Gold Certification from EcoVadis Presents Competitive Advantage
Northwest Hazelnut Company is proud to announce that its solar-powered processing plant, with sister company, George Packing Company Inc., received the Gold Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Rating from EcoVadis, the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings which has assessed over 50,000 companies within 150 countries.
Awarded to the top 3% of companies in the processing and preserving of fruits and vegetables, the prestigious recognition affirms the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and strengthens the appeal of its hazelnut ingredients to buyers from around the world who have strong sustainability requirements. Northwest Hazelnut Company and George Packing Company Inc. have demonstrated a long-standing commitment to innovation, food safety, quality and sustainable practices, making them the most advanced operation in the hazelnut industry. This year’s Gold rating from EcoVadis represents the highest rating possible and reflects several achievements, including converting to the world’s first 100% solar-powered hazelnut processing plant in 2017.
“From planting to processing, we proudly invest in state-of-the-art technology in order to continually improve our sustainability performance,” said Larry George, co-founder and owner of the George Packing Company Inc. and owner of Northwest Hazelnut Company. “We constantly seek to raise the bar because we believe that beyond providing the highest-quality hazelnuts, we also have a responsibility to be proactive about our impact throughout the supply chain.”
The EcoVadis Rating covers a broad range of non-financial management systems including Environmental, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. Each company is assessed on these issues as they pertain to their company’s size, location and industry. These evidence-based assessments are translated into easy-to-read scorecards, providing zero to one hundred (0-100) scores, and medals (bronze, silver, gold) for top performance. The scorecards show both areas of strengths and where improvements are needed. EcoVadis CSR scorecards are valid for twelve (12) months after the publication date.
About EcoVadis
EcoVadis is the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, intelligence and collaborative performance improvement tools for global supply chains. Backed by a powerful technology platform and a global team of domain experts, EcoVadis’ easy-to-use and actionable sustainability scorecards provide detailed insight into environmental, social and ethical risks across 190 purchasing categories and 150 countries. Industry leaders such as Johnson & Johnson, L’Oréal, Nestlé, Schneider Electric, Michelin and BASF are among the more than 45,000 businesses on the EcoVadis network, all working with a single methodology to evaluate, collaborate and improve sustainability performance inorder to protect their brands, foster transparency and innovation, and accelerate growth. Learn more on ecovadis.com, Twitter or LinkedIn.
About Northwest Hazelnut Company
Northwest Hazelnut Company (www.hazelnuts.com) with its sister company, George Packing Company (www.filberts.com), make up the largest processors and marketers of hazelnuts in North America. Northwest Hazelnut Company leads the way in new technologies, processes and training and manages marketing initiatives for both companies. Each year, the companies expand into new markets with new products and stands poised for the future growth of Oregon’s hazelnut production.
