EcoVadis: Turning ESG Into Business Opportunity

Sustainability is no longer a “nice to have.” Customers, investors, and regulators are demanding that businesses prove their commitment to responsible practices. One of the most trusted tools for demonstrating that commitment is EcoVadis, a global sustainability rating platform that is used to share a scorecard with suppliers, who often have minimum expectations for the companies they work with. 

What Is EcoVadis? 

Founded in 2007, EcoVadis provides independent sustainability assessments for companies of all sizes and industries. However, the questions included are based on industry, location, and size. This means every questionnaire is unique to each company, and companies are only compared in rating to other, similar companies.  

Using a standardized methodology based on international frameworks such as UN Global Compact, ISO 26000, and GRI, EcoVadis evaluates a company’s performance across four key themes: 

• Environment: Climate strategy, resource usage, pollution control, waste management, product impact, environmental advocacy.. 

• Labor & Human Rights: Employee well-being, diversity & inclusion, fair labor practices, external stakeholder rights. 

• Ethics: Anti-corruption, fair competition, data privacy. 

• Sustainable Procurement: Responsible sourcing and supplier engagement. 

After completing a detailed questionnaire and providing documentation, companies receive a scorecard from 0 to 100, along with a medal ranking (Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum), based on their percentile ranking among industry peers. 

Companies can earn additional badges in the categories like “Fast Mover” or “Sector Leader” which call out various achievements beyond the medal ranking. 

Benefits of EcoVadis 

What motivates companies to obtain and renew EcoVadis scores? The advantages to being scored and continually improving are significant.  

Win & Keep Business: It’s increasingly common for procurement teams to require EcoVadis ratings as part of vendor qualification, and higher scores can boost your placement in supplier tiers. EcoVadis scores can improve bid visibility, and many of your existing customers view score improvement as proof of ESG commitment.  

Reduce Risk & Shore Up Compliance: EcoVadis provides insight into missing or outdated policies in ESG-related areas, and the documentation helps support compliance with existing and emerging laws.  

Boost Customer & Investor Confidence: A validated EcoVadis score is an excellent way to demonstrate credibility to stakeholders, and the transparency required may improve your brand’s reputation among customers and investors. Additionally, ESG-conscious investors appreciate clear-cut benchmarks that help evaluate long-term stability and potential risk. 

Foster Continuous Improvement: EcoVadis is designed to be cyclical rather than a one-time box to check. Your scorecard will reveal weaknesses and prioritize the most important areas for improvement. You can also measure your performance against industry peers and leaders, providing a path to strategic ESG planning. Because each reassessment builds on your past submissions, you’ll be able to demonstrate your commitment to long-term iterative improvement. 

Common EcoVadis Score Challenges 

While the benefits of obtaining an EcoVadis score are evident, properly preparing to score is far from simple. Here are four of the most common obstacles to achieving optimal scores. 

Documentation Gaps: EcoVadis relies on documentation provided by your company as proof of policies, actions, and reporting having been implemented. 
 Many companies have verbal practices, which don’t count if they’re not on the books. And even when companies do submit documentation, they may be missing things like training logs, audit reports, supplier communications, and other proof that the policies have been formally implemented. 

Supply Chain Clarity: Responsible procurement is heavily weighted in EcoVadis scoring. Having clear insight into the full supply chain’s sustainability and strong supplier engagement proven through questionnaires, codes of conduct, and monitoring strategy makes a real impact on scores. 

Data Quality: Many companies struggle with incomplete quantitative data like emissions, training hours, and waste. Lack of centralized tracking systems and inconsistent reporting also contribute to problematic data gaps. 

Scoring Momentum: Maintaining or improving your score year over year can be difficult. Progress requires deeper initiatives and KPIs, while EcoVadis methodology increases expectations as it’s updated every year and peers continuously improve their sustainability practices. Companies often don’t have dedicated sustainability roles, which can result in plateauing policies lack of improvement.  

Snaplinc’s EcoVadis Expertise 

As an approved EcoVadis Training Partner, Snaplinc is proud to lend our deep knowledge to companies looking to achieve an EcoVadis score. In 2025, 100% of our clients have either kept or improved their EcoVadis score and scored above their minimum customer or client request thanks to our dedicated experts.  

If you’re ready to take your ESG goals to the next level and get the competitive edge that comes with an EcoVadis certification, we’re ready to help you secure your rating. Contact us today to start your EcoVadis journey.