A customer asks for your EcoVadis score. You may already have environmental policies, employee training, and a supplier code of conduct. Now you need to understand how those activities translate into a rating and what your customer actually expects.
For a sustainability lead, compliance owner, or operations executive, the first step is clarifying the request. Does the customer need a completed assessment, a minimum score, or a particular medal? Those are different goals, and they should shape your preparation.
EcoVadis evaluates how your company manages sustainability through documented policies, actions, and results. Understanding that approach helps you organize your evidence, interpret your scorecard, and plan improvements.
What is EcoVadis?
EcoVadis is a company that provides sustainability intelligence and assessments for businesses. Its EcoVadis Sustainability Ratings evaluate a company’s sustainability management system and produce a scorecard that can be shared with trading partners.
The methodology draws on international standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), ISO 26000, and the United Nations Global Compact. It covers 21 sustainability criteria across four themes.
For a supplier, an EcoVadis rating provides a structured way to communicate sustainability performance. For a buyer, it provides information about how suppliers manage environmental, social, and ethical issues.
The assessment looks beyond whether your company has a sustainability statement. It examines the evidence behind your commitments, including implemented measures and reporting on results.
Why do customers request an EcoVadis rating?
Customers can use EcoVadis as part of sustainable procurement to understand sustainability risks across their supply chain. A shared assessment gives procurement teams a common structure for reviewing suppliers’ responsible business practices.
If your customer has requested a rating, ask for the requirement in writing. Confirm:
- Which legal entity or site needs to be assessed.
- Whether the requirement concerns participation, an EcoVadis score, or a medal.
- When the published scorecard is due.
- Whether the customer expects improvements in specific themes.
Avoid assuming every customer has the same expectations. Use the actual requirement to set your priorities and internal budget.
What does EcoVadis assess?
The four assessment themes address different parts of your business. Relevant criteria vary by company profile, so use your assigned questionnaire to confirm what applies.
| Theme | Areas it can address | Examples of evidence to gather |
|---|---|---|
| Environment | Energy use, greenhouse gases, water, waste, biodiversity, and other environmental impacts | Environmental policies, emissions inventories, consumption data, and reduction measures |
| Labor & Human Rights | Employee health and safety, working conditions, discrimination, and human rights | HR policies, safety records, training evidence, and grievance procedures |
| Ethics | Corruption, anticompetitive practices, and responsible information management | Codes of conduct, ethics training, reporting mechanisms, and relevant controls |
| Sustainable Procurement | Environmental and social practices within your supplier relationships | Supplier policies, screening procedures, assessment records, and follow-up actions |
These are preparation examples, not a universal document checklist. EcoVadis tailors criteria and questions to the assessed company.
For environmental impact, your carbon footprint is one part of the picture. Depending on your operations, water use, materials, waste, or biodiversity may also require attention.
Similarly, publishing a net zero ambition should prompt an internal evidence check: what baseline, implementation work, and progress data can you show? Start with the applicable questionnaire rather than assuming a public commitment answers every environmental question.
How does the EcoVadis assessment process work?
EcoVadis organizes the rating process into four stages: registration, questionnaire, expert analysis, and results.
1. Register and confirm your scope
Provide company information and establish the entity or site being assessed. EcoVadis uses details such as company size, industry, and location to customize the assessment.
2. Complete the questionnaire
Answer the questions on the EcoVadis platform and attach relevant supporting documents. Select evidence carefully and connect it to the appropriate answers.
3. Undergo expert analysis
EcoVadis analysts review your submission and relevant information from public sources. Publication typically takes six to eight weeks after submission, although timing can vary.
4. Receive and review your results
Your scorecard becomes available on the platform. If you registered through a trading partner’s invitation link, your results are shared with that partner automatically.
Build your schedule backward from the date your customer needs results. Allow time for gathering evidence, resolving gaps, internal approvals, and analysis. Questionnaire submission and scorecard publication are separate milestones.
How are EcoVadis scores calculated?
An EcoVadis score measures the quality of your sustainability management system on a scale from 0 to 100.
The assessment considers policies, actions, and results. Evidence may include formal policies, certifications, operational measures, and performance reporting. EcoVadis also considers information from outside sources rather than relying solely on your answers.
A practical way to organize your preparation is to ask three questions:
- Policies: Have we documented our commitments and responsibilities?
- Actions: Can we show how those commitments are implemented?
- Results: Do we measure and report what happens?
For example, an environmental policy establishes a commitment. Energy efficiency projects demonstrate action. Tracking energy consumption and carbon emissions helps document results.
Use this structure to identify gaps before submission. It can distinguish work you need to implement from work you already perform but have not documented clearly.
What do EcoVadis medals mean?
EcoVadis medals recognize relative performance among assessed companies. They are based on percentile rank at scorecard publication, using assessments from the previous 12 months across all industries.
| Medal | Ranking | Required percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum | Top 1% | 99th percentile or higher |
| Gold | Top 5% | 95th percentile or higher |
| Silver | Top 15% | 85th percentile or higher |
| Bronze | Top 35% | 65th percentile or higher |
There is no permanent numerical score that guarantees a particular medal. Companies also need at least 30 points in each of the four themes to qualify. Other eligibility rules address activities, external findings, and certain unresolved worker grievances. Companies that miss the medal thresholds can still earn a Committed badge (overall score of 45 or more) or a Fast Mover badge (score of 34 to 44 with at least a 6-point improvement over the previous assessment).
If a customer requests Silver, confirm whether the medal itself is mandatory or whether the customer also accepts a specified score and improvement plan.
How can you improve your EcoVadis rating?
Use the scorecard to identify specific weaknesses. The Corrective Action Plan feature helps rated companies track improvements and collaborate with trading partners. Changes entered there do not update an existing scorecard; that requires reassessment.
Start with four practical steps.
Assign owners across the business
Give each theme an accountable owner. Sustainability may coordinate the submission, while HR owns employment evidence, legal owns ethics controls, and procurement owns supplier practices.
Connect evidence to each answer
Create an evidence register with the document owner, assessment scope, relevant question, and supporting section. Review whether each document substantiates the answer you selected. EcoVadis evaluates documents attached to questionnaire options.
Close gaps in implementation and measurement
If a policy exists, check how it operates. Look for training records, implementation procedures, supplier reviews, or performance data. Where a process is missing, assign the work before writing claims about it.
Maintain the program between assessments
Set review dates for policies, retain implementation records, and update metrics as part of normal operations. EcoVadis Academy offers courses connected to sustainability management practices and scorecard improvement areas.
Get your EcoVadis submission organized
If a customer has requested an EcoVadis assessment, start with its requirement and your current evidence. Confirm the scope, assign owners, and identify what needs attention before submission.
Greenplaces supports EcoVadis scorecard review, documentation, assessment submission, and ongoing improvement planning.
Book a strategy call to discuss your first assessment or prepare for your next cycle.