Axalta earns Gold Star for sustainability
Axalta has received a Gold Star award from EcoVadis, the international sustainability and CSR ratings firm.
The Gold Star reflects Axalta’s strong performance and prominent achievements across a range of sustainability-related criteria in the four categories: environment; labour practices, sustainable procurement and fair business practices.
Matthew Winokur, Axalta’s vice president of sustainability, ‘This prestigious award is a recognition of Axalta’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and its well-established business practices designed to protect the environment, to support fair labour practices and human rights, to promote ethical behaviour and to procure materials responsibly. It is a great achievement for Axalta, confirming its strong global reputation as an ethical and responsible supplier.’
Axalta’s score in the last survey rated it among the top five percent of more than 45,000 companies surveyed and evaluated by EcoVadis. The company also received a high ranking among its peer group in the ‘Paints, varnishes and ink manufacturers business’ segment.
Joel Hornberger, Axalta’s global director of environment, health and safety, said, ‘EcoVadis’ environmental criteria measure companies’ performance based on corporate policies and business systems aimed at reducing the environmental impact of their manufacturing processes. This, for example, includes such activities as decreasing energy and water consumption and reducing emissions and waste production. Axalta’s strong score in this category also reflects the recent RC/ISO 14001 re-certification of the company’s environmental management systems that reflects our environmental, health and safety practices.’
Assessment of Axalta’s fair business practices included evaluation of the company’s code of business conduct and ethics and related policies, such as ethics and integrity training completed annually by more than 99% of Axalta’s employees. Labour and human rights practices examined in the survey reviewed Axalta’s hiring, talent development and health and safety programmes. Procurement practices reviewed Axalta’s supplier code of conduct and other systems designed to promote ethical behaviour among members of its global supply chain.
Axalta will publish its annual sustainability report in June 2018. The report will highlight its sustainability initiatives related to manufacturing and business processes, product technologies, employee programmes, as well as its support for environmental stewardship and community education.
