Forwarding, Freight News, Logistics


Standing still is not an option for sustainability, says Seko

[ September 30, 2026   //   ]

Seko Logistics says that environmental benchmarks are increasingly becoming moving targets. The forwarding and logistics company says that the 10th edition of the EcoVadis Sustainability Ratings Index, which draws on nearly 200,000 scorecards, found that the share of companies scoring 65 or above jumped from 19% to 29% in a single year, the biggest one-year rise recorded in a decade of tracking. Within SEKO’s own industry category, the average score rose five points to 60 over the past year.
It says that procurement teams increasingly use independent ratings to separate evidenced performance from claims, and as more companies improve, a score that stands still loses ground. Seko believes that as more companies move up the EcoVadis scale, independent ratings are becoming a measure of momentum as much as position. For logistics providers whose emissions sit inside their customers’ Scope 3 footprint, the ability to show verified, year-on-year progress is fast becoming the credential that counts.
SEKO Logistics has raised its EcoVadis sustainability score to 80 out of 100, up from 78 in its previous assessment, putting it in the 94th percentile of all companies rated by EcoVadis and 20 points above the average score for its industry.
Managing director for SEKO Logistics UK & Ireland, Paul Lockwood, commented: “The whole supply base is getting better, which is exactly what should be happening. It means a good score is no longer something you can hold on to. You have to keep improving just to keep pace with the market, and what our customers want is evidence that moves forward every year, not a credential that stands still.”
SEKO’s score improved in three of the four themes EcoVadis assesses. The biggest movement came in Ethics, up ten points from 63 to 73, with the assessment recognising policies covering corruption, fraud, conflicts of interest and information security, alongside ISO 27001 certification for information security management.
Environment, already SEKO’s strongest theme, rose from 89 to 91. EcoVadis awarded full marks for SEKO’s environmental policies, actions and certification, citing measures including renewable energy sourcing, carbon audits and staff training on energy conservation. Labour & Human Rights edged up from 77 to 78, supported by ISO 45001 certification for occupational health and safety.
Sustainable Procurement moved the other way, slipping from 73 to 71. The assessment identified quantitative procurement targets, sustainability clauses in supplier contracts and supply chain risk assessment as the next areas to strengthen.
Lockwood added: “Sustainable procurement is where our customers’ Scope 3 challenge and our own overlap, so it’s where we’re focusing next. The value of an independent assessment is that it tells you exactly what to fix, with evidence behind it. That’s far more useful than a headline number on its own.”
The EcoVadis Index found just 19% of rated companies report upstream Scope 3 emissions and 15% report downstream, while 30% of suppliers provide no carbon data at all.
It is also where customers feel the gap most. Analysis by CDP, a non-profit organisation that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies, shows that corporate supply chain emissions are on average 26 times greater than those from direct operations, so the emissions data a logistics provider can evidence flows straight into its customers’ own Scope 3 reporting.
Lockwood says: “Scope 3 has moved from reporting to decision-making. Clients aren’t just asking what emissions are, they’re asking who can help reduce them. That shift is changing how logistics providers are selected, and verified data is now central to that conversation.”
In the UK central government suppliers bidding for public procurement contracts worth more than £5m a year must provide a Carbon Reduction Plan as a condition of participation, covering Scope 1, 2 and selected Scope 3 emissions. NHS England is going further: from April 2027, suppliers on in-scope procurements will need to publicly report targets and emissions, and publish a Carbon Reduction Plan covering all relevant global Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
SEKO’s sustainability strategy in the UK and Ireland includes ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification across all UK and Ireland sites, UN Global Compact membership, Living Wage Employer accreditation, and a verified carbon baseline with targets to cut emissions by 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050. The business is also extending the programme into its supplier base, working with smaller partners on their own decarbonisation and helping build more sustainable retail supply chains.
The UK and Ireland programme sits within SEKO’s third annual ESG report, published in September 2026, which sets out progress across its global network, including an in-house carbon calculator developed in 2025 that gives the business direct control over its emissions factors and methodology, a third consecutive year of sustainable aviation fuel purchasing, and membership of the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance.

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