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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By now it should be clear that a lot of things need to change if we want to avoid a climate emergency and all the downstream effects it will bring with it. And since these downstream effects will also affect businesses, the responsibility to take action lies on everyone’s shoulders. Governments and institutions are rolling out more and more regulations for sustainability measures such as the CSRD by the European Commission, and organisations are required to implement these. This is often easier said than done.

At Esker, we embarked on an ESG journey a few years ago and have, in the meantime, implemented several policies to reduce our carbon footprint. One factor remained difficult to gauge, however: the supplier side. In France, for example Esker requests its suppliers to sign a Code of Conduct, which addresses the main ESG aspects such as corruption, fair labour practices and environmental considerations. For our own ESG performance data, however, it was challenging to quantify the impact the procurement side of our operations had.

Since we’re not alone in this dilemma, we decided to make it easier to track a supplier’s ESG performance indicators, not just for ourselves, but also for our customers. Esker Supplier Management now displays risk rating panes that indicate downgraded or upgraded ESG scores, which allows you to verify that ESG standards are met before engaging with a new supplier. It also enables continuous tracking of the ESG score in real time, so that you can rest assured that your supply chain meets the defined standards.

Starting in 2024, the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requires mandatory reporting of ESG metrics for a number of European businesses. To prepare for these requirements, Esker developed AI-supported capabilities that extract energy consumption from utility bills and travel expenses. This feature will make meeting the reporting requirements much easier.

The recent Forrester report “The Environmental Sustainability Procurement Technology Landscape, Q3 2023” gives clarifying insights into how to work with vendors of solutions that are meant to track an organisation’s carbon footprint. We are excited to be mentioned as a Notable Vendor. The features in Esker Supplier Management assist in reducing the complexity of ESG reporting and in managing compliance with ESG regulations, of which many more are expected to be implemented in the near future. We are happy to be considered part of the solution for the huge challenge that humanity is facing.

Feel free to contact us! We’d be happy to discuss all things ESG with you, and help you figure out how Esker can help.

Catherine Dupuy-Holdich

Catherine has been with Esker for 20 years. As Source-to-Pay Product Manager, she is the market and business expert of all things S2P. She is responsible for overseeing the development of Esker’s S2P suite, including product strategy and vision. Catherine works closely with R&D, sales, marketing and support to ensure customer satisfaction.

Read more insights from Catherine Dupuy-Holdich

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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Esker, a global cloud platform and leader in AI-driven process automation solutions for finance and customer service functions, today announced that it has received two awards for its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitments. Business sustainability rating platform EcoVadis awarded Esker the Platinum Medal for achievements in corporate sustainability management, thereby placing it in the top 1% of companies evaluated across all industries. EthiFinance’s Gaïa Index, a non-financial analysis and consulting agency that supports businesses in managing risks and opportunities related to sustainable development, ranked Esker among the most exemplary businesses by awarding an overall score of 76/100. These two achievements underline Esker’s continuous commitment and leadership in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance and reflect its exemplary approach to sustainable development.

CSR weaves through all of Esker’s operations and solutions

Positive-sum growth, the concept that a company’s economic development must have a beneficial impact on its entire ecosystem, society and the environment, constitutes the foundation for Esker’s long-standing commitment to social and environmental sustainability. Beyond the impact of Esker’s business operations, the company is focused on business process automation and digital transformation, which benefits the environment as much as it enhances the human capital of its customers.

“On a daily basis, we are committed to optimising our entire organisation in terms of social, environmental and governance issues,” said Jean-Michel Bérard, CEO at Esker. “Our growth strategy and position consist of bringing innovative and responsible solutions to companies and delivering a positive impact on their stakeholders and society in general.”

Continually striving to improve CSR performance

The Gaïa Index and EcoVadis awards round out this year’s CSR efforts at Esker. Along with being presented with a third-place ranking for ChooseMyCompany’s ESG ImpactIndex®, the company has also implemented proactive measures to strengthen gender equality and inclusion in the workplace, established a shared ownership plan accessible for all employees and obtained the employee health and safety ISO 45001 certification. Esker’s relationships with its suppliers are governed by a Sustainable Procurement Policy, including a CSR questionnaire that facilitates the evaluation of suppliers, helping them develop a more engaged CSR approach.

The Platinum Medal is the highest distinction awarded by EcoVadis for efforts in environment, social, human rights and responsible purchasing. With an overall score of 74/100, Esker’s CSR performance increased by six points compared to last year and now ranks in the top 1% of evaluated companies. Among other efforts, Esker is placing a strong focus on sustainable transportation, employing a fleet of hybrid vehicles and encouraging bicycle and public transportation use for its employees. 2020 also saw Esker’s first “Green Week,” an occasion for events and special training sessions for employees focusing on ecology and energy use both at work and in private life.

EthiFinance’s Gaïa Index for ESG performance of European SMEs and SMIs rated Esker with an overall sixth-place score of 76/100. This ranking, which has been steadily increasing over the last few years, places Esker above the national benchmark average of 59/100. The company obtained this outstanding assessment by formalising a demanding environmental policy. As proof of its commitment to transparency, Esker annually publishes the company’s greenhouse gas emission values (direct and indirect, including Scope 3). Another performance factor includes Esker’s ability to attract and retain talent, exhibiting a low employee turnover rate of 8.76% as compared to other companies active in the software field.

“It is an honour to have our efforts recognised by EcoVadis and Gaïa Research, and I would like to congratulate all Eskerians for our collective success,” concluded Bérard. “In the face of the continuing challenges of addressing climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to be a leader and a model in terms of sustainability for our employees, customers, suppliers and the planet.”

To learn more about Esker’s CSR strategy, visit https://www.esker.co.uk/company/corporate-social-responsibility/

Read full press release here.

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