EcoVadis corrective action plan (CAP): how it works on the platform

The EcoVadis corrective action plan, in English the Corrective Action Plan (CAP), is the list of actions that belongs to your scorecard. Once a scorecard is published, each improvement point (for sustainability and for CO2) automatically receives the status “Not started”. This is where you track your progress. According to the explanation from EcoVadis , EcoVadis does not assess the content of those actions, and your current scorecard does not change because of them.

That last point matters. You only improve your score at a new assessment. With certain subscriptions, EcoVadis carries your updates in the CAP over to the matching answers in the questionnaire for the reassessment, so you do not start again from scratch. For how to approach this, see improving your EcoVadis score. This page shows how to fill in the action plan yourself, so that at the next assessment you can show what you have done.

How the corrective action plan is created

The CAP is linked to your scorecard. Each scorecard has improvement points per theme. On publication, the platform creates an action for each improvement point. You do not have to think these up yourself, but you do have to work them out.

The difference from a broader improvement plan is important. An improvement plan is your own overview of what you want to improve. The CAP is the list in the platform that is attached to your scorecard. Actions with a high priority in a theme or indicator with a lot of weight count for more than actions in a theme with little weight. You can use your improvement plan to fill in the CAP, but the CAP itself remains the source for the next assessment.

Component	Owner	What it contains
Improvement point on the scorecard	EcoVadis	The theme and the description of the missing element
Action in the CAP	You	What you will do, who does it, when, and with what evidence
Your own improvement plan	You	Internal planning, priorities and budget

How to fill in an action

An action is only useful if you can later show that you have carried it out. For each action, use the details below, either in the platform or in your own overview, so that an analyst or colleague can check it. The exact fields and status names in the platform may be worded differently.

Title. Name the missing thing, not the theme. “No sustainable procurement policy” is good. “Procurement” is too vague.

Action. Describe what you will do in one or two sentences. “Adopt a purchasing policy with environmental and social requirements and have the board sign it” is concrete.

Owner. One person, with their job title. A department is too vague.

Deadline. A date before your next assessment. Plan generously, because you also want to be able to upload and check the evidence.

Evidence. The document that shows the action, with date and version. Think of a signed policy, a signed code of conduct, a