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Quick answer: EcoVadis is a sustainability ratings platform. Companies use it to check how well their suppliers manage environmental, social and ethical issues. Each rated company gets a score out of 100, and the highest scorers can earn a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum medal. Most businesses come across EcoVadis when a customer asks them to complete an assessment, often with a deadline attached. This guide explains who needs a rating, how scores and medals work, how long the process takes, what it costs, how carbon data fits in, and how EcoVadis compares with CDP.
What Is EcoVadis?
EcoVadis is a sustainability ratings provider founded in Paris in 2007 that assesses how well companies manage their environmental, social and ethical impacts. More than 150,000 companies have been rated through its platform, across over 180 countries.
To receive a rating, a company completes a questionnaire tailored to its industry, size and location. EcoVadis analysts assess the answers and award a score from 0 to 100 across four themes: Environment, Labour & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement.
The EcoVadis rating is evidence-based. Companies submit supporting documents, such as policies, certificates and reports, which analysts assess against EcoVadis’ published methodology. EcoVadis also screens external sources, including news reports, NGO publications and other public information, through a feature called 360° Watch. The resulting scorecard outlines a company’s sustainability performance, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. Companies can share their scorecards with customers through the EcoVadis network, helping them respond to sustainability assessments without starting from scratch each time.
Is EcoVadis a certification?
No. Although “EcoVadis certification” is a common search term, EcoVadis provides a sustainability rating, not a certification. EcoVadis confirms that its medals and badges are not certifications or product labels. A certification such as ISO 14001 assesses whether an organisation meets the requirements of a defined standard. An EcoVadis rating assesses the quality of a company's sustainability management system, including how well it identifies and manages relevant risks and impacts, and how its performance compares with other rated companies.
EcoVadis ratings are also subject to new EU transparency and regulatory requirements. The EU's ESG Ratings Regulation began applying on 2 July 2026. EcoVadis notified the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) of its intention to apply for authorisation in July 2026, with the authorisation process expected to conclude around May 2027. EcoVadis has also published detailed disclosures about its rating methodology and governance in its Trust Center.
Who Needs an EcoVadis Rating?
There is no general legal requirement for a company to have an EcoVadis rating, and EcoVadis confirms that companies can decline an assessment. In practice, however, a customer may make it a condition of working with them. Large buyers use EcoVadis to assess suppliers when onboarding them, evaluating tenders, setting contract conditions and reviewing supplier performance.
Some buyers give the rating significant weight. Italian utility A2A, for example, states on the EcoVadis website that its rating accounts for 30% of its overall vendor rating. Procter & Gamble also asks suppliers to complete EcoVadis assessments, as we explain in our guide to P&G supplier requirements.
Most companies first encounter EcoVadis through an invitation from a customer, but you can also register directly and share your scorecard proactively. Before registering, check the required assessment scope with your customer. EcoVadis offers group, entity and site-level assessments, and the right option depends on which part of your business the customer wants to assess.
How Does the EcoVadis Rating Work?
EcoVadis scores the quality of your management system, using a methodology now at version 10.0. Here is how the score is built.
The four themes and 21 criteria
EcoVadis only activates the criteria that are material to your industry, size and countries of operation. Your Industry Risk Profile on the platform shows which apply. Each theme is also weighted from 1 to 4 by materiality, so two companies with identical theme scores can end up with different overall scores.
Policies, actions and results
Each theme is scored on seven management indicators, combined with these weights:
Actions carry the most weight, so a policy with no evidence of implementation scores poorly.
Adjustments for size and location
EcoVadis adjusts its scoring to account for company size and country risk. The scoring approach varies by employee band, and company size can affect both the weighting of indicators and the final score.
For a growing business, moving into a larger employee band can change how its sustainability management system is assessed. This means the same evidence may not produce the same score as a company grows.
What the scores mean
What Are the EcoVadis Medals?
EcoVadis medals rank you against every company it rated in the previous 12 months, across all industries, not just your own (EcoVadis Help Center).
A high overall score doesn't automatically guarantee a medal. Companies must also score at least 30 in each of the four themes and meet EcoVadis' other eligibility criteria, including checks for serious negative findings through 360° Watch. Certain activities, such as controversial weapons, tobacco manufacturing and coal mining, can also make a company ineligible for a medal.
