From Compliance Deadline to Two Years of Certainty: Sperling Retails Achieves EcoVadis Score of 69
From Compliance Deadline to Two Years of Certainty: Sperling Retails Achieves EcoVadis Score of 69
Introduction
In today’s retail landscape, sustainability performance in non-negotiable for maintaining high-value contracts. For Sperling Retail, a trusted supplier to major UK retailer M&S, this commitment came with a tight deadline, and a concrete target achieve a minimum EcoVadis score to secure their future partnership.
Meeting this threshold was essential, but Sperling Retail saw an opportunity to aim higher. They understood that a superior score could unlock significant operational efficiency and strategic advantages. Facing the complexity of the EcoVadis assessment, they partnered with transformacy not just to meet the requirement, but to exceed it, and ultimately, gain crucial breathing room in their compliance cycle.
The Challenge: A Swift Start to Sustainability Reporting
For Sperling Retail, a long-standing and trusted supplier to M&S, demonstrating a commitment to sustainability was non-negotiable for their continued partnership. M&S had implemented a firm requirement: Sperling needed to achieve an EcoVadis score exceeding 48 points in their upcoming assessment.
Failing to meet this minimum score would jeopardise their supplier status, while achieving a score between 48 and 64 would result in the resource-intensive burden of annual re-certifications. Sperling Retail recognised the strategic value in aiming higher than the threshold. They sought a partner who could help them navigate the complex methodology, formalise their existing efforts, and ensure they presented a clear, robust case to achieve a higher score.
About EcoVadis
EcoVadis is a globally recognised sustainability assessment platform that evaluates organisations’ environmental, social, and ethical performance. With over 100,000 companies assessed worldwide, EcoVadis has become a benchmark for corporate responsibility and sustainable supply chain management. The EcoVadis methodology is anchored in international sustainability standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), United Nations Global Compact, and ISO 26000. Earning an EcoVadis medal signals to stakeholders, partners, and clients that a company is dedicated to continuous improvement in sustainable business practices.
The Four Pillars of EcoVadis
- Environment
The Environment pillar assesses a company’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, optimise energy and resource consumption, and manage environmental risks. For Spreling Retail, this involved enhancing environmental management systems, implementing initiatives to reduce waste, and promoting resource efficiency throughout operations. The company prioritised measurable improvements in energy usage and introduced policies to encourage greener workspaces. - Labour & Human Rights
This pillar examines labour practices and the protection of human rights within the organisation. Sperling Retail reviewed and strengthened its policies to ensure full compliance with international labour standards, including fair working conditions, health and safety, and equal opportunities. Training programmes were introduced to raise awareness and embed human rights considerations into daily operations. - Ethics
The Ethics pillar measures the robustness of anti-corruption frameworks, business integrity, and transparency. Sperling Retail reinforced its code of conduct, implemented new anti-bribery procedures, and enhanced whistleblower mechanisms. These actions aimed to cultivate a culture of trust, accountability, and ethical decision-making across all levels of the business. - Sustainable Procurement
Sustainable Procurement evaluates how a company manages its supply chain to ensure suppliers meet environmental and social standards. Premier Contracts revised procurement policies to incorporate sustainability criteria, conducted supplier assessments, and engaged in dialogue with key vendors about expectations and improvement opportunities. This holistic approach ensured alignment with EcoVadis standards and fostered a responsible sourcing culture.
Project Approach
Sperling Retail partnered with transformacy to manage the entire EcoVadis assessment process. Our approach focused on maximising their potential score through strategic prioritisation:
- Gap analysis and strategy: we conducted a thorough review of Sperling’s current policies and documentation against the EcoVadis criteria, specifically looking at key areas that were ranked as ‘most important’ by EcoVadis. This identified crucial gaps and opportunities for quick wins.
- Formalising documentation: working closely with the Sperling team, we helped formalise existing practices into policies and procedures that EcoVadis assessors require. This include developing and refining their evidence for employee training, due diligence in their supply chain, and internal labour and human rights practices.
- Platform optimisation: we provided hands-on support in mapping the gathered evidence to the specific questions within the EcoVadis platform, ensuring every document and initiative was presented clearly and strategically to earn the maximum possible points.
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The Outcome: Exceeding Expectations and Gaining Two Years
The collaboration between Sperling Retail and transformacy delivered results that surpassed the initial goal. Sperling Retail achieved an outstanding final EcoVadis score of 69, successfully placing them in the 82nd percentile of all companies in their industry by EcoVadis.
This high score provided a significant, measurable benefit beyond mere compliance:
- The score of 69 easily surpassed the M&S minimum requirement of 48, securing their current contract status.
- Crucially, M&S confirmed that any score of 65 points or higher qualifies the supplier for a two-year re-certification cycle. By achieving 69 points, Sperling Retail immediately eliminated the significant time, resource, and cost associated with mandatory annual re-certifications for the next 24 months.
This result demonstrates that a strategic approach to sustainability compliance is an investment that pays dividends, reducing administrative burden while strengthening key commercial relationships.
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