Sustainability at AS Watson

At AS Watson, we believe that together we can make a difference. Through our brands and products, we reach millions of consumers every day. This brings not only opportunities, but also responsibilities.

By making conscious choices, collaborating with our partners and gaining insight into the impact of our products, we are working towards a more sustainable future. Transparency and collaboration throughout the supply chain are essential to achieving this.

To achieve our sustainability ambitions, we need insight into the products we sell. Which materials are used? What is their environmental impact? And where do the raw materials come from?

By working together with our A-brands and suppliers to collect reliable product information, we increase transparency throughout the supply chain and enable better-informed decisions.

Together, we make our sustainability impact visible.

About GSES

As an A-brand, you play an important role in making our product supply chain more sustainable. By making your product data available through GSES, you contribute to greater transparency, better insights and a future-proof partnership.

With GSES, we bring product and sustainability data together on a single platform. This information not only provides insight into the environmental impact of products but can also support other information requirements.

Examples include:

  • EUDR: Information about relevant raw materials and their origins.
  • PPWR: Data on packaging and packaging materials.
  • DPP (Digital Product Passport): Product information for digital product passports.

By making smart use of existing data, we reduce duplicated work and lay the foundation for future information and reporting requirements.
Join GSES and help build a more sustainable supply chain.
Together, we make product data valuable and sustainability tangible.

What is ASWatson asking of your organization?

Through the GSES platform, suppliers can share their organization’s sustainability information with ASWatson and have it independently verified. Depending on your organization and the data available, this includes:

To start, upload all your organization’s sustainability certificates onto the GSES platform and request the independent validation of those certificates to receive a baseline measure of your sustainability performance. Examples of certificates are: ISO’s, CO2 Performance Ladder, CSR Performance Ladder or Ecovadis.

 

Complete the following GSES assessments:

CSR

Corporate Social Responsibility

CO₂

CO2 Reduction

CE

Circular Economy

SP

Sustainable Procurement

Complete the following GSES assessments:

CSR

Corporate Social Responsibility

CO₂

CO2 Reduction

CE

Circular Economy

SP

Sustainable Procurement

This allows us to build a clearer understanding of the sustainability of our products, step by step.

GSES provides full support during onboarding and data submission. If you need any help, our support team is available at [email protected].

How to do it!

Submit product information

Discover how to upload your product data onto the GSES platform. Start by creating a product and filling in the required and additional data fields to receive a product scorecard.
Submit product information video thumbnail
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1
Step - 01
Submit product information
Basic product and sustainability data is entered into the GSES platform.
2
Step - 02
Provide supporting evidence
Relevant documentation is uploaded (e.g. certifications, material data, LCA if available) to back up the submitted product data and give auditors a clear basis for review.
3
Step - 03
Validation
Independent third parties verify the data and generate a sustainability score.

This process ensures a balance between ease of participation and data credibility.

FAQ
  • Data ownership remains with your organization. GSES only processes the data and does not claim ownership.  
  • Certificates (e.g. ISO, CO₂ Performance Ladder) are uploaded by you and validated by an independent certifying body. 
  • Certificates cannot be downloaded by others and are only visible in summary form (logo, status, validity). 
  • Assessment answers are verified and shown on your scorecard; answers cannot be edited after submission. 
  • Burden of proof (e.g. internal documents) is stored in a Virtual Safe and only accessible to you and the auditor. The documents are not visible on your scorecard. 
  • You control scorecard visibility: set your ESG Scorecard to Public (visible to all) or Private (only visible to you). 
  • If preferred private, GSES Members can request access to view your scores; you receive a notification and can accept or decline the request. 

Joining GSES is highly encouraged. Transdev is placing increasing emphasis on sustainability and transparency across its supply chain. By sharing your sustainability data via the GSES platform, your organization shows commitment to future-proof, responsible business. It helps strengthen your position as a preferred supplier and ensures you’re aligned with Transdev’s long-term goals. 

