From Compliance to Confidence: How Hoffer Plastics is Using Sedex to Streamline Sustainability Reporting
Hoffer Plastics, a US-based plastics injection moulding manufacturer, turned a customer-driven requirement into a platform for environmental progress, by using Sedex to centralise reporting, reduce administrative burden, and accelerate its path to ISO 14001 certification.
| Organisation | Hoffer Plastics |
| Location | South Elgin, Illinois, USA |
| Sector | Manufacturing – Plastics Injection Moulding |
| Employees | ~350 |
| Sedex member since | ~2022 |
| Sedex tools used | SAQ, Environmental SAQ (ESAQ), SMETA audit preparation |
AT A GLANCE
2hrs
vs. 2–3 days to respond to buyer requests without Sedex
ISO 14001
certification achieved in 2026, accelerated by Sedex ESAQ insights
1 platform
replacing fragmented, manual responses to multiple buyer requests
Background
Hoffer Plastics is a 365,000 square foot plastics injection moulding facility based in South Elgin, Illinois. With around 350 employees, Hoffer Plastics manufactures caps, spouts and custom precision-moulded components for customers across a wide range of industries, including food and beverage, packaging, medical and pharmaceutical, automotive and consumer products.
As customer expectations around environmental performance and supply chain transparency increased, Hoffer invested further in its sustainability efforts. In early 2026, the company achieved ISO 14001 certification – a milestone, partly supported, by the decision made a few years earlier to join Sedex.
The challenge
Before using Sedex, Hoffer Plastics lacked a consistent, evidence-based approach to responding to buyer sustainability requests. When customers requested environmental or social compliance information, the process was fragmented – different teams had to assemble responses manually, often starting from scratch each time.
As Hannah Mooberry, Environmental and Sustainability Specialist at Hoffer Plastics, explains:
“We did not have a uniform approach that was based on evidence when we were responding to buyer requests. Having Sedex fixed that problem for us.”
The administrative burden was significant. Without a centralised platform, responding to individual customer requests could take two to three working days – a major demand on a small sustainability team already responsible for carbon emissions reporting, waste reduction, and energy efficiency initiatives.
Why Sedex
Like many suppliers, Hoffer’s relationship with Sedex began with a buyer requirement. But once the team started using the platform, they found it delivered value well beyond compliance.
“It was a win-win, really. We were required to use it, but once we started, it showed us we hadn’t had that uniform approach – and it helped us fix that.”
Hannah Mooberry, Environmental and Sustainability Specialist, Hoffer Plastics
Hoffer also uses other sustainability platforms, but Hannah is clear about her experience with Sedex: “Sedex stands out for its ease of use and the value it provides. It consistently delivers the best user experience.”
She also highlights the support provided by the Sedex team as a differentiator: “Everybody at Sedex has been so friendly and very helpful. It doesn’t feel like a sales pitch or gimmicky. It feels like they genuinely try to help you – like a trusted partner that’s invested in our success.”
Cost also played a role. Compared with other platforms, Sedex delivered a more cost-efficient option for Hoffer alongside a better overall user experience.
How Hoffer Uses Sedex
The primary Sedex tools used by Hoffer are the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and the Environmental SAQ (ESAQ). Hannah leads the environmental data input, while her manager Derri Emerson oversees the broader SAQ completion.
The team updates its questionnaires every couple of months and reviews the resulting insights as part of a manageable, repeatable process and at a rhythm that suits their operational needs without placing excessive demands on their time.
Hoffer is also using Sedex to prepare for a SMETA 4-Pillar audit scheduled for September 2026 – updating questionnaires and using the platform as a framework to ensure they are audit-ready.
Hoffer also benefits from Sedex’s supply chain connectivity features. Being able to view supplier and customer data through the platform – particularly environmental data – has supported Hannah’s scope 3 emissions calculations and made supply chain collaboration more straightforward.
Result and Impact
Time savings
The efficiency gains from Sedex are tangible and significant. Completing the ESAQ takes Hannah approximately one to two hours – compared to the two to three working days previously needed to respond to individual customer requests manually without the platform. That is a meaningful saving for a lean team with a broad sustainability remit.
“It’s like a one and done – you don’t have to think about it again. It’s very time efficient and we really appreciate that.”
She also highlights the platform’s usability as a practical benefit: “You can go back and save your work and come back another time to finish it. It doesn’t have to be all in one go.”
A catalyst for ISO 14001
The most significant outcome was the role Sedex played in accelerating Hoffer’s environmental certification journey. Completing the ESAQ gave the team a structured view of their environmental performance – and revealed that they already had the right practices in place but lacked formal recognition of them.
“It really just opened our eyes,” Hannah explains. “We had everything. We just needed to show it. It kind of got us going on that certification path.” Hoffer achieved ISO 14001 certification at the start of 2026.
Stronger customer relationships
For Hoffer’s food and beverage customers in particular, the ability to share structured environmental and social data through Sedex has helped strengthen customer relationships and reduce the back-and-forth associated with ad hoc information requests.
“There’s no reason not to join, really. It benefits your whole company – and being able to collaborate with different companies in the industry, getting a whole supply chain overview, it’s just incredibly useful.“
Hannah Mooberry
Going Further: Community and Events
In April 2026, Hannah and her manager Derri attended Xchange North America in Chicago – Sedex’s annual in-person event for members. For Hannah, who was relatively new to the SMETA audit process, the event provided valuable learning and practical preparation for the upcoming September audit.
“Getting some further insights from that in-person event was very helpful,” she says. “And being able to talk to other people in the industry, compare what they’re doing and how we can all improve together – that was really cool.” The team even met a supplier or customer connection in person for the first time at the event.
Advice for Other Suppliers
Hannah’s message to suppliers who are being asked to join Sedex – and perhaps feeling hesitant – is straightforward:
“Using Sedex is quick, easy, and very user-friendly. It does benefit your whole company. And it feels like a genuine partner – not a platform that’s trying to take over your job, but one that helps you do it better.”
For suppliers weighing up multiple platforms and certifications, the combination of usability, cost efficiency, and genuine support makes Sedex, in Hannah’s view, a clear first choice.
Contact Sedex to find out how our solution can accelerate your compliance programme while helping you build long-term strategic partnerships.
