My first month at EcoVadis is almost over. These 3 things surprised me:
1. Making Sustainability real
EcoVadis' mission is to guide all companies to a more sustainable world. And that starts internally.
- Nowhere else did I have a carbon budget to consider for my teams' travel - reaching our carbon goals is at least equally important than staying within the cost budget, if not more. So let's meet in a place that most team members can reach by train.
- When booking my business travels, I get to consider the sustainability rating of a hotel as part of my decision. Makes total sense, why didn't I do that before? Unfortunately, many booking sites don't provide any sustainability information for hotels yet.
- When I visited the Paris HQ I was urged not only to take a hotel in walking distance but was also shown where the reusable containers are for picking up lunch at nearby restaurants. Small contributions for avoiding waste but what if more people would do this?
2. Flexible working hours allow for more female leaders
While we are all still finding our ways of balancing working from home and being in the office, I strongly believe that flexibility in the working hours is crucial. Especially for many women who enjoy working and having a meaningful impact in their jobs yet want to be there for their kids, friends and hobbies. Personally, I prefer to have dinner with my kids, bring them to bed and then have the calls with my colleagues in the Americas. That's different for everyone and I very much appreciate the trust my EcoVadis colleagues have in me and I was positively surprised to see so many female leaders in the organization.
3. AI innovations already have a big impact
The process of assessing a company's practices in environmental, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement is intense. And it gets adapted to more than 200 industry categories, 160 countries, and different company sizes. It is fascinating to see how the analysts are already supported by some of the latest technology to ensure consistency, reliability, customer service and efficiency. I am excited to see what more can be achieved. It is awesome to work at a company that is recognized for its innovative solutions and was rewarded a spot in the prestigious Fast Company's List of the World"s Most Innovative Companies in 2024. 🚀
#makingsustainabilityreal #newwaysofthinking #aiinnovations