Hoogstraten, Belgium, 11 December 2025 – deSter, a leading provider of sustainable and innovative packaging, tableware, and comfort items for the aviation and food service industries, is proud to announce that it has been awarded the EcoVadis Platinum rating – the highest possible result – for the second consecutive year. This places us among the top 1% of over 150,000 companies assessed globally. This year, we raised our score from out of 100, a significant achievement given EcoVadis’ increasingly stringent requirements.

EcoVadis evaluates companies across four pillars: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. Our improvement this year was mainly driven by stronger performance in Environment and Labor & Human Rights, particularly in the area of reporting about our progress and our external endorsements. By providing more comprehensive, quantitative KPIs and demonstrating measurable progress toward our sustainability targets, we showcased the depth of our commitment and transparency.

“Achieving EcoVadis Platinum for the second year in a row and improving our score is a clear validation of our strategy and the dedication of our teams worldwide. Sustainability is not a checkbox exercise; it’s about driving a real impact on our planet and our people. This recognition motivates us to keep pushing boundaries and lead by example,” says Stef Van de Perre, President & Managing Director at deSter.

Key Highlights

• Environment: Greenhouse gas emissions were further reduced to 63% below 2019 levels, surpassing our target of 50% by 2025 and 55% by 2030. Revenue from reusable and compostable products increased to 64%, up from 62% in 2023.
• Labor & Human Rights: Voluntary employee turnover fell from 9.3% in 2023 to 7.5% in 2024, well below our 10% target, reflecting a strong and supportive workplace culture. Our policies remain aligned with ILO and UN Global Compact standards, with zero incidents of forced or child labor reported. External audits, including SMETA 4-pillar and other certifications, confirmed strong compliance, and our Prachinburi site’s Thai Labor Certificate was renewed in early 2025.

For more details on our sustainability actions, please read our 2024 Sustainability Report.

This achievement is not the finish line—it’s a milestone that drives us to keep innovating, improving, and leading the way toward a more sustainable future. We extend our sincere thanks to all our employees who made this possible, and to our partners and customers for their continued trust and support on this journey.

Media Inquiries:

deSter Communications Team 

dester.communications@gategroup.com

About EcoVadis

Ecovadis is the world’s largest and most trusted provider of sustainability ratings. The EcoVadis Medals symbolize the ratings that are awarded based on a company’s percentile rank, which is calculated at the time of scorecard publication. They compare a company’s performance with all rated companies in the EcoVadis database, which includes more than 150,000 companies, over the previous 12 months. These are companies from all industries, not just related ones.

About deSter

deSter, a gategroup member, is a leading provider of innovative and sustainable food packaging and serviceware concepts to the aviation, hospitality and foodservice industries. The company combines 75 years of manufacturing expertise with the latest product technology and material developments. deSter has production units in Hoogstraten (BE), Barcelona (ES), Lima (US) and Prachinburi (TH), and global sales offices worldwide. www.dester.com

About gategroup

gategroup is the global leader in airline catering, retail-on-board and hospitality products and services. gategroup provides passengers with superior culinary and retail experiences, leveraging innovation and advanced technology solutions. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, gategroup delivers operational excellence through the most extensive catering network in the aviation industry, serving passengers from over 200 operating units in over 60 countries/territories across all continents. For further information, please visit: www.gategroup.com.