A TEN-POINT MOVEMENT IN TWELVE MONTHS

Quito, the parent company of Aerion, has been awarded an EcoVadis Silver Medal following an audit of its ESG management system, scoring 76 out of 100. The result represents a ten-point improvement on the 66 recorded in 2025, when the group held Bronze status placing it in the top 35 per cent of assessed companies. Silver places it in the top 15 per cent of more than 150,000 companies assessed worldwide over the preceding twelve months. The accreditation is valid for twelve months.

The size of the movement is what makes the result notable rather than the medal itself. EcoVadis assesses evidence of policies, actions, governance, reporting and implementation across four areas: environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. Scoring within that framework is weighted toward documented evidence rather than stated intention, which means a ten-point rise in a single cycle generally reflects systems being put in place and evidenced rather than positions being restated. Moving from the top 35 per cent to the top 15 per cent in one assessment period is a substantial repositioning.

WHAT CHANGED

Quito attributes the improvement to work under its Future Now! programme, launched in 2022. The elements it identifies include developing and deploying ESG policies aligned with international standards; implementing a structured Climate Action Plan covering carbon reduction targets, employee climate training and initiatives supporting the transition of the value chain; strengthening employee engagement through a Sustainability Ambassadors network, a charity programme and a diversity, equity and inclusion and quality of working life project; reinforcing ESG governance, ethics and cybersecurity practices; and monitoring and reporting ESG performance through indicators and annual reporting.

Two of those carry more evidential weight than the others under an assessment of this kind. The group states it has undergone ISO 27001 cybersecurity certification and provides mandatory training in governance, ethics and cybersecurity, which are auditable facts rather than commitments. It also states it has carried out ESG assessments for ten of its largest headquarter suppliers, which addresses the sustainable procurement pillar directly. Supply chain assessment is generally the hardest of the four areas to score well in, because it requires a company to evidence conduct it does not itself control.

Adrien Thominet, Chairman of Aerion, said the group was delighted with the award, describing the ten-point improvement as a clear indication that the Future Now! programme has gained traction and continues to develop across all group entities. He said sustainability had been at the core of operations throughout the group for a long time, and that the result reflected the continuous strengthening of its ESG management system as well as the collective contribution of teams across IT, legal, HR, finance and ESG.

Thominet also stated the obvious limit of the achievement, which is worth reporting because companies frequently do not. He said the medal marked an important milestone but that the group was aware there is still room for improvement, noting that a detailed sustainability survey conducted among internal and external stakeholders two years ago identified the most significant challenges and opportunities and formed the core of an implementation plan still being actioned. The group is aiming for EcoVadis Gold.

THE GROUP BEING ASSESSED

Aerion is the commercial cargo arm of the group, bringing together ECS Group, Global GSA Group, TCE, CargoTech and several specialised entities, and acting as an integrated cargo partner for airlines. ECS Group will be familiar to readers from World Airnews Daily’s coverage earlier this month of its Globe Air Cargo operations in Türkiye and France, which have represented EGYPTAIR as general sales and service agent since 2016 and 2010 respectively.