EcoVadis rating consulting for the score your customers require, on evidence that stands up to the analyst.

What it is

What is EcoVadis and what is it used for?

EcoVadis is a business sustainability ratings platform. A company registers, answers a questionnaire customised to its size, industry and the countries it operates in, uploads the documents that prove its answers, and receives a scorecard: an overall score from 0 to 100, a score for each of four themes, a percentile rank against every company rated in the previous twelve months, and a list of strengths and improvement areas. The rating measures the quality of the sustainability management system, through its policies, actions and results, not the sustainability of any product. EcoVadis reports more than 150,000 rated companies in 180 countries and describes its methodology as aligned with the UN Global Compact, GRI and ISO 26000.

Its main use is in procurement. Large buyers require a rating when onboarding new suppliers, score it in tenders, write it into contracts, consider it at ordering and monitor it year after year. Sector initiatives such as Together for Sustainability in chemicals or the Responsible Health Initiative in pharmaceuticals share one supplier scorecard among all their members, so one rating answers many customers.

Current methodology. EcoVadis applies its Sustainability Rating Methodology V10.0 from January 2026, with a Medals methodology (V2.0) and a Badges methodology (V1.0) from the same date. Since 2024 medals have been awarded on percentile rank rather than fixed score thresholds; the questionnaire changes as the methodology develops, and a reassessment follows whatever changes were introduced before it began. From 2 July 2026 the EU regulation on the transparency and integrity of ESG rating activities, Regulation (EU) 2024/3005, applies to ESG rating providers in the EU; EcoVadis states that it notified ESMA of its intention to apply for authorisation on 8 July 2026 and publishes a methodology disclosure document for each rating product. EcoVadis explained: themes, criteria, scoring and medals

Who it is for

Who needs an EcoVadis rating?

EcoVadis rates companies of every size, from extra-small to large, in more than 200 industries; the questionnaire is built for the company's profile, not for a minimum scale. Organisations come to Sterling for EcoVadis support from four starting points:

• A customer has made it a supplier requirement. Buyers require an EcoVadis rating for new suppliers, score it in tenders, write it into contracts and check it at ordering and review. The invitation arrives with a deadline, a required plan and sometimes a minimum score.
• A sector initiative has invited you. Members of initiatives such as Together for Sustainability or the Responsible Health Initiative share supplier scorecards, so one rating reaches every member, and one weak rating does too.
• The last scorecard was below the mark. The score missed a customer's threshold, a theme fell under 30 and blocked a medal, or last year's medal is out of reach under the percentile rules. The reassessment is due within twelve months and the improvement areas need owners, evidence and time.
• The board or an investor wants a recognised ESG benchmark. A rating with a percentile rank is quicker to obtain and easier to explain than a full sustainability report, and can sit beneath GRI or CSRD reporting later without redoing the work.

The benefit is retained customers, access to tenders that require a rating, and a management system that improves on a twelve-month rhythm. The score is decided by EcoVadis analysts on the evidence submitted, which is why the evidence, not the ambition, is where the work goes.

Business benefits

How an EcoVadis rating protects revenue and improves management

A rating pays for itself when it keeps a customer, wins a tender or replaces a dozen bespoke ESG questionnaires with one scorecard. We start from the customers that are asking, then build the evidence so the score reflects what the organisation actually does.

• Supplier status kept and tenders openedA scorecard that meets the requirements customers write into onboarding, RFP scoring and contracts, shared with unlimited trading partners under a Premium or higher plan.
• One answer to many questionnairesA single rating shared with every requesting company and every member of a sector initiative, instead of a different survey for each customer.
• A medal or badge you can displayWhere the score and theme minimums allow, a Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze medal, or a Committed or Fast Mover badge, valid for twelve months.
• A management system that actually improvesImprovement areas turned into a corrective action plan with owners and dates, visible to your customers, and closed before the reassessment.
• Certificates that count twiceISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001, ISO 37001 and similar certificates credited under the Certifications indicator, so the systems you already run lift the rating.
• Evidence ready for the next obligationPolicies, actions and indicators organised by theme and criterion that can feed GRI reporting, a CSRD value-chain request or an investor questionnaire.

Measure the programme by what it does for the business: customer requirements met, the trend in the overall and theme scores, corrective actions closed before reassessment. A medal is welcome; a lost customer over a missing policy is the outcome to avoid.

Themes, criteria and indicators

What does EcoVadis assess?

EcoVadis has no clauses to conform to. It assesses the adequacy and comprehensiveness of your sustainability management system against 21 criteria in four themes, activating only the criteria material to your industry, size and locations, and scores each active criterion through seven management indicators. The weights are those EcoVadis publishes in its methodology disclosure; each theme is weighted from 1 to 4 for its materiality to your industry.

The rating route

How do you get an EcoVadis rating?

There is no certification body and no audit visit. The company answers the questionnaire on the EcoVadis platform, uploads its evidence, and EcoVadis analysts score it; the scorecard is valid for twelve months and the cycle repeats. Sterling prepares the organisation and the evidence with you; the answers are yours and the score is EcoVadis's.

