on ethics, corruption and anti-competitive practices, the introduction of corporate values, and the rollout of WACKER's new global Code of Conduct.

The EcoVadis questionnaire is based on internationally recognized sustainability standards and the principles upheld by Global Compact and Responsible Care^®. The most relevant criteria from a total of 21 including environment, labor practices and human rights, fair business principles and sustainable supply chain management are selected for the supplier’s respective sector. The rating is based on three differently weighted management pillars: Policies are weighted at 25 percent, actions at 40 percent and results at 35 percent.

EcoVadis specialists analyze the information provided by the suppliers, add their own research findings, and summarize the results in a scorecard. The scorecard evaluates measures relating to environmental protection, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement, for example. The EcoVadis questionnaire can be shared with customers. WACKER thereby offers its customers standardized and recognized certification of its own sustainability performance.