Covestro earns top grades for sustainability

Materials manufacturer Covestro has once again received ‘Gold’ certification from the international rating agency EcoVadis in recognition of its achievements in sustainability. In the recent survey, the company even improved its standing significantly and is now among the top two percent in the global ranking of 25,000 companies.

"This achievement encourages us to be even more committed to our comprehensive sustainability strategy,” explained Covestro CEO Patrick Thomas. "With our products, processes and solutions, we want to help preserve the environment, advance society and create value, in accordance with our vision ‘to make the world a brighter place’.”

Far above average

Since the last survey two years ago, Covestro improved its score by eight points, for a total of 73, putting the company far above the average of 42 points. The rating procedure is very demanding. Covestro sent the agency more than 300 data records based on a detailed questionnaire. The agency further analysed in excess of 300 other publications from independent sources for its rating.

"This major jump in our rating can be explained above all by our sustainable product and process innovations, new programmes and the improved documentation of existing sustainability activities,” explained Richard Northcote, who is responsible for sustainability at Covestro. "We have set ourselves ambitious sustainability goals and therefore see good possibilities for improving even more.”

Many of Covestro’s major customers already dispense with their own surveys and base their decisions instead on the EcoVadis rating. In addition, Covestro has the same survey conducted to rate the sustainability performance of its suppliers. This survey is part of the Together for Sustainability initiative, a coalition of leading chemical companies aimed at establishing a global standard for sustainable supply chains in the chemical industry.