1. 01
   Confirm the scope, the plan and the deadline.Which entity, group or site is rated, who is asking and by when, which plan the customer expects, and which criteria will be active for your size, industry and countries.
2. 02
   Gap analysis: review the questionnaire against your evidence.The gap analysis walks every active criterion and indicator against your existing policies, actions, indicators and documents, estimates where the score stands and agrees actions, owners and dates.
3. 03
   Close the gaps that move the score.Policies approved with measurable objectives, measures in operation with dated evidence, indicators collected for the last period, supplier controls established, certificates and endorsements brought into the file.
4. 04
   Build the evidence file and answer the questionnaire.Each answer matched to the document that proves it, within the 55-document limit and the validity windows, and the submission reviewed before it goes.
5. 05
   Submit and follow the analysis.EcoVadis typically publishes results within six to eight weeks of submission; analyst queries are answered with you and the scorecard reading is prepared.
6. 06
   Read the scorecard, act and plan the next cycle.Strengths, improvement areas and any 360° Watch findings turned into the corrective action plan your customers can see, with the reassessment planned before the twelve months run out.

Check what is being sold, not only the price. Nobody can guarantee an EcoVadis score or a medal: analysts decide on the evidence, and medals depend on your percentile against every company rated in the previous twelve months. A provider promising Gold, or offering to write your policies for the questionnaire, is selling what EcoVadis states it does not credit. How to choose a credible EcoVadis consultant · The certification buyer's checklist

Cost

How much does an EcoVadis rating cost?

Two invoices exist and they should be kept apart: EcoVadis charges the rated company a subscription, priced by company size and plan, and Sterling charges a fixed consulting fee for the preparation. What we promise is a proposal in which every component is visible and nothing is added later.

Timeline

How long does an EcoVadis rating take?

From gap review to a published scorecard usually takes three to five months. Two clocks run: yours, to close the gaps and build the evidence file before the questionnaire deadline, and EcoVadis's, which typically takes six to eight weeks from submission to publication, shorter or longer depending on the company profile. A first rating with policies and indicators to create sits at the long end; a reassessment with a corrective action plan already worked sits at the short end.

If a customer's deadline or a tender date is fixed, share it at the start and we will say what is achievable and which gaps cannot be closed in time. The questionnaire deadline can be extended on request; the customer's patience usually cannot.

Challenges

Common EcoVadis rating challenges

Most disappointing scorecards trace back to five problems. Each has a practical answer.

Your engagement

What your EcoVadis engagement includes

Your agreed scope brings together everything a well-evidenced submission and a prepared management team need. Most firms fill in the questionnaire and leave when the scorecard arrives; a Sterling engagement covers the whole cycle under one all-inclusive proposal.

• Scope, gap analysis and implementation plan

  Every active criterion and indicator reviewed against your evidence, with an estimated position and a plan with owners and dates.

• Policies, procedures and documentation

  The policies, codes, procedures and records your system lacks, written on Sterling's own template sets, adapted to how you operate and approved by your management.

• Effivity ISO & GRC software

  Policies, actions, indicators, documents, supplier assessments and corrective actions run in Effivity from day one, included with the engagement at no additional cost.

• Training for everyone

  Internal auditor training for the people who will audit your sustainability management system, as applicable to your standard, and preferential Sterling Academy access, including complimentary awareness training for your people as part of the engagement.

• Evidence file and submission support

  Each answer matched to its document within the limit and validity rules, the submission reviewed before it goes, and analyst queries answered with you.

• Scorecard reading and next-cycle plan

  The scorecard read with your management, improvement areas turned into the corrective action plan your customers see, and the reassessment planned within the twelve months.

Scores, medals and badges are decided by EcoVadis on the evidence submitted; none is promised.

How we deliver

How Sterling supports your EcoVadis rating

Every EcoVadis engagement runs on Sterling OS™, our delivery operating system: five phases with named deliverables, decision owners and evidence at each stage. Pick the level of support your capacity allows; the method, the software and the accountability do not change.

1. 01
   Design™Guided preparation: your team closes the gaps and builds the evidence file with Sterling's structure, templates, workshops and coaching.
2. 02
   Drive™Fully managed preparation: Sterling consultants take on the agreed documentation, evidence assembly and submission support with your theme owners.
3. 03
   Sustain™After the scorecard: corrective actions tracked, indicators collected through the year, the annual reassessment prepared against the methodology in force, refreshers and new-hire training.
4. 04
   Automate™The management system running in Effivity: policies, actions, indicators, documents, supplier assessments, audits and corrective actions in one workspace.
5. 05
   Revise™Adoption of each EcoVadis methodology update and of each change in your customers' requirements, scope, sites or ownership.

Before work starts we agree the engagement team, the weekly session, the deliverables and the decision owners. Progress is reviewed against those commitments, so gaps show early, not at the questionnaire deadline.

Often combined with

Standards organisations pair with EcoVadis

• AA1000AA1000 implementation and requirements: apply the AccountAbility Principles and SES, then prepare for AA1000AS v3 assurance by a licensed provider.
• AEOAuthorised Economic Operator (AEO) readiness: what customs examines, who can apply and how Sterling prepares your controls and evidence for the customs visit.
• B Corp CertificationB Corp certification made clear: the new B Lab Standards, Foundation Requirements, seven Impact Topics, the audit route and how Sterling prepares you.
• BRCGS Storage and Distribution · Agents and BrokersBRCGS Storage and Distribution certification and Agents and Brokers: Issue 4 and Issue 3 requirements, scopes, audits and cost factors, with Sterling's support.
• C-TPATC-TPAT requirements and validation readiness for US importers and overseas suppliers: the Minimum Security Criteria, CBP's process and how Sterling helps.
• CBAMCBAM compliance and requirements explained: authorised declarant status, the 50-tonne threshold, verified embedded emissions and how Sterling helps you prepare.