SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- July 30, 2026 -- KHS GmbH has secured the EcoVadis platinum rating for the second consecutive year, scoring 89 out of 100 points and placing the Dortmund-based filling and packaging systems manufacturer among the top 1% of more than 175,000 companies assessed by the rating agency. The score marks an improvement over the previous year's result, driven largely by gains in how the company documents its support for external sustainability initiatives. For buyers evaluating packaging and filling suppliers on environmental, labor and governance criteria, the repeat platinum result offers an independently verified benchmark rather than a self-reported claim. KHS operates as part of the Salzgitter AG group and supplies beverage and liquid food producers worldwide.
Rating Agency Confirms Repeat Top-Tier Performance
EcoVadis assesses companies against up to 21 criteria spanning environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. KHS has now cleared the platinum threshold in back-to-back assessment cycles. The agency vets more than 175,000 companies annually, and platinum status is reserved for the highest-performing tier. Holding that position twice running signals consistency rather than a one-time result.
Score Climbs Despite Tighter Criteria
KHS improved its overall score to 89 points from the prior year's result even as EcoVadis tightened its evaluation standards. Nicole Pohl, senior ESG manager at KHS, said the achievement reflects the difficulty of the current assessment environment. "Winning our second platinum award is a great success for us all here at KHS. In a rating system that's undergoing a dynamic further development and imposing increasingly stringent requirements, we've achieved an excellent result," she said.
Endorsements Category Delivers the Biggest Gain
The clearest year-over-year improvement came in the Endorsements category, which measures how formally a company recognizes and promotes external sustainability initiatives and principles. KHS said continuous development of this commitment produced a noticeably higher score in that section compared with the prior assessment. Pohl described the rating as more than an internal metric. "We see EcoVadis as a yardstick measuring our own sustainability achievements in the direct context of the market and competition," she said. That framing positions the score as a tool for customer and supply-chain comparison, not just an internal target.
CSO Ties Result to Broader Corporate Discipline
Tobias Wetzel, CSO of KHS, linked the rating to the company's operating philosophy rather than treating it as an isolated award. "EcoVadis' rating criteria are becoming increasingly tougher. The fact that we've again defended our top position and even managed to improve on our result confirms that we're on the right path. At KHS, we don't just pay lip service to sustainability; it's an obligatory benchmark that guides us in all that we do. In economically, politically and climatically challenging times in particular, we demonstrate that responsibility and corporate success can go hand in hand," he said. Wetzel's comments frame sustainability performance as connected to commercial resilience during a period of broader economic pressure.
Group Spans Five Countries Under Salzgitter Ownership
KHS GmbH is the parent company of a group that includes subsidiaries in India, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and China, alongside sales and service centers worldwide. Manufacturing for high-capacity systems runs through the Dortmund headquarters and factories in Bad Kreuznach, Kleve, Worms and Hamburg. The group is a wholly owned subsidiary of SDAX-listed Salzgitter AG. In 2025, KHS and its 5,769 employees generated turnover of approximately €1.649 billion, giving scale to a sustainability score that now applies across a multi-country manufacturing and service footprint.