Esker, a global cloud platform and leader in AI-driven process automation solutions for Finance, Procurement and Customer Service functions, today announced it has once again received recognition for its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments. EcoVadis awarded Esker the Platinum Medal and placed it in the top 1% of companies evaluated across all industries. EthiFinance also ranked Esker among the leaders of its ESG Rating. These two accomplishments exhibit Esker’s successful implementation of its ambitious ESG roadmap.

The Platinum Medal is the highest distinction awarded by EcoVadis, the leading provider of business sustainability ratings. Esker received an overall score of 81/100, up 7 points from 2022, and improved its social and ethical conduct score by 10 points. EthiFinance, a European rating, research and advisory group serving sustainable finance and development, evaluates companies according to a framework containing 140 criteria which are divided into four tiers. Esker achieved an overall score of 75/100, an increase of 8 points over 2022. Notably, this included a 30-point improvement in environmental performance and a 9-point improvement in the social performance category.

“The EcoVadis and EthiFinance awards crown two decades of continuous efforts to establish a more sustainable and resilient business model,” said Jean-Michel Bérard, CEO at Esker. “We have put a roadmap in place in which we pledge to increase our efforts to achieve four key objectives: acting ethically and responsibly, continuing to grow customer trust, fostering a content and skilled workforce, and doing our part in protecting the planet. The involvement of all teams and stakeholders is essential to successfully reduce Esker’s environmental footprint, which also is a prerequisite for long-term growth.”

This year, Esker has been able to distinguish itself in the social sphere, thanks to long-standing commitments to employee well-being as well as externally through community engagement and educational initiatives. Esker understands the importance of a positive work environment and promotes a culture of diversity and inclusion and held several company-wide awareness-raising initiatives such as trainings, events and workshops on these subjects. And successfully so, as the question “I feel accepted as I am at Esker” received the highest score in the 2023 HR employee survey. Over 91% of employees recommend Esker as great company to work for.  

“The EcoVadis Platinum Medal and the significant progress on social and ethical conduct aspects acknowledge the long-term work performed not only by Esker Management and HR teams, but above all by Esker employees, who are very involved in proposing ideas and seeing them through,” said Aurélie Guimera, Worldwide Director of Human Resources at Esker. “This is an impressive team achievement which aligns superbly with our company values.”

Being a technology company, Esker is committed to the inclusion and promotion of women in IT positions. With 32% of management positions held by women (compared with 31% of women in the total workforce), the company’s goal is to achieve an overall rate of 34% women in the workforce by 2027.

Esker’s commitment to innovation is also reflected in its education sponsorship programme, which includes being a founding partner of the coding school Ecole 42 Lyon, and a cocreator of an AI research chair at INSEEC. By supporting a variety of schools and organisations in the region that promote gender equality in the IT sector and encouraging exchanges between students and employees, Esker is working to contribute to the development and integration of future graduates. An additional pillar of this work revolves around the recruitment of interns and work-study programme participants, whose number has more than doubled in France between 2020 and 2022.

On the environmental front, Esker is strongly committed to reducing the environmental footprint of its business activities. Esker has proactively measured its carbon emissions across all locations worldwide, including all direct and indirect emissions (scopes 1, 2 and 3).

Esker recently renewed its ISO 14001 environmental management certification for both locations in France (Villeurbanne and Décines). Esker strives to extend the lifecycle of company-owned IT equipment and electronic devices as much as possible by performing in-house maintenance, vendor support and employee buyback programmes. These buybacks are made in exchange for donations to charities of the employee’s choosing. As part of its ESG roadmap, Esker is also committed to extending the lifespan of its IT equipment for all subsidiaries by six months by 2027.

Esker considers ethical business conduct to be the foundation of its operations. To that end, the company has implemented anti-corruption policies and training as well as a Code of Conduct for all employees.

Learn more about Esker’s ESG strategy https://www.esker.co.uk/company/environmental-social-governance/

Read full press release here.

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Pursuing a positive ESG performance is a key element of all of Esker’s activities. Driven by the belief that technology creates positive-sum growth, the company’s focus is on offering automation solutions that can give more meaning to the workplace by reducing repetitive tasks and improving customer and supplier relationships, especially for Finance and Customer Service functions.

The success of this approach is reflected in the good results Esker received from multiple ESG rating organisations:

EcoVadis, a leading business sustainability rating platform, awarded Esker a score of 74/100 for its ESG performance. This constitutes an increase of 26 points since 2017 and places Esker in the top 5% of evaluated companies across all industries.

