Arco Shows Industry Their Health & Safety Lab And Secures Global Sustainability

Arco, the UK and Ireland’s leading safety experts, have released an exclusive first look inside their industry-leading safety lab which tests hundreds of products every year.  

The behind-the-scenes video shows Arco-made PPE being rigorously tested at the facility in Hull, which is the UK’s only UKAS-accredited lab, and comes as the leading safety experts have this month secured EcoVadis Platinum status for world class sustainability, receiving the top score of any UK safety supplier.  

Arco’s upgrade from Gold to Platinum has placed them in the top 1% of organisations worldwide for sustainability performance and has strengthened their position as a trusted leader in managing Environmental, Social or Governance (ESG) risks and driving ethical, sustainable business practice.  

Arco secured the highest level of recognition within EcoVadis’ globally recognised sustainability rating system, and the top UK score in its industry, thanks to a 10% overall increase on last year, with near-perfect results in the Environment pillar. 

Arco’s Platinum EcoVadis rating supports customers in meeting their own sustainability and ESG commitments, providing assurance that their safety supply chain is responsibly managed, ethically sourced and independently verified against globally respected standards.  

Arco's Head of Sustainability, Jim Harbidge, said:

“I’m delighted that Arco has achieved a Platinum rating from EcoVadis for the first time – it places our sustainability performance in the top one per cent of all organisations worldwide."

“A Platinum rating is testament to our commitment to sustainability and a significant endorsement of the choices we make and how we operate as a business."

“We know that sustainability is a key factor in our customers’ contracting and procurement decisions and we hope this proves to them that Arco is an industry leader in managing ESG risks and driving ethical business practice.” 

This prestigious new rating comes just weeks after a damning report published by the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) revealed that a staggering 82% of personal protective equipment (PPE) supplied by non-BSIF registered organisations fails safety testing.  

These shocking findings highlighted the growing importance of sourcing PPE from

BSIF Registered Safety Suppliers, such as industry leaders Arco, who demonstrated consistently high compliance levels, underpinning their ongoing commitment to leaving nothing to chance. 

In 2025, they tested over 800 products through their laboratory, ensuring the risk that an end user receives a faulty product, or a product that doesn't comply, is extremely low. 

Built on more than 135 years of safety excellence, Arco works meticulously with organisations across the country to deliver practical safety solutions and reliable expertise that protects workers every day.  

To find out more about Arco’s rigorous testing, and what led them to achieving their prestigious new EcoVadis rating, visit the company’s website here.