THE SOURCING TEAM AWARDED ECOVADIS SME SUSTAINABLE LEADERS AWARD

(May 25, 2017) The Sourcing Team, a WEConnect International certified women-owned business and leading industry specialists in ethical, sustainable and compliant global sourcing and procurement of promotional and marketing materials, has been awarded a Sustainable Leaders Award by EcoVadis in recognition of its sustainable excellence in its industry.

EcoVadis operates the first collaborative platform providing Supplier Sustainability Ratings for global supply chains. This is the first time that EcoVadis have held these awards and The Sourcing Team has been awarded a Category Award for Best CSR performance in Wholesale/Tertiary Services. The awards were assigned to Small and Medium-sized companies that have obtained the highest EcoVadis CSR Score within their region in 2016 based on leading CSR standards such as GRI, Global Compact and ISO 26000.

Gill Thorpe, The Sourcing Team founder and CEO said:  “I am so proud of what we have achieved. The team has worked consistently to maintain and improve the scores across our sustainability and ethical commitments, and this is reflected in the quality of our due diligence processes and our transparent approach up and down the supply chain. Today it is critical that corporations and NGO’s work with partners that really care and add value. I believe that’s what we do – with passion. It doesn’t matter what size your business is, every business should take a responsibility for sustainable best practice.”

Client Services Director Becky Fleury  was present in Paris to accept the award on behalf of The Sourcing Team. She said:  “It was an honour and a privilege to be recognized for our work in sustainability and ethical business practices among many of our peers, global partners and clients. Our passion for being ethical, sustainable and compliant is a critical part of our team culture, and resonates well with our clients. We work strongly with corporates and businesses in the not-for-profit sector, and our clients and partners appreciate our transparency and commitment to ethical practices which reflect their own brands and values.”

Sharon Childs, FD and Head of Sustainability, continued: “We started this journey in 2010 when we first applied to join the Mayor of London Green Procurement Code. Looking back, that was a definitive moment for all of us, as from then on our momentum just grew and carried on growing. We kept on improving our processes and business practices, and seeing what we have achieved feels tremendous. Being responsible as a small business isn’t difficult at all for us now, it is just part of our normal work practices.”

The Sourcing Team is located in Wallington, Surrey and provides a portfolio of marketing and global sourcing services that include merchandise planning (including corporate, private, public sector and not-for-profit);  fully bespoke merchandise offering, from product design to packaging solutions; tailored turnkey solutions sourced globally; strategic planning for local and global needs;  digital/e-stores for internal, cross market or popup markets – both business to business and business to consumer; on and offline design and artwork;  global logistics, stock and distribution management and packaging and fulfillment. Their clients include corporates, businesses and charities across industries worldwide.