Gaïa Research, the ESG-ratings arm of sustainable finance and development advisory company EthiFinance, has awarded Esker a score of 68/100 in the evaluation of the company’s non-financial data. Esker has steadily increased this ranking since 2019, placing Esker well above the industry average of 54/100.

Esker also received the following rankings in 2022:

• Vigeo Eiris: Score of 53/100 (up 20 points from 2021)  
• MSCI ESG Ratings¹: “A” rating (on a scale from AAA to CCC)
• Sustainalytics: Score of 20.1 (medium risk level)

Esker is strongly committed to reducing its environmental footprint and has implemented a proactive approach to analysing its greenhouse gas emissions. In order to do so, the company has established processes for determining its carbon footprint for all its locations worldwide. All French locations renewed their ISO 14001² certifications in 2022. The impact of digital technology and the energy efficiency of data centres hosting Esker’s cloud platform is continuously monitored to assist in reducing its carbon footprint.

This approach also applies to Esker’s supply chain management. The company has established a sustainable procurement policy based on fair treatment and transparent selection of suppliers. Social and environmental criteria are also taken into consideration for vendor selection. All of Esker’s vendors are asked to fill out a survey focused on ESG criteria to further encourage the adoption of ESG best practices.

Esker employees are also encouraged to participate in community events with a social or environmental purpose. To do so, they receive paid time off (France, U.S. and UK) to volunteer at a non-profit organisation of their choice.

Esker places a high value on pursuing and maintaining ethical and transparent governance. Promoting a diverse and inclusive corporate culture includes, among other things, working groups organised by employees on a volunteer basis and the development and execution of strategies aimed at increasing the number of women in the IT profession.

To learn more about Esker’s ESG strategy, visit: www.esker.co.uk/company/environmental-social-governance/

Read full press release here.

1. Disclaimer: Esker’s use of any data from MSCI ESG Research LLC or its affiliates (“MSCI”), and use of MSCI’s logos, trademarks, service marks or index names herein, does not constitute sponsorship, endorsement, recommendation or promotion of Esker by MSCI. MSCI Services and Data are the property of MSCI or its information providers, and are provided “As Is” and without warranty. MSCI names and logos are trademarks or service marks of MSCI.

2. Environmental management standard

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Committed to environmental sustainability
The ISO 14001 international standard demonstrates Esker’s long-term commitment to environmental protection by establishing the principles of an effective management system that follows environmental best practices. The principle of continuous improvement is inherent to this standard and echoes the Agile methodology adopted by Esker in 2011.

Esker’s environmental approach, initiated by company management and actively supported by employees, is, above all else, an opportunity to propose a more ethical way of operating — increasingly requested by customers, employees, partners and investors.

Reducing environmental footprint
By automating business and document processes, Esker helps companies significantly reduce their paper, water and energy use. Esker has also implemented a number of actions within the company to limit its own environmental impact, including:

• Selecting data centre suppliers committed to sustainable development (e.g., SynAAps, Microsoft Azure)

• Reducing energy consumption including the use of less energy-intensive IT equipment, generalised LED lighting and presence detectors, and data migration from multiple servers to a shared SaaS platform

• Extending the lifespan of IT equipment with the possibility for employees to buy back company IT equipment in return for a charitable donation

• Favouring eco-friendly modes of transportation, with trains preferred over plane for business trips; additional measures put in place include: secure bicycle parking adapted for electric bicycles, automobile fleet that includes hybrid and electric cars, office scooter storage, showers and locker rooms for those who bike to work, etc.

• Raising employee awareness about recycling and implementing measures to facilitate recycling, including selective sorting bins, workshops on recycling best practices, zero-waste concept; conferences on software eco-design, regular email inbox purges, software development with a strong focus on solution efficiency and low energy consumption

“The ISO 14001 certification validates Esker’s active commitment to the environmental cause. The audit revealed many strengths within its organisation, including the ability to mobilise its employees, as well as its long-term dedication to the environment.” Extract from the closing meeting conducted by Catherine Farcot, Audit Manager, LRQA France.

“We’re very proud and encouraged that our efforts have been rewarded with the ISO 14001 certification and EcoVadis gold medal,” said Jean-Michel Bérard, CEO at Esker. “We strongly believe in a positive-sum economic growth, which is part of a long-term ethical perspective and integrates ecological and social constraints.”

Esker will undergo an annual control audit to validate its long-term ISO 14001 compliance and is considering certifying other subsidiaries. The company is also evaluated annually by EcoVadis for its CSR performance, and is striving for the platinum medal in 2021.

For more information, please visit Esker’s CSR webpage

Read full press release here.

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