With this recognition, VDM Metals continues to rank among the top five percent of all companies assessed by EcoVadis in terms of sustainability. Sustainability-oriented processes and structures play a prominent role within the Acerinox Group - which has also been a member of the UN Global Compact since 2013. All Group companies strive to continuously improve social, environmental and economic performance. EcoVadis provides a platform through which companies can have their sustainability performance independently evaluated. In recent years, the EcoVadis platform has become an international standard, and a growing number of VDM Metals' customers are also requesting access to the company's assessment.

The EcoVadis methodology is based on international sustainability standards (Global Reporting Initiative, United Nations Global Compact, ISO 26000) and is supervised by a scientific panel of corporate social responsibility and supply chain experts to produce reliable ratings. The evaluation is conducted in several steps. The main element of data collection is a questionnaire covering the environment, labor and human rights, sustainable procurement and ethics/compliance. All information must be supported by appropriate evidence. In a further step, the evaluation is carried out by EcoVadis. The analysis of each topic is based on three key indicators: policies and guidelines, measures and results. After analyzing the responses and related documents, EcoVadis summarizes the results into an overall and a topic-based score and provides an overview of strengths and areas for improvement.