What score do you need for EcoVadis Silver, Gold or Platinum?
There is no fixed score required for an EcoVadis medal. Since 2024, medals have been awarded based on percentile ranking: Platinum for the top 1%, Gold for the top 5%, Silver for the top 15% and Bronze for the top 35% of rated companies. These thresholds can shift as other companies are assessed and improve their performance, so maintaining the same score doesn't guarantee you'll keep your medal. Your percentile rank appears at the top of your scorecard, showing how your performance compares with other rated companies.
What are EcoVadis badges?
Companies that don't receive a medal may qualify for an EcoVadis badge. The Committed badge requires an overall score of at least 45, while the Fast Mover badge requires a score of 34-44 and an improvement of at least 6 points compared with the previous assessment, within an 18-month period.
Medals and badges are valid for 12 months and apply only to the assessed entity, not automatically to its parent company or subsidiaries. To share your recognition externally, you need an active Premium, Select or Corporate subscription and must include a link to your EcoVadis Recognition Page. Check the latest EcoVadis guidance before displaying a medal or badge publicly, as new EU rules may affect consumer-facing uses.
Why Do EcoVadis Ratings Matter?
For many suppliers, an EcoVadis rating matters because customers use it to inform purchasing decisions. A low or missing rating could affect your tender score, delay onboarding or count against you during a contract renewal, depending on the customer's requirements.
A rating can also bring wider benefits:
- One assessment, multiple customers: Share your scorecard with different customers through the EcoVadis network, reducing the need to start from scratch for every request.
- A practical improvement plan: Identify strengths and prioritised areas for improvement to help guide your sustainability work.
- A benchmark: Your percentile rank shows how your performance compares with other rated companies.
It's important to understand the rating's limitations, too. EcoVadis assesses the quality of a company's sustainability management system based on the evidence available at the time of assessment. It is not a comprehensive assessment of a company's overall financial or business risk.
How Does the EcoVadis Assessment Process Work?
The EcoVadis assessment has four stages. Once you submit your questionnaire, results typically take 6 to 8 weeks.
Two things are worth planning for. First, most of the time goes on evidence, not the questionnaire: if you do not yet have the policies, KPIs or carbon footprint EcoVadis asks for, creating them takes far longer than filling in the form. Second, publication typically takes 6 to 8 weeks after submission, and timelines can vary during busy periods like year-end. Select subscribers can access priority assessment.
Companies usually reassess when their 12 months are up, and eligible documents can be carried forward, which can make the second assessment quicker than the first.
How Is Carbon Assessed in EcoVadis?
Carbon is assessed in two ways: through the Energy Consumption & Greenhouse Gas Emissions criterion in the main EcoVadis Sustainability Rating, and through a separate EcoVadis Carbon Rating.
Carbon in the main EcoVadis rating
Where this criterion applies, EcoVadis assesses evidence of how a company manages its energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This can include reduction targets, energy efficiency measures and reported emissions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3.
Data quality matters. For reporting on energy and GHG metrics, supporting evidence must cover at least 95% of the assessed scope to be accepted. EcoVadis also evaluates the reliability of emissions data, including whether it is supported by documentation, follows accounting best practice and has been independently verified.
The EcoVadis Carbon Rating
The EcoVadis Carbon Rating is a separate assessment focused on how companies manage their GHG emissions. It can be requested by buyers and is available to eligible companies with 26 or more employees, subject to industry exclusions. Although carbon-related questions may be included in the same assessment process, EcoVadis states that the Carbon Rating is independent of the main Sustainability Rating.
The Carbon Rating assesses three areas: commitments, actions and reporting. Reporting accounts for 50% of the result, while commitments and actions each account for 25%.
The Carbon Rating follows the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, covers all 15 Scope 3 categories, and also accepts inventories prepared to ISO 14064.
What this means for your carbon data
A reliable, well-documented carbon footprint can support both assessments, but their specific requirements differ. For the main Sustainability Rating, relevant evidence includes emissions data covering the assessed scope, reduction targets and actions to manage energy use and GHG emissions. For the Carbon Rating, EcoVadis also assesses the quality of emissions monitoring and reporting, the actions taken to reduce emissions, and the credibility of reduction commitments.
