In a business environment increasingly focused on sustainability, EcoVadis assessment has established itself as a key tool for evaluating and improving performance in corporate social responsibility and sustainability. The EcoVadis platform helps organisations analyse their sustainability and ethical practices across the entire value chain.
What is the Ecovadis assessment?
It is a global platform that offers sustainability assessments through an Ecovadis questionnaire tailored to each company’s sector, size and country. It assesses 21 criteria grouped into four main areas:
- Environment: emissions management, resources, waste, energy, biodiversity.
- Labour practices and human rights: working conditions, equality, health and safety.
- Ethics: anti-corruption, fair business practices and regulatory compliance.
- Sustainable procurement: integration of environmental and social criteria into the supply chain.
Once the questionnaire has been completed on the platform, the Ecovadis audit assesses it and awards the Ecovadis recognition medal (platinum, gold, silver or bronze).
Benefits of a good score
Companies that obtain a good assessment can receive medals (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum) that recognise their commitment to sustainability. Among the benefits are:
- Improved corporate reputation. It enables us to open up to new markets of companies and consumers who reward this type of Social Responsibility initiative.
- Competitive advantage by differentiating themselves through external recognition of their commitment to sustainability.
- Access to new customers and markets.
- Identification of areas for improvement by understanding the status of our sustainability management, which drives us to continuously improve.
Find out more about the EcoVadis platform and how it can help your company grow responsibly.
Ecovadis Methodology
We help you qualify for EcoVadis. This involves:
- We help you register on the EcoVadis platform.
- EcoVadis assesses the sustainability criteria most relevant to your company in order to send a sustainability questionnaire tailored to our activity.
- We compile the documents and information needed to answer the questionnaire.
- Identifying and implementing improvement actions that enable the company to raise its Social Responsibility score and begin its journey towards implementing its sustainability strategy.
- We help you complete the Ecovadis questionnaire or improve your sustainability performance within the specified timeframe. We accompany the questionnaire with supporting documentation.
- Evaluation and analysis of the questionnaire by Ecovadis technicians once it has been completed and submitted. Once evaluated, the evaluation form is published, during which time we may be asked for additional information.
Once the evaluation is complete, we will be given the Ecovadis evaluation form with our rating and the medal we have achieved.
Achieving ISO 14001 certification, ISO 45001 certification and validating the GHG Report in accordance with the GHG protocol helps to improve the score.
At EmasConsultors, we help you through the Ecovadis platform to prepare your company to successfully pass the EcoVadis audit and improve your rating.
Comparison with other certifications
Unlike certifications such as ISO 9001 or ISO 14001, and social audits such as SMETA, EcoVadis does not issue a single certificate, but rather a comparative assessment. Its methodology analyses environmental, social, ethical and responsible purchasing criteria, facilitating comparison between companies, continuous improvement and more sustainable and transparent commercial relationships.
You can see a complete comparison with SMETA in the following article: SMETA vs EcoVadis.
Ecovadis FAQs
Why obtain a sustainability assessment?
The strategy of sustainability and social responsibility within companies is becoming increasingly important. For this reason, large corporations are increasingly demanding higher standards from their suppliers in areas such as quality management, environmental management, safety, and social responsibility, among others.
EcoVadis is one of the tools that more and more multinationals are using to assess the sustainability of their suppliers, so certification on this platform is ideal for positioning yourself with companies looking for suppliers with a strong CSR profile.
But beyond that, the EcoVadis platform shares some interesting features with other renowned certifications such as BCorp, as in addition to the prestige of achieving one of the EcoVadis medals, it also contributes to corporate reputation and image.
Sustainability ratings for supply chains
The main sustainability ratings for supply chains are:
- EcoVadis. One of the most recognised worldwide. It assesses suppliers on environmental, social, ethical and sustainable purchasing criteria.
- Sedex SMETA. A platform that allows companies to share ethical audits. SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) is its social audit methodology.
- B Corp Certification. Although broader than just the supply chain, it includes relevant criteria on supplier and community relations.
- GRI Report. Some companies use Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) criteria to assess the sustainability of their chain.
- CDP Supply Chain (Carbon Disclosure Project). Assesses suppliers’ carbon footprint, water use and forest management.
- SAQ (Drive Sustainability). Questionnaire for automotive suppliers focused on environmental sustainability, human rights and business ethics.
- Fair Trade Certification. Applies especially to agricultural and consumer products. Assesses working conditions, fair practices and environmental practices.
What is EcoVadis and what is it for?
What does the EcoVadis score mean?
The EcoVadis score reflects a company’s performance in sustainability, assessing environmental, social, ethical and responsible purchasing criteria. It is expressed on a scale of 0 to 100 points. A high score demonstrates responsible commitment, transparency and continuous improvement, facilitating trust among international customers, suppliers and investors.
Scores are based on the percentile ranking of your company’s EcoVadis score and a minimum thematic score. The criteria for EcoVadis medals are:
- Platinum: 1% of the best scores (overall score between 75 and 100)
- Gold: 5% of the best scores (overall score between 67 and 74)
- Silver: 25% of the best scores (overall score between 56 and 66)
- Bronze: 50% of the best scores (overall score between 47 and 55)
As Ecovadis scores are based on those of other companies, it is important to engage in continuous improvement in social responsibility and sustainability.
Which companies are rated by Ecovadis?
The companies rated by Ecovadis cover all sectors and sizes, from SMEs to multinationals. There is no official public list of all companies rated by Ecovadis, as the information belongs to the Ecovadis platform itself and is confidential between customers and suppliers. What there is:
- Companies that decide to “voluntarily publish” their medal or score on their website or social media.
- Success stories and official announcements on the Ecovadis website.
- Information shared in “press releases” or “GRI sustainability reports” or “CSRD reports”.