EcoVadis: the supply-chain sustainability assessment

EcoVadis is a business sustainability rating used by 130,000+ companies worldwide. Unlike CDP (which is questionnaire-based and public) or ISO 14001 (which is certified), EcoVadis is a scored assessment based on documents you upload — and the result is shared privately with your buyers.

If you’re a supplier to a large enterprise, there’s a good chance you’ve been asked for an EcoVadis medal.

What gets assessed

The assessment scores you on four themes:

• Environment — emissions, energy, water, waste, biodiversity, product end-of-life.
• Labor and human rights — working conditions, social dialogue, child & forced labor, diversity, health & safety.
• Ethics — corruption, conflicts of interest, responsible information management, fair business practices.
• Sustainable procurement — supplier ESG criteria, supplier engagement, monitoring.

Each theme is scored 0–100 based on the policies, actions, and results you can evidence with documents.

The medal system

Scores translate into medals:

Medal	Score percentile	Approximate score
Platinum	Top 1%	78+
Gold	Top 5%	70+
Silver	Top 15%	60+
Bronze	Top 35%	50+
None	Below top 35%	<50

Percentiles are recalibrated each year — a Bronze in 2024 may need a higher absolute score in 2026 to maintain it.

How the process works

1. You receive an invitation — usually from a customer, sometimes you self-initiate.
2. You fill out the questionnaire — tailored to your industry, size, and geography. Typically 20–50 questions per theme.
3. You upload supporting documents — policies, certifications, audit reports, photos. No documents = no credit, even if the policy exists.
4. Analysts review — a sustainability analyst evaluates each section. Turnaround is typically 6–8 weeks.
5. You receive a scorecard — broken down by theme, with specific improvement points.

Reassessment happens annually or every 2–3 years depending on your subscription.

What earns points

The single biggest mistake is uploading policies only. To score well, you need to evidence all three layers for each theme:

1. Policy: a formal, dated, signed document.
2. Actions: training, certifications, processes, tools deployed.
3. Results: KPIs, year-on-year trends, audit outcomes.

Recognised third-party certifications (ISO 14001, SBTi validation, CDP scores, B Corp) are particularly heavily weighted.

How Dcycle helps

For the Environment theme, Dcycle exports the artifacts EcoVadis assessors expect: a verified carbon footprint, reduction plan, energy mix, and year-on-year trend. These count as “results” — the layer most companies under-evidence.