We are pleased to share the results of BESIX’s EcoVadis reassessment for 2024.
EcoVadis is the world's largest corporate sustainability rating organisation, meticulously analysing companies' sustainability efforts across multiple facets including policies, actions, certifications and risk reputation, tailored to their size, location and industry.
Our journey with EcoVadis
Since 2020, BESIX has undergone in-depth EcoVadis audits, resulting in certification based on solid, documented evidence of our environmental, social and governance performance.
The EcoVadis 2024 assessment earned us a silver medal, placing us in the top 15 % of companies assessed by EcoVadis in the past 12 months.
- BESIX scores 67/100 = silver medal (vs gold medal, 67/100 in 2022, vs silver medal, 65/100 in 2020);
- Compared to the previous reporting period, BESIX remains among the top 15 % of companies evaluated by EcoVadis.
BESIX is:
- Overall score in the top 10 %
of companies rated by EcoVadis in the Construction of buildings industry. - Environment in the top 5 %
of companies rated by EcoVadis in the Construction of buildings industry. - Ethics is in the top 23 %
of companies rated by EcoVadis in the Construction of buildings industry. - Sustainable Procurement in the top 9 %
of companies rated by EcoVadis in the Construction of buildings industry.
EcoVadis medals programme evolution
EcoVadis has recently introduced significant changes to its medals programme, reflecting its ongoing commitment to aligning with evolving regulatory landscapes and the growing significance of sustainability in business operations.
EcoVadis silver medal places BESIX in the top 15 % among all rated companies.
While this is a big accomplishment for BESIX, it is important to remember that an EcoVadis medal is a recognition tool to measure relative performance against the entire pool of companies within their rated network that underwent a sustainability assessment in the last 12 months (and no longer an absolute number of points).
Hence, even though we showed improved performance through our EcoVadis score this year in Ethics and Procurement, we were downgraded to a Silver medal based on the new medal levels: Platinum - Top 1 %; Gold - Top 5 %; Silver - Top 15 %; Bronze - Top 35 %.
As from 2024, companies will have to achieve a minimum score in 4 dedicated key categories: environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and procurement.
Additionally, a thorough 360-degree media evaluation contributes significantly to the overall rating of a company . Notably, this scrutiny of media coverage has brought increased attention to the actions of BESIX, particularly through press coverage coinciding with the Qatar World Cup.
What are the next steps?
Improving year on year is what the EcoVadis programme is all about.
By being reassessed each year, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and implementing corrective actions, we can continue to improve our performance, and this will be reflected in our EcoVadis Scorecard.
- The significant improvement in our policies has been rewarded
- We now need to focus on KPI reporting
These actions are fully integrated into the CSRD project (EU non-financial reporting).
We are actively coordinating the next steps with the relevant teams. The next reassessment will be completed by the end of 2024. It will take approximately 8 weeks to receive the new results.
Why is the EcoVadis assessment key?
- Increasing demand for external ESG ratings;
- Customer-recognised, trustworthy tool that helps build strong business partnerships;
- Effective tool:
a. for tendering teams to demonstrate the company’s sustainability performance;
b. for finance teams to demonstrate the company’s eligibility for new projects and investments;
c. for business development teams to reinforce dedication to responsible and sustainable business practices.