Two-minute brief
EcoVadis rating criteria explained: video brief
A two-minute brief on what EcoVadis assesses and how a rating is scored.
Key takeaways
- EcoVadis assesses 21 criteria in four themes, activated by materiality.
- Seven management indicators cover policies, actions and results.
- Themes are weighted from 1 to 4 for each industry.
- Scorecards show an overall score out of 100 and a percentile rank.
- Medals are recognitions valid for 12 months, not certifications.
Twenty-one criteria in four themes
EcoVadis has no clauses to conform to. It assesses the adequacy and comprehensiveness of a sustainability management system against 21 criteria in four themes, activating only the criteria material to the company's industry, size and locations, and scores each active criterion through seven management indicators. This short film shows how that works.
The Environment theme has nine criteria, from energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, water, biodiversity and air pollution to materials, chemicals and waste, product use and end-of-life, customer health and safety, and environmental services and advocacy. The other three themes are Labour and Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. Each theme is weighted from 1 to 4 for its materiality to the company's industry, as EcoVadis publishes in its methodology disclosure.
Indicators, scorecards and recognitions
The seven management indicators look at policies, actions and results: whether commitments are written, whether they are put into practice and whether outcomes are measured and reported. Evidence therefore matters more than description. Typical evidence includes policies with quantified objectives, data with targets, controls and procedures, reported indicators and recognised certificates where the company holds them.
The scorecard gives an overall score from 0 to 100, a score per theme, a percentile rank against companies rated in the previous twelve months and the strengths and improvement areas found. Medals and badges are awarded under their own methodologies, with medals based on percentile rank since 2024; they are recognitions of management system performance, valid for 12 months, and EcoVadis states they are not certifications or product labels. The current Sustainability Rating Methodology is version 10.0, applicable from January 2026.
The questionnaire activates the criteria material to the company's industry, size and locations, drawn from 21 criteria across the four themes. Documents must show the company's name or logo and an issue or review date, and EcoVadis states it will not credit documents created solely for the questionnaire. Valid certifications, labels and third-party audits are scored under the Certifications indicator, but a certificate does not replace the policy and action evidence. A trading partner can request a reassessment before expiry, and a company can start one itself once new evidence exists.
EcoVadis at a glance
- Purpose
- An independent, evidence-based rating of how well your organisation manages sustainability across Environment, Labour & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement, as a score out of 100 that customers use in supplier decisions
- Relevant to
- Suppliers asked for a rating by a customer, a sector initiative or a tender, and any organisation that wants a recognised sustainability benchmark without a full reporting obligation
- Edition
- Sustainability Rating Methodology V10.0, applicable from January 2026, with a Medals methodology (V2.0) and a Badges methodology (V1.0) from the same date; medals awarded on percentile rank since 2024
- Certification
- None. EcoVadis publishes a scorecard, and a medal or badge where earned: recognitions of management-system performance, valid for 12 months, which EcoVadis states are not certifications or product labels
- Sterling's role
- Gap review of the questionnaire against your evidence, policies, actions and KPIs closed to the standard analysts credit, submission support, the next-cycle improvement plan, then Sustain™
- Cost and timing
- Total investment for an EcoVadis rating programme depends on the current maturity of your processes, the scope, locations and number of employees. The process typically takes 3 to 5 months
EcoVadis: questions people ask
Is an EcoVadis rating a certification?
No. EcoVadis rates the quality of your sustainability management system on a 0 to 100 scale from the evidence you submit, and awards medals and badges to companies in the top percentiles. EcoVadis states that medals and badges are not certifications or product labels, do not mean that a company's products or services are sustainable and are not an endorsement by EcoVadis. A certificate is an accredited certification body's decision that a system conforms to a standard; it counts as evidence in the rating, but the two are different things.
How is the EcoVadis score calculated?
Your questionnaire activates the criteria material to your industry, size and locations, drawn from the 21 criteria in the four themes. Each active criterion is scored through seven management indicators with the weights EcoVadis publishes: policies 20 per cent, endorsements 5 per cent, actions 40 per cent (measures and certifications, scaled by coverage for companies of 1,000 or more employees), reporting 14 per cent and the 360° Watch 21 per cent. Theme scores are weighted from 1 to 4 for materiality to your industry, and EcoVadis labels the overall score Insufficient (0 to 24), Partial (25 to 44), Good (45 to 64), Advanced (65 to 84) or Outstanding (85 to 100).
What score do we need for a medal?
Since 2024 there is no fixed score. Medals go to the top 1 per cent (Platinum), 5 per cent (Gold), 15 per cent (Silver) and 35 per cent (Bronze) of companies rated in the previous twelve months, calculated at publication, and a company whose score in any theme is below 30 is not eligible. Below medal level, the Committed badge needs an overall score of at least 45 and the Fast Mover badge a score of 34 to 44 with at least a six-point improvement on the previous assessment within 18 months.
How long is an EcoVadis rating valid?
Twelve months from the publication date, and the same for any medal or badge. A trading partner can request a reassessment up to three months before expiry or once the scorecard has expired, and you can start one yourself if a customer's requirement was missed or new evidence exists. Each reassessment produces a new scorecard with a new publication date.
Which documents does EcoVadis accept?
Documents that show the company's name or logo and an issue or review date, sit within the validity windows (eight years for policies and actions, two years for reported indicators) and fit within the limit of 55 documents per assessment. EcoVadis states it will not credit documents created solely for the questionnaire, material copied from another organisation, informal or undated files, or evidence behind an embedded link.
Keep exploring
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