Using activity data where available can improve the accuracy of your footprint and help you track emissions changes year on year. Independent verification and science-based targets can strengthen your carbon management approach, with a validated science-based target required for the Carbon Rating’s Leader level.
How Do You Get a Good EcoVadis Score?
A good EcoVadis score depends on evidence, not just the answers you provide. Four steps can help you prepare for the assessment:
- Check your Industry Risk Profile. This shows which sustainability criteria apply to your business and their relative importance in your assessment.
- Provide suitable supporting evidence. Documents should be formal, credible, relevant to the assessed entity and linked to the appropriate criteria. EcoVadis accepts policy and action-related documents up to eight years old, while KPI reports must be no older than two years.
- Show that policies are put into practice. Written commitments are only part of the picture. Provide evidence of the measures you have implemented and the results you are tracking. Actions carry substantial weight in the standard scoring methodology, although the weighting can vary for some smaller companies.
- Address all four themes. A score below 30 in any theme makes you ineligible for a medal. Don't overlook Sustainable Procurement, which assesses how you manage sustainability risks in your supply chain, including your suppliers' environmental and social practices.
For more practical advice, read our guide on how to improve your EcoVadis score, or compare your options in our round-up of the best EcoVadis consultants.
How Much Does EcoVadis Cost?
EcoVadis charges companies an annual subscription fee to complete a sustainability assessment and access their scorecard. The price depends on company size (XS: up to 25 employees; S: 26 to 99; M: 100 to 999; L: 1,000 or more), location, subscription length (one or three years) and plan. You can estimate the cost using the calculator on the EcoVadis Plans & Pricing page.
Fees are not linked to your score or medal. Paying for a higher-tier plan gives you access to additional features and support, not a better rating.
If you need to display your medal on your website or use it in tenders, you'll need Premium or above, and you must follow EcoVadis' rules for external use. This includes linking to your EcoVadis Recognition Page. Eligibility for a medal is not guaranteed.
It's also worth budgeting for the work needed to prepare your evidence, including staff time, relevant certifications and a carbon footprint. That work can support other requirements too, including B Corp, CDP and customer sustainability questionnaires.
EcoVadis vs CDP: What Is the Difference?
EcoVadis assesses how well a company manages sustainability across environmental, social and ethical themes. CDP is a global non-profit that runs an environmental disclosure system, with scoring for climate change, forests and water security where applicable.
One cannot stand in for the other. If a customer has sent you an EcoVadis assessment invitation, a CDP response will not satisfy that request.
The two do share some foundations, particularly when it comes to carbon reporting. A reliable GHG Protocol-aligned footprint, emissions reduction targets and well-documented data can support both processes. Third-party verification can add confidence in your emissions data, although the specific requirements differ between assessments.
Our CDP reporting guide explains the CDP process in more detail.
How Can Seedling Help With EcoVadis?
Seedling helps with the carbon evidence behind your rating: the energy and GHG criterion in the Environment theme, and the Carbon Rating. We are carbon specialists, so we do not complete the Labour & Human Rights, Ethics or Sustainable Procurement sections. If you need help across all four themes, our comparison of EcoVadis consultants sets out the options.
Seedling pairs carbon management software with a dedicated carbon expert, who helps you:
- Measure a full-scope footprint across Scopes 1, 2 and 3, in line with the GHG Protocol and covering your whole assessed scope, using activity data rather than spend alone
- Collect supplier emissions data through our supplier engagement tool, helping improve the primary data available for your Scope 3 calculations
- Set SBTi-aligned Net Zero targets and build a quantified reduction plan, with an SBTi Certified Expert on our team
- Arrange independent verification of your emissions data through our ISO 14064 verification service
- Publish your data on a shareable impact page, with supporting reports you can use as evidence where relevant
The same data is then ready to reuse for next year's reassessment, CDP, B Corp and client requests. If a customer has asked you to complete EcoVadis, book a demo and we will show you how the platform maps to the carbon questions.