Lowell keeps its Silver EcoVadis rating (again)

That puts us in the top 15% of all companies that EcoVadis scored for sustainability in 2025, and in the top 3% of debt collection agencies and credit bureaus. We also pushed our overall score up by six points compared with 2024.

Why it matters

This year’s rating matters more than ever. More of our Clients are checking sustainability before they decide who to work with. Two major Clients already ask suppliers to have an EcoVadis rating, and we expect more to follow.

Right now, none of our direct peers have a Group level rating above Silver. This helps us stand out with Clients, investors, and people thinking about joining us.

How we stack up

Silver puts us ahead of our direct competitors. While Lloyds Banking Group and Nordea also hold Silver, NatWest moved up to Gold. So we compare well with other companies in the broader financial services sector.

What moved the needle this year

We made strong progress in 2025. While our ‘Labour and Human Rights’ score stayed at 80, ‘Ethics’ rose by six points, accompanied by gains in ‘Environment’ (up 11 points) and ‘Sustainable Procurement’ (up 13 points), thanks to:

• The Science Based Targets initiative validating our climate goals 

• Improving how we track and report progress towards our environmental goals, including cutting operational emissions by 78%

• Strengthening supplier management processes, including adding new ESG clauses to contracts

What EcoVadis looks for

EcoVadis awards ratings to companies that:

• Align to global standards: We’re a signatory of the UN Global Compact and one of just 2,300 companies with a net zero goal validated by the Science Based Targets initiative

• Report consistently against performance metrics: We track 23 metrics annually (see our next report, due April 2026)

• Focus on continuous improvement: We set 14 ambitious goals in 2021 to reach global best practice levels by 2025 

• Maintain robust governance: We have board-level committees for Sustainability, Remuneration and Risk

• Have strong policies and training: We have our Code of Conduct, Supplier Code of Conduct and People, Human Rights, Environment, and Procurement policies 

What's next?

EcoVadis raises the bar every year. To keep hold of Silver in 2026, we expect to need another six to fifteen points. We’ve already started working towards this. We will:

1. Continue progress towards our goals, with a clear narrative on performance

2. Transparent reporting aligned to the UN Global Compact, Sustainable Development Goals, and Sustainable Accounting Standards Board
3. Set targets for Ethics and Sustainable Procurement
4. Share more evidence of our robust risk management and annual review process
5. Introduce trend reporting for our Sustainability Development Group, showing three-year progress instead of snapshots

A final word from Carol Ord, Lowell’s Group Head of Sustainability

‘A strong EcoVadis rating doesn’t just show our commitment - it gives us a commercial edge now that some of our biggest Clients expect suppliers to have a rating’.