What is EcoVadis?

EcoVadis is an international sustainability assessment for companies. EcoVadis analysts review your answers to an online questionnaire and the documents you upload, and give you a score from 0 to 100 on four themes: environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. If you score well compared with other companies, you receive a medal. The method is set out in the public EcoVadis methodology .

Usually you do not apply for EcoVadis yourself. A large client asks for it, because it wants to know how sustainably its suppliers operate. You may already know this from tenders for the CO2 Performance Ladder, or from clients who ask for ISO 14001. EcoVadis is broader: it also looks at personnel, integrity and your own purchasing.

EcoVadis in brief

Why do clients ask for EcoVadis?

Large companies want to know what happens in their supply chain. They increasingly have to report on the emissions and working conditions of their suppliers. Checking hundreds of suppliers yourself is not practical, so they have an external party assess them. EcoVadis says it has assessed more than 150,000 companies.

An example. A metal company with 60 employees supplies parts to an international machine builder. The buyer sends an invitation through the EcoVadis platform with the request: “Please provide a scorecard within three months.” Anyone who does not do so receives fewer points in the supplier assessment. To see how this connects with the European reporting rules, read EcoVadis and CSRD.

How does an EcoVadis assessment work?

You choose a subscription, and EcoVadis puts together a questionnaire that fits your sector, size and country. For each question you upload evidence: policies, procedures, reports and certificates. Only what you support with a document counts. Which evidence is needed for each theme is set out on questionnaire and documents.

After that, an EcoVadis analyst reviews your file. They also look at what is publicly known about you externally, such as news reports and sanctions. You receive a scorecard with strengths and areas for improvement. You then work towards a higher score at the next assessment, see improving your score.

Everything about EcoVadis at a glance

Below you will find the pages for each question. Start with the score if a client asks for a medal. Start with the questionnaire if you are preparing the assessment.

EcoVadis alongside other quality marks

EcoVadis does not replace a certificate, but it does use them. A valid ISO 14001 or ISO 45001 certificate from an accredited body earns points. If you also work for the government, the CO2 Performance Ladder and the PSO Performance Ladder are often more important in tenders.

Sources

• EcoVadis - Sustainability Rating methodology (2026) 
• EcoVadis - Medals and badges 
• EcoVadis - Subscriptions and pricing 
• EcoVadis - EU ESG rating rules (ESMA)