LCL receives EcoVadis gold medal for sustainability

Only the top 5% of companies assessed by EcoVadis are awarded gold medals. LCL decided to ask EcoVadis to assess its sustainability policy following queries from customers and prospects, and also as a special way to set itself apart from the competition. Only companies that make the necessary efforts in the area of sustainability are likely to apply to EcoVadis for a medal, and so it can safely be assumed that LCL is one of the very best when it comes to sustainability. LCL achieved an overall score of 71%. This is the average of its scores for four sustainability themes (environment, ethics, labour and human rights, and sustainable procurement), which were calculated using specific criteria.

Procedure for obtaining an EcoVadis medal

EcoVadis awards medals on the basis of the overall score obtained by a company for the four sustainability themes that are previously mentioned. Each of these four themes is linked to specific criteria. The questionnaire is always tailored to the company's size, location and sector. Consequently, not every company is required to fulfil all 21 criteria. In addition, some criteria are given greater weight than others.

The highest rating that a company can obtain is a platinum medal. In order to achieve this, a company needs to score between 78% and 100%. The next highest rating is a gold medal, which is awarded to companies that score between 70% and 77%. Companies that score between 59% and 69% are awarded a silver medal. Finally, a score of between 50% and 58% entitles a company to a bronze medal. Companies scoring less than 50% have no chance of obtaining an EcoVadis medal.

LCL achieves gold

LCL's gold medal puts it in the top 5% of all companies assessed by EcoVadis. In the sector in which LCL operates, the general scores for the four themes are determined using the following criteria:

- Labour and human rights:

Employee health and safety;

Working conditions;

Social dialogue;

Career management and training;

Diversity, equality and inclusion.

- Environment:

Energy consumption, and measuring and managing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions;

Materials, chemicals and waste;

Customer health and safety.

- Ethics:

Anti-corruption policy;

Anti-competitive practices;

Responsible information management.

- Sustainable procurement:

Suppliers' environmental and social practices.

In total, the data center specialist scored 70% for labour and human rights, 80% for the environment, 70% for ethics and 50% for sustainable procurement. This equates to an average score of 71%, or an advanced level, which means the data center company is entitled to a gold medal.

‘We are extremely proud that we obtained a gold medal in our first ever assessment by EcoVadis', said Laurens van Reijen, managing director of LCL Data Centers. ‘This demonstrates once again how committed we are to sustainability at every level within our five data centers. The fact that we were awarded a gold medal does not, however, mean that our work in this area will now end. We can certainly improve our scores for some aspects. For example, in the near future we will start to devote more attention to the theme of sustainable procurement in the context of scope 3 carbon emissions. We will accomplish this by preparing an action plan, asking our suppliers about their sustainability goals, and defining those goals in the form of achievable action items. In this way, we will continue to challenge ourselves to move forward in the area of sustainability. Only by innovating and investing can we ensure that our data centers remain state-of-the-art and that our goal of becoming climate neutral by 2030 is achieved.’