The Complete Guide to EcoVadis Assessments and Why They Matter

Learn how EcoVadis helps businesses measure and improve sustainability with trusted ratings on environment, labor, ethics, and supplier standards.

What is EcoVadis?

Think of EcoVadis as a global standard for business sustainability ratings. It’s a platform that assesses a company’s policies, actions, and results across four key themes:

• Environment: How your business manages its impact on the planet, including things like energy use, emissions, waste, and water.
• Labor & Human Rights: How you treat your employees, including working conditions, health and safety, diversity, and fair labor practices.
• Ethics: Your commitment to ethical business practices, such as anti-corruption policies and transparency.
• Sustainable Procurement: How you ensure that the suppliers in your value chain also uphold environmental and social standards.

The assessment is tailored to your company’s specific industry, size, and location, so you’re only evaluated on what’s relevant. EcoVadis takes a holistic look at your operations to provide a comprehensive and trustworthy rating.

Why Does an EcoVadis Rating Matter?

An EcoVadis rating isn’t just a badge to display on your website; it’s a powerful business tool. Here’s why it’s increasingly becoming a critical part of doing business: 

• It’s a Business Requirement: More and more large corporations are using EcoVadis to vet their suppliers based on sustainability criteria.
• It Builds Trust and Credibility: In a world where “greenwashing” is a real concern, an EcoVadis rating provides independent, third-party validation of your sustainability claims.
• It Provides a Roadmap for Improvement: The EcoVadis scorecard highlights your strengths and pinpoints specific areas where you can improve.
• It Helps You Mitigate Risk: By identifying and addressing risks in operations and your supply chain, you can avoid regulatory issues and protect your reputation.  

The EcoVadis Assessment Process

The process of getting an EcoVadis rating is straightforward but requires transparency and proper documentation. Here’s how it works:

1. Register with basic information about your business
2. Fill out your customized questionnaire and upload supporting documents
3. EcoVadis expert analysts review your answers and documentation
4. Receive a detailed scorecard and potentially be awarded a medal based on your performance

The EcoVadis Scorecard

The heart of the EcoVadis evaluation is the scorecard—a dynamic report that provides detailed insights into your company’s sustainability performance. While medals and badges offer a quick snapshot, the scorecard gives actionable recommendations to help you continuously improve.

Medals & Badges

EcoVadis Medals

EcoVadis medals are a mark of high achievement. They are awarded to companies that demonstrate a robust sustainability management system and perform in the top tiers of all rated companies. The hierarchy is as follows, from highest to lowest: 

• Platinum Medal: This is the highest level of recognition, awarded to companies in the top 1% of all businesses rated by EcoVadis.  
• Gold Medal: The Gold medal is for companies in the top 5% of all rated businesses. 
• Silver Medal: A Silver medal is awarded to companies that fall within the top 15%.. 
• Bronze Medal: The Bronze medal recognizes companies in the top 35%.  

EcoVadis Badges

For companies that don’t reach the medal threshold, EcoVadis offers badges. These badges are a way to recognize progress and commitment, and they are an addition to medals and serve a different, but equally valuable, purpose. 

There are two primary badges: 

• Committed Badge: Awarded to companies with a minimum score of 45, recognizing foundational sustainability commitment. 
• Fast Mover Badge: Given to companies scoring between 34 and 44 that show significant improvement since their last assessment.

How SHI (Formerly Locuz) Helps with EcoVadis Success

Achieving a strong EcoVadis rating requires the right guidance and a strategic approach. SHI (Formerly Locuz) helps organizations streamline their sustainability journey by:

Guaranteeing Certification Readiness: Ensuring your organization meets EcoVadis requirements and achieves certification without unnecessary delays.
Score Improvement Strategy: Providing a structured roadmap to boost your EcoVadis score through actionable improvement plans.

Contact us for expert support with EcoVadis certification and scoring improvement to successfully achieve your sustainability goals.