What unites many of the world’s most innovative and trusted brands? Often, these forward-thinking companies regard sustainability not as an obligation, but as a corporate imperative. This was just one of many important takeaways to be drawn from a fantastic inaugural experience at EcoVadis’ flagship Sustain conference in Paris in March 2026.
UP’s Journey to EcoVadis Sustain in Paris
As a result of UP’s GOLD EcoVadis rating (placing us in the top 5 percentile of companies undertaking the assessment), Bethany Skinnard, UP’s Sustainability lead was invited to be part of a pilot of the EcoVadis Community in 2025. The brand new platform was designed for sustainability leaders to engage in real‑world experiences and accelerate positive impacts on the planet and society. Goals closely aligned with UP’s very raison d'être.
Following the successful pilot, Bethany was invited to the platform’s official launch at Sustain 2026 in March. This event saw Bethany be interviewed by EcoVadis as part of their exciting forthcoming ‘EV Talks’ series, alongside fellow Community members (and great outdoors enthusiast!) Paul Anthony, Compliance Manager at Tier One.
"UP's journey to a GOLD medal is a powerful testament to their commitment to transparent, ethical and sustainable business practices - a source of immense pride for their members and Leadership team, and… a clear differentiator that sets them apart from the crowd. Bethany's willingness to share this success story and help others in the EcoVadis Community is invaluable."
Meena Hans, Vice President of Customer Marketing, EcoVadis.
Sustain 2026 drew over 3,000 delegates from across the globe. During a high-energy two days, key touchpoints of the sustainability agenda were covered, including human rights, AI’s intensive energy usage and how to mitigate this, decarbonisation, sustainable procurement and responsible investment.
Key takeaways from EcoVadis Sustain 2026
Sustainability certainly isn’t a laughing matter, but in his own inimitable way, climate comedian Stuart Goldsmith portrayed how we can all do more to combat climate change inertia. ‘Imagine Architect’ Phoebe Tickell provoked thought when describing a future world where people could actually drink water bottled from London’s River Thames… An implausible thought for many, but this, at the very least, provoked food for thought and grounds for optimism.
Renowned keynote speakers included Rachel Kyte, UK Climate Envoy, Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever and Helena Helmersson, former Head of Sustainability and CEO of H&M.
During his keynote, Polman drew on his role in shaping the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), highlighting what leadership looks like when climate change, social inequality and economic uncertainty collide (you can read about UP’s alignment with the UNSDG here). Polman also referenced his social impact causes including Unilever’s Hygiene & Behaviour Change Coalition.
During Sustain, Bethany had the opportunity to share details about UP’s social impact projects. These include providing pro bono media relations support to the World Extreme Medicine Fund, a charity providing critical aid on the frontline and being a member of the Ecocide Law Alliance foundation. Sustain provided us with a welcome platform to discuss how more companies can use their in-house talent to look beyond the bottom line.
Bethany also met with Julie de Mony-Pajol, Senior Impact Manager at EcoVadis to discuss the synergies between UP’s reforestation partnership with Evertreen and EcoVadis’ One Tree Planted collaboration.
From the first session, it was apparent that the perception of sustainability as being limited to a broad pledge or silo activity has virtually disappeared. We are now fortunately in the era of witnessing sustainability transforming operating models.
How Could a Cross-industry Community Approach Shape Sustainability?
Unsurprisingly, we were delighted that our sustainability commitments were recognised in our 2025 GOLD rating, but for us, this was just the beginning. Why? Simply because a rating alone won’t drive change. It’s collective action that will ultimately succeed.
In an ever-increasingly volatile environmental and geopolitical landscape, there has never been a more pressing need for companies to lead with courage and conviction where sustainability is concerned. UP’s culture of Responsible Business is embedded in every aspect of our operations. This is especially important now as the world operates with near constant disruptions. We are witnessing Artificial Intelligence redefining industries and CSR regulatory reporting transitioning away from being voluntary to mandatory.
Brands that hold sustainability at their core are ultimately those that will adapt to an ever-changing environment faster and… ultimately instil trust in their consumers. Take Patagonia, for example, which continues to be cited as one of the world’s most reputable, ethical and sustainable brands.
Collective Action
Everyone at UP contributes to our sustainability agenda - from our talented interns to our CEO, everyone’s ideas have a place at the table.
"Bethany and the UP team have been instrumental members of the EcoVadis Community. Their willingness to share details of their journey to Gold and to actively support and encourage other community members has helped create meaningful learning opportunities for organizations working to advance their sustainability efforts."
Melanie Giuliani, EcoVadis Community Manager
By harnessing the power of community action, we can shape a more sustainable future and… faster. After all, there’s no end goal to sustainability…