EcoVadis Announces 2025 Sustainability Achievement Awards

March 12, 2025 at 04:00 AM EDT

Hitachi Energy, Premier Foods PLC, BOBST, and Concept 4, Recognized for Excellence in Sustainability

EcoVadis, the leading sustainability intelligence platform for global supply chains, yesterday announced the winners of its ninth annual Sustainability Achievement Awards (formerly Sustainable Procurement Awards). Winners were announced at the EcoVadis Sustain 2025 conference.

The EcoVadis Sustainability Achievement Awards recognize companies with strong sustainable procurement programs and individuals going above and beyond to drive sustainability efforts within their organizations.

“The winners of this year’s Sustainability Achievement Awards truly embody sustainability excellence, proving that sustainable practices are vital to long-term business success,” said Pierre-Francois Thaler, co-founder and co-CEO of EcoVadis. “These organizations have shown exceptional leadership in advancing sustainable procurement initiatives, achieving remarkable outcomes, and creating lasting impact. We celebrate their efforts and look forward to seeing their continued growth and success.”

The Awards cover four main categories for enterprise companies.

Best Mature Program in Sustainable Procurement

Winner: Hitachi Energy

This award recognizes ongoing achievement and innovations that drive continued program expansion and maturity, even beyond the scope of the Sustainable Procurement program.

The winner was selected by an independent jury panel composed of industry experts: Divya Demato, CEO and Co-Founder of GoodOps; Laura Taal, CEO, REVIVER; and Uwe G Schulte, Author and Sustainability Advisor.

The jury noted that Hitachi Energy stands out for their program’s focus on decarbonization and biodiversity as key elements in addressing the climate crisis. Their commitment to building a resilient, transparent supply chain with an emphasis on circularity showcases leadership the industry should follow. Building on a solid internal reporting dashboard and active supplier engagement, Hitachi Energy is primed for program expansion, with responsible sourcing fully integrated into its core business strategy.

Nils Tengberg, Global Head of Supply Quality & Sustainability, Hitachi Energy

“At Hitachi Energy, we are advancing the world’s energy system to be more sustainable, flexible, and secure. As the pioneering technology leader, we collaborate with customers and suppliers to enable a sustainable energy future—for today’s generations and those to come. Our suppliers are an extension of our own operations, and to ensure that we remain a leader in sustainability, the supplier sustainability assessment by EcoVadis is a core and strategic enabler. Achieving this award from EcoVadis makes us and our suppliers very proud. It energizes the entire organization to continue and improve even further.”

Best New Program in Sustainable Procurement

Winner: Premier Foods PLC

This award acknowledges best-in-class examples in rolling out global sustainable procurement programs, enabling internal and external stakeholders, and building the foundation for future development. This winner was also selected by the independent jury panel from a pool of customer applications.

The jury noted the program’s clear focus on regenerative agriculture and combating deforestation, which has enabled Premier Foods to reduce supply chain emissions. Premier Foods’ “Enriching Life Plan” encompasses the key elements required to drive their robust sustainability program, delivering positive outcomes through their products, for both people and the planet. Their commitment to guiding suppliers on this journey highlights their understanding of what is needed to create lasting, impactful change.

Sarah Houghton, Head of Procurement and Supplier Sustainability Lead, Premier Foods

“At Premier Foods, our focus is on embedding sustainability into everything we do as a business, ensuring ESG is at the heart of our day-to-day operations. Within Procurement, we have built sustainability objectives into everyone's role as well as our sourcing processes, and whilst aware of our own ability to impact change we understand that our influence is at its greatest when we collaborate across our value chain. It's fantastic to receive this recognition from EcoVadis which tells us we’re on the right track and will motivate us to even greater efforts."

Outstanding Program Management

Winners: Gaëtan Madiès, BOBST Group

This award recognizes an individual with outstanding contribution to driving a sustainable procurement initiative forward within their company. Nominated and selected by the EcoVadis team, the award is based on sustainable procurement program results and excellence demonstrated in the program's strategy and execution.

The jury noted that Gaëtan was recognized for his exceptional leadership in advancing sustainability at BOBST through procurement, supplier engagement, and capacity building. His proactive approach to embedding sustainability processes, driving continuous improvement, and fostering collaboration across the supply chain has significantly strengthened BOBST's sustainability goals.

Sylvain Lieb, Head of Corporate Sustainability, BOBST Group

"As Head of Corporate Sustainability at BOBST, I am honored to see Gaëtan Madiès and the team recognized with the EcoVadis ‘Outstanding Program Management’ award, reflecting our shared commitment to a more sustainable value chain."

Outstanding Sustainability Leadership

Winners: Pascal Vieilvoye, Concept 4 Limited

Introduced in 2025, this award recognizes an individual with outstanding contribution in advancing sustainability management system improvements within their organization. Nominated and selected by the EcoVadis team, it considers EcoVadis assessment results, along with their efforts in engaging stakeholders, securing buy-in, building capabilities, and demonstrating exceptional leadership in sustainability initiatives.

In addition to driving continuous improvements of Concept 4’s EcoVadis sustainability assessment score starting in 2020, Pascal has championed initiatives to improve transparency, enabling all employees to understand the environmental implications of their daily operations, thus promoting sustainability into every aspect of the workplace culture.

Pascal Vieilvoye, CEO, Concept 4 Limited

“Over the past 20 years, we've worked hard to meet our clients' expectations. Now, we're taking our commitment to the next level, aspiring to conduct business with no harm and benefits for all. At the heart of Concept 4 Group is a small team of smart, caring, ethical, and agile individuals (of whom I am incredibly proud!) united by a shared passion for creating a positive impact on the world! We're just beginning our journey to revolutionize the way business is done, and we're already exploring ways to further improve our practices. A huge thank you to everyone involved in helping us achieve this milestone!"

In addition to these four awards, EcoVadis also recognizes a selection of small and medium-sized rated companies across the globe who achieved exceptionally high performance in their EcoVadis assessment in the past year. Learn more about the 2025 Regional Sustainability Leadership Awards.

About EcoVadis

EcoVadis is a purpose-driven company dedicated to embedding sustainability intelligence into every business decision worldwide. With global, trusted and actionable ratings, businesses of all sizes rely on EcoVadis’ detailed insights to comply with ESG regulations, reduce GHG emissions, and improve the sustainability performance of their business and value chain across 220 industries in 185 countries. Leaders like Johnson & Johnson, L’Oréal, Unilever, Bridgestone, BASF and JPMorgan are among 150,000+ businesses that use EcoVadis ratings, risk, and carbon management tools and e-learning platform to accelerate their journey toward resilience, sustainable growth and positive impact worldwide.

Learn more on: ecovadis.com, X or LinkedIn.