To share the required sustainability data with Transdev, your organization needs a GSES Pro Membership. This enables you to create and share an ESG scorecard, manage certificates, track CO2 emissions, and collaborate with up to 5 colleagues. You can upload existing certificates and complete assessments, which are then independently validated through the GSES platform. 

Transdev suppliers receive a discounted GSES Pro Membership based on annual turnover: 

  • €1,900/year (turnover €0–10M) 
  • €2,500/year (turnover €10–100M) 
  • €3,700/year (turnover >€100M) 

This includes access to the organization module and 4 desk audits per year for the required GSES pillars. The contract has a duration of 3 three years.   

All prices are excl. VAT. 

The largest time commitment for your organization is in qualitatively answering the assessments and collecting the underlying documents that serve as evidence. Below is an overview of the processing times.    

Time commitment and lead time:   

  • Create an account: 2 minutes for you as a user (name & email address) to register your organization.   
  • Uploading certificates and requesting validation: up to 5 minutes.

Lead time of independent audit by certifying body:   

  • Validation of 1st line certificate: 2 working days. 
  • Validation 2nd-line certificate: up to 10 working days. 
  • Verification of Assessments by means of a desk audit: 10 – 15 working days. 

You may need various colleagues to fill in the assessment, this can differ per organization but also per GSES Pillar. Think of colleagues from a sustainability team or the contract and procurement team. You can give up to 5 colleagues access to your organization’s online environment.

Data ownership and accessibility.  

  • The information you provide remains the property of your organization. GSES will only have the right to process the data, without transferring ownership rights.  
  • You always have full access to your organization’s own information and can view it.  
  • Important: After submitting an assessment, you cannot edit your answers anymore.  

Processing and visibility of certificates (ISO, CO2 Performance Ladder, Ecovadis, etc.)  

  • Certificates are uploaded by you and forwarded to an independent certifying body for validation.  
  • You can always view and/or delete your organization’s certificates.  
  • The scorecard will display the certificate’s logo, including its validation status and validity.  
  • The score report states whether a certificate contributes to your score. The certificate itself cannot be downloaded by others.  

 Processing and visibility of assessments and burden of proof  

  • When filling in a questionnaire, the following elements are recorded:  
  • Answer: multiple-choice options from the GSES Standard  
  • Context: explanation for the auditor  
  • Burden of proof: internal documents as burden of proof  

How is this processed and visible?  

  • The answer will be visible on the scorecard after verification.  
  • The burden of proof is stored in a secure safe. Only your organization and the auditor have access to this. This is not visible on the scorecard.  

Visibility and scoring management  

  • You decide who can view your scorecard: Public (visible to everyone) or Private (visible only to you).  
  • Even with a private setup, customers can link you as a supplier, but they won’t see scores.  
  • Does another GSES Member want to see your scores? They can send a Visibility Request. You will receive an email and can accept or deny access. 

Organizations are fully responsible for the accuracy and ownership of any data uploaded to the platform. By submitting data, they confirm it is truthful and accurate to the best of their knowledge. 

Auditors independently assess whether the data is verifiable and meets the required standards. The platform itself is not responsible for the content or accuracy of submitted data. 

Are you excited and ready to get started? We will help you on your way. On this landing page you will find all the steps you need to follow in the “Getting started with GSES” section.  

In addition to the functionalities that a GSES Pro membership brings, your organization can do much more with the GSES platform, for example, the GSES platform can:   

  • Enter and validate sustainability information about your products.  
  • Mapping the sustainability performance of your supply chain. 
  • Use other parts of the platform such as the CSRD module, the event module and/or the asset module;  
  • Compare suppliers on sustainability performance in the GSES database.  

If you want to know more about the above functionalities and possibilities for your organization, book a demo or contact the GSES Support Team at [email protected]. 

This FAQ is updated regularly. If you have additional questions feel free to contact us on [email protected].