Measuring
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what matters
Pierre-François Thaler on the founding of EcoVadis and how it has become an influential platform
When Pierre-François Thaler co-founded Ecovadis in 2007, sustainability ratings were barely a concept in procurement circles. Nearly two decades later, the platform he built with co-founder Frédéric Trinel influences more than $ 2.5 trillion in global spend. As regulatory pressures mount and AI continues to reshape both opportunities and risks in ESG reporting, EcoVadis remains at the heart of conversations about sustainable procurement. We speak with Pierre-François to discuss his career journey and position in the industry, as well as current trends like an emerging digital divide across the supply chain.
Let’ s start with an introduction to you. What motivated you to create a dedicated sustainability ratings platform? When my co-founder Frédéric Trinel and I started EcoVadis in 2007, the‘ gap’ was a total lack of transparency in the global supply chain. At the time, I was at Ariba( now SAP Ariba), and I saw that while procurement was becoming digitized, there was no reliable way to assess the environmental or social impact of suppliers.
Large companies were starting to make CSR commitments, but they had no idea what was truly happening three levels
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