Company
Niedax, an industrial manufacturer under client pressure
Niedax manufactures cable trays and fixing systems for the building and industrial sectors. The company employs between 250 and 499 people and works with clients like Rexel and Vinci, who have committed to scope 3 reduction programmes and are pushing requirements upstream to their suppliers. The EcoVadis assessment has become a market access requirement, and carbon data on products is increasingly requested.
Niedax had completed a carbon footprint assessment about ten years earlier, under a previous name (CTS). The people who had driven the topic internally left, and the programme stopped with them. When Jérôme Hennebelle joined the company in late 2023 as Environment Technician, the CSR approach had to be rebuilt from the ground up.
There was a loss of internal expertise, client pressure was real, and there was a fairly urgent need to get all these programmes back on track.
Julie Gay
Quality Director
Challenges
A CSR approach to rebuild, with clients who wouldn't wait
In 2024, Niedax sits at 63/100 on EcoVadis, a Bronze medal. A decent starting point, but not enough to remain competitive in tenders that are getting stricter every year. Distributors want concrete answers on product carbon footprints. A major trade show is coming up in the autumn (Rexel). And on the banking side, CSR criteria are entering financing assessment grids.
The company faces three simultaneous priorities: supplying clients with the carbon data on products they are requesting more and more systematically, structuring existing CSR initiatives into coherent policies and reports, and embedding this approach for the long term.
Without a clear method or available internal expertise, the risk is spending months fumbling through a subject that now demands real technical knowledge. A bank recommendation points the company towards Carbo for the carbon footprint. In parallel, Ditto is identified to structure and steer the CSR approach as a whole.
From carbon footprint to EcoVadis Gold medal: the step-by-step guide
Niedax's full journey, the steps to replicate their method, and practical advice from their Carbo + Ditto programme.
Solution
Measure first, then structure
The method follows a clear sequence. Carbo conducts a full scope 1-2-3 carbon footprint assessment with Niedax, adding emission factors to improve accuracy. The finding is clear: 85% of emissions come from raw material purchases. Without that figure, there is no way to define where to act first. A reduction plan focused on eco-design is put in place, leading to a 12% reduction in emissions between 2023 and 2025.
Ditto launches in April 2025. The kickoff starts with a documentation audit: identifying gaps, prioritising workstreams by their impact on the EcoVadis score, and setting a realistic three-month workplan.
The workplan covers three workstreams:
- Reporting consolidation: 100+ CSR indicators collected and centralised.
- Policy updates: 5 policies revised with new quantified targets, backed by 30+ supporting documents.
- Proof system construction: the final submission is rated 100/100 by EcoVadis on this dimension.
The 50 hours saved are concentrated mainly on policies, where structuring work takes longest without a clear method. Ditto's templates and ongoing coaching made the biggest difference at this stage.
What we appreciated most was the method. Regular check-ins to move forward, a critical review of what we produced, and the ability to adjust when needed.
Julie Gay
Quality Director
Impact
82/100. Gold medal. +19 points in one cycle.
In September 2025, Niedax achieves the EcoVadis Gold medal with a score of 82/100 — +19 points compared to the Bronze medal obtained independently. The proof system is rated 100/100 by EcoVadis on that dimension.
On the carbon side, Niedax now has a full scope 1-2-3 assessment, an eco-design reduction plan, and a 12% emissions reduction between 2023 and 2025. A new production line currently being installed is designed to manufacture products using less material, directly in line with that objective.
The Gold medal is resonating positively with clients and financial partners. Julie Gay, Quality Director: "We are well positioned relative to our sector and our competitors. It resonates positively on the client side and with banks."
But the internal shift may be the least visible result in the numbers, and one of the most significant. Over three years, buy-in on CSR topics has grown steadily across the company. Every department now tracks its own CSR indicators: sustainable transport, sustainable procurement, energy consumption. Employee engagement surveys reached over 85% response rate.
We are starting to have real CSR tracking built into every process. Everyone can see what they have done. We are genuinely taking ownership of the subject.
Julie Gay
Quality Director
A foundation for what comes next
Niedax is already ISO 14001 certified and is piloting an eco-design standard. The foundation built with Carbo and Ditto gives them a head start on these next steps. The next challenge is interoperability: integrating VSME reporting into the existing EcoVadis framework, without rebuilding a documentation system from scratch. That is exactly the logic Ditto is built on — a proof document built once works across multiple frameworks.
Prepare your next EcoVadis assessment with Ditto
See how Ditto helps CSR teams structure their proof system, save time on preparation and improve their score.
