First time participant achieves Bronze Medal
Customer: Sutari GmbH
Category: Footwear / Manufacturing
Date: February 2025
Sutari GmbH is a hidden champion in the footwear industry, specializing in ensuring that shoes are designed with precision and manufactured to the highest quality standards. Acting as the backbone for well-known brands, Sutari plays a crucial role in both design and quality assurance. Headquartered in Germany, Sutari operates with two additional legal entities in Dhaka and Hong Kong. The company employs a total of 18 people, with the majority based in Germany.
The company is specializes in design, production management, and logistics for several well-known shoe brands. As a behind-the-scenes partner, end customers may not recognize the Sutari name, but they are familiar with the high-quality footwear that originates from Sutari’s expertise.
Sustainability has long been a core element of Sutari’s business strategy. As a result, the company sought to ensure that its commitment to responsible practices was accurately reflected in its EcoVadis assessment, reinforcing its dedication to ESG principles.
Frederic Abt
Head of Sustainability and CSR Management – Sutari GmbH
“The investment is worthwhile, as we expect to gain valuable insights and experience a learning curve in ESG management. This will enable us to better showcase our ESG efforts, not only internally but also externally to our clients and other stakeholders. To achieve this, we knew we needed a strong partner with extensive experience in this field”
Challenges
Continuously growing customer requirements
As a relatively small company, Sutari faced the challenge of limited internal resources to effectively manage ESG compliance. Furthermore, one of its key clients required an EcoVadis Bronze Medal, adding pressure to achieve a strong rating. This requirement presented a significant challenge, as it was Sutari’s first time participating in the EcoVadis assessment. The unfamiliarity with the process made it crucial to establish a structured and strategic approach to ESG management and reporting.
For these reasons, Sutari chose DFGE as a trusted partner, leveraging their extensive experience in guiding companies through the complexities of ESG management. DFGE’s deep expertise in EcoVadis assessments made them the ideal choice to help Sutari navigate the process efficiently and achieve its sustainability goals.
The aim of this project was to systematically collect relevant documentation in line with Sutari’s ESG ambitions to achieve an EcoVadis medal.
Solution
Workshop and guided document analysis
As a relatively small company new to ESG compliance, Sutari took its first steps in structured sustainability management through the EcoVadis assessment. This project was conducted in close cooperation between Sutari and DFGE, ensuring that ESG policies, activities and KPIs were effectively documented and aligned with industry expectations. The EcoVadis process provided Sutari with a clear starting point to gain an overview of relevant ESG topics, understand how to manage them, and align policies with minimum compliance requirements, particularly in anticipation of future regulatory developments.
Over the course of 4 months, DFGE worked closely with Sutari to develop a tailored ESG reporting framework suitable to meet EcoVadis requirements. This approach streamlined policy management and ensured that existing ESG activities—previously implemented but lacking structured documentation—were properly consolidated.
Result
EcoVadis Bronze Medal
The cooperation with DFGE led to a considerable improvement in the EcoVadis rating: Sutari achieved the EcoVadis Bronze Medal with 59 points, meeting the initial project objective. This recognition marks a significant improvement in Sutari’s ESG management and places the company in the top 35% of companies rated by EcoVadis.
By working with DFGE, Sutari was able to:
- Improve its ESG rating, laying the groundwork for future assessments.
- Enhance policy management, ensuring alignment with industry standards.
- Simplify the complex EcoVadis documentation process, reducing internal workload and increasing efficiency.
Frederic Abt
Head of Sustainability and CSR Management – Sutari GmbH
“Thanks to DFGE, we were able to better streamline our ESG efforts and efficiently navigate the extensive documentation requirements of EcoVadis. We are very happy with the collaboration and the results.”
What’s Next?
With the Bronze Medal as a strong starting point, Sutari is now focused on:
- Further improving its EcoVadis rating, aiming for Silver in the next assessment cycle.
- Expanding its ESG strategy, including additional KPIs and external validation.
