T1 Glass Featured by EcoVadis: Our Sustainability Journey Towards Platinum

We were honoured to be featured by EcoVadis following the achievement of the EcoVadis Platinum Medal, placing us among the top 1% of companies assessed globally. In this spotlight, we share our sustainability journey, key lessons learned, and how collaboration across the organisation continues to drive meaningful progress.

T1 Glass was featured by EcoVadis in a Community Spotlight discussing our sustainability journey, EcoVadis Platinum achievement, and the initiatives that continue to shape our ESG strategy. Full content:

"Achieving EcoVadis Platinum is not a finish line for us. It reflects the systems, accountability, and continuous improvement that have shaped our journey so far, while reminding us there is always more we can do to create meaningful impact across our operations, supply chain, and the built environment."

In the insightful Q&A below, T1 Glass pulls back the curtain on the realities of their sustainability journey. They share hard-won lessons on why establishing a dedicated sustainability function early on was crucial for scaling, how they transformed data management struggles into one of their biggest operational strengths, and why green initiatives must be integrated into everyday workflows rather than siloed in a single department."

EcoVadis: For smaller companies trying to grow, what is one sustainability-related tool or process you invested in early on that made scaling up much easier later?

T1 Glass: One of the most impactful investments we made early on was establishing a dedicated sustainability function with clear ownership and accountability. Rather than treating sustainability as an additional responsibility, we invested in building internal capability to manage sustainability data, reporting, and continuous improvement. This enabled us to implement structured processes for data collection, performance tracking, and cross-functional collaboration from the outset.

By embedding sustainability into our day-to-day operations, we created the consistency needed to scale alongside growing stakeholder expectations. Today, that foundation supports initiatives such as EcoVadis assessments, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) reporting, carbon footprint measurement, and ESG disclosures.

Looking back, investing in the right people and processes early allowed sustainability to grow with the business, rather than becoming something we had to build retrospectively.

EcoVadis: When you launched your sustainability program, what unexpected problem hit you on the job site, and how did your team solve it?

T1 Glass: One of the biggest lessons we learned was that sustainability cannot be driven by one department alone. Early on, we realised that even the best sustainability strategies would have limited impact unless they were understood and embraced by everyone involved—from procurement and operations to project teams and suppliers.

We addressed this by integrating sustainability into existing workflows instead of creating parallel processes. By making sustainability part of everyday decision-making, rather than an additional responsibility, we strengthened collaboration, improved accountability, and created a culture where continuous improvement became everyone's responsibility.

EcoVadis: What is one internal process that you used to struggle with, but through trial and error, is now one of your biggest strengths?

T1 Glass: Building a structured approach to sustainability data management has become one of our greatest strengths. As our sustainability programme matured, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and transparency across an increasing volume of environmental, social, and governance data became a key focus area. Through custom digital monitoring and official carbon management integrations, we've paired data transparency with internal accountability to accelerate our continuous improvement goals.

Today, sustainability data is more than a reporting tool. It enables greater transparency, supports informed decision-making, and helps us measure progress in a meaningful way. Most importantly, it provides the insights needed to identify opportunities for improvement and drive continuous progress across the organisation.

EcoVadis: What resources could you recommend to the community that would help them along the same journey?

T1 Glass: Recognised frameworks such as GRI, ISSB and SASB can provide valuable structure and help organisations focus on actions that create measurable impact. EcoVadis has played an important role in helping us evaluate and strengthen our sustainability performance, while resources such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol), CDP, and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) provide useful guidance for organisations looking to build accountability and improve transparency.

Equally important is engaging with industry peers, partners, and stakeholders, seeking feedback and guidance for further sustainability improvements. Sustainability challenges are often shared across value chains, and collaboration remains one of the most effective ways to accelerate progress.

EcoVadis: For smaller teams who want to start tracking their carbon footprint but are totally overwhelmed, what is the best first step to take on day one?

T1 Glass: Start by understanding your baseline and material topics (which ESG topics and issues that are most important to your organization). Many organisations feel pressured to focus immediately on reduction targets without first understanding where emissions are coming from. Establishing a baseline starting with reference to Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, provides visibility into the areas that matter most and creates a foundation for informed decision-making. It does not need to be perfect from the start. Sustainability is a journey of continuous improvement, and meaningful progress begins with understanding your current position, measuring consistently, and taking practical steps forward over time.

The contents of this article were featured in an EcoVadis Community Spotlight highlighting T1 Glass' sustainability journey, achievements, and approach to embedding sustainability across the organisation.

Source: EcoVadis Community Spotlight, "Platinum Standards: A Community Spotlight on T1 Glass's Sustainability Journey." Read the original feature.