Self Assessment

1. Is your SME committed to the Triple Bottom line examining what is good for People, Prosperity, and the Planet?

We are firstly committed to staying afloat and paying our bills. If we can do this while being sustainable, that is great.

We are committed to being a sustainable company that treats our people well while making a profit.

We have developed a clear ESG strategy that we follow, this keeps us sustainable and making a profit with staff that are satisfied.

2. Is your SME Leadership actively including ESG in their overall company strategy?

They have looked at how we can make cost savings by using renewable and we have a DNI strategy that HR implement.

They have embarked on the journey and making changes in processes but these haven't been communicated widely.

We have a fully integrated ESG strategy and our vision and mission statements are linked to the SDGs that we support.

3. How does the company communicate transparently and truthfully about its governance and ethical practices to its stakeholders?

The company communicates clearly and transparently about its governance structure, codes of conduct and ethical practices through various communication channels, ensuring accuracy and avoiding misinformation.

The company does not communicate transparently about its governance and ethical practices, or uses misleading marketing tactics to promote its image without real support.

The company provides limited information about its governance and ethical practices, and does not actively engage in ensuring transparent and truthful communication with its stakeholders.

4. How does the company use its marketing strategy to promote responsible and ethical governance practices?

The company incorporates clear messages about its commitment to responsible and ethical governance in its marketing strategy, avoiding misleading or manipulative practices.

The company does not use its marketing strategy to promote responsible and ethical governance practices, or use greenwashing or social washing tactics to create a misleading image.

The company makes vague statements about responsible and ethical governance in its marketing strategy, without concrete support or tangible actions.

5. How well does your SME incorporate sustainability considerations into the design, development, and delivery of its products and services?

Sustainability considerations are not integrated into our products and services.

We have some awareness of sustainability considerations but lack a systematic approach.

We have a comprehensive approach and ensure sustainability considerations are integrated into the entire lifecycle of our products and services.

6. Which of the following better describes the decision-making processes within your company when it comes to products and/or services?

The directors and/or managers are the ones making decisions on products/services-related issues.

The decision-making process is horizontal. Employees and stakeholders can have their say and their suggestions are always considered.

Employees and stakeholders can make suggestions but the directors/managers are the ones making decisions on products/services-related issues.

7. How well does your SME prioritize diversity, equality, and inclusion in its human resources practices?

Diversity, equality, and inclusion are not a priority in our human resources practices.

We have some measures in place, but there is room for improvement in promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion.

We prioritize and have robust systems in place to promote diversity, equality, and inclusion in our human resources practices.

8. How would you qualify the decision-making process in your company?

There is a democratic decision process implemented in which each one has space to express an opinion and can take part in the final decision. All opinions are considered at the time of deciding.

Each one can share opinion, but the direction of the company are the decision makers.

The direction of the company takes unilateral decisions for the good of the whole.

9. Some businesses manage to develop a Sustainability Strategy but then struggle to implement it and/or achieve the desired impact. Do you believe that your Sustainability Strategy is reaching its goals?

Yes, our Sustainability Strategy is being fulfilled as planned and it is having a very positive impact on the business, the environment and society.

Our Sustainability Strategy is not achieving its goals, or we did not build such strategy yet.

Our Sustainability Strategy is partially achieving its goals, but needs improvement and revision.

10. To which extent does your Sustainability Strategy involve different roles within your company and value chain?

We do not have a Sustainability Strategy yet OR the Sustainability Strategy is only limited to one single role/department.

Our Sustainability Strategy takes into consideration all the aspects of the company and, hence, all the employees of the company are aware of it and contribute to its development.

Our Sustainability Strategy goes beyond our company and, besides engaging all the company’s employees in it, the strategy also engages stakeholders. In this way, we aim to enhance the sustainability of the whole value chain.

11. Some businesses engage with sustainable finance, meaning that they direct funds towards providing long-term sustainable goals and returns by considering ESG issues. How important is it for your business model?

Sustainable finance is currently not in our priorities, either for lack of funds to direct to this or for a lack of interest from the management.

Sustainable finance is in our priorities and is promoted by our management, but we currently lack enough funds to largely invest in it.

Sustainable finance is in our priorities, is promoted by our management and is currently receiving considerable amount of investment within our company’s overall budget.

12. Which of the following statements better define the internal structure of your company?

Our board is composed of mostly male representatives who engage in most of the decisions that are implemented throughout the company, or our company is currently owned by one or two people, and we do not yet have a defined structure for the decision-making process. Additionally, one or more of the following may apply to our company: We currently do not have an established gender/diversity policy or a strong sustainability department or are working on it

Our company is currently working on diversifying our board in terms of gender and diversity, but we are still far from having more equal representation. Decisions are made primarily by the top management and implemented throughout the company. Additionally, one or more of the following may apply to our company: we are considering improving staff development by offering more training and activities. We are currently strengthening our sustainability department to take into consideration our environmental targets in the decision-making processes.

Our company has worked in recent years to diversify the board in terms of gender and diversity with very positive results. Additionally, one or more of the following may apply to our company: The managerial team puts considerable effort into getting frequent feedback from the staff to identify needs in terms of staff development, company weaknesses, and opportunities. We make active efforts to integrate sustainability considerations into the company’s whole structure and decision-making process, so that there is an integration between needs and internal processes to progress more in achieving environmental targets.

13. How do you ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards in your transportation and supply chain activities, including labour rights, health and safety, and environmental impact?

We have established a basic system to monitor compliance with relevant regulations and standards in our transportation and supply chain activities.

We conduct regular audits and assessments of our suppliers to verify their adherence to labour rights, health and safety, and environmental impact requirements.

We rely on suppliers to self-report their adherence to labour rights, health and safety, and environmental impact requirements.

14. What steps do you take to assess and manage the risks associated with your transportation and supply chain operations, including issues such as corruption, bribery, and human rights violations?

We do not have a formal process in place to assess and manage the risks associated with our transportation and supply chain operations.

We have clear escalation procedures in place to address any identified risks or violations, and we continuously improve our risk management practices based on industry best practices and stakeholder feedback.

We have implemented a number of measures to mitigate these risks, such as conducting due diligence on suppliers and contractors.

15. How do you ensure transparency and accountability in your logistics operations, including the selection and management of logistics providers and carriers?

We have implemented periodic audits or reviews to monitor the performance of logistics partners and address any non-compliance issues.

We have robust systems and processes in place to ensure transparency and accountability in our logistics operations.

Our processes for vetting and monitoring logistics partners are not well-defined or consistently implemented.

16. How do you engage with stakeholders, including logistics partners and local communities, to ensure responsible and sustainable logistics practices that align with your governance objectives?

Our focus is primarily on meeting regulatory requirements and operational efficiency, rather than actively involving stakeholders in decision-making processes.

Regular communication, consultation, and collaboration take place to address concerns, gather feedback, and build mutually beneficial relationships that support governance objectives.

We seek feedback and input from stakeholders on specific initiatives or projects related to logistics governance.

17. Do you educate your customers how the purchase of your goods and services impacts the environment and society?

Some of our products have labels stating the impacts, and we try to explain their meaning to our customers.

We are working on improving the education of our customers around the impacts of their purchases, including having resources available for customers who ask.

We clearly state the nature of our products and services to our customers how they are sustainable, whether they are locally sourced and what the impacts on the environment and society. We also have additional resources for customers who want to learn more.

18. Do you have any employee or consumer education programmes in place on your products and services?

We have information available for certain products for employees.

We have employee education programmes in place along with product leaflets or basic information for customers.

We have education programmes in place for employees and customers.

19. Currently, how would you describe the priorities within your R&D department?

Innovate our products, develop new technologies, improve the competitiveness of our products. Overall, the main priority is to improve the access of our products to the market and therefore our profit

Improve our profit through innovation, new technologies and improved competitiveness, which also has a component of improving sustainability of our products and reduce emissions in face of new regulations

Innovate our products to reduce their negative impact on the environment and on society (e.g., developing new ways to use technology or rethink procedures to reduce virgin material consumption; improve the eco-design of our products to make them more circular; increase the accessibility of our products)

20. Does your business actively collaborate with external partners, research institutions, or environmentally/socially responsible organizations to leverage expertise and foster innovation?

We have established some partnerships with research institutions or environmentally/socially responsible organizations to exchange knowledge and ideas and we try to expand our networking.

Our organization actively seeks collaborative projects and initiatives to address environmental challenges through shared knowledge and resources and we participate in regular working group meetings.

Currently, our organization has limited collaboration with external partners, research institutions, or environmentally/socially responsible organizations.

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