STG Aerospace, the global supplier of innovative cabin lighting solutions headquartered in Cwmbran, has gained the EcoVadis Bronze sustainability medal.
The achievement puts STG among the top 35% of more than 130,000 businesses rated by EcoVadis across the globe and is a significant milestone in the firm’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) journey.
Simon Taylor, the firm’s Head of Technical, Compliance & Quality, says:
“It is important for us to do our part to support the Aerospace industry’s commitment to NetZero by 2050. This accomplishment reflects the work we have done to formalise all processes within the business and confirms that we are meeting rigorous standards. For us, it’s about doing our bit for the planet and remaining competitive in the market.”
This year has been a milestone year for eco innovations for the aerospace supplier, with the launch of its saf-Tglo® eco E1™ product, the world’s first sustainable emergency floor path marking system. STG also rolled out sustainable packaging for all floor path marking products in 2024.
Taylor explains that the driving force behind aiming for the EcoVadis Bronze Medal was the International Aerospace Environment Group (IAEG), which has a sustainability program that flows down to companies like STG. Some of the major players in aerospace, like Airbus, Rolls Royce, and Leonardo, have aligned with this initiative and are starting to make EcoVadis assessments a requirement.
To achieve the medal, Taylor says:
“We did our homework and were reassured that we didn’t need to change much about how we operate. The focus was on properly documenting processes that we already carried out daily, so they were officially recorded. For example, we enhanced how we report on environmental performance and aligned our documentation with STG Aerospace branding to make everything more cohesive. Having these documents has helped us to share our performance with stakeholders, including employees.
“In terms of scoring for the rating, a significant boost came from our ISO 14001 certification, the recognised global environmental standard, which had already laid the groundwork for strong environmental policies and procedures. EcoVadis takes things a step further and it pushed us to consider additional factors like labour practices and sustainable procurement. A benefit of going through the process has highlighted areas we can improve on, and it keeps us accountable too.”
The firm is now aiming to achieve the EcoVadis Silver Medal, for which STG will need to refine tits policies and enhance reporting to meet the next level of requirements. This will be a key focus in the firm’s 2025 ESG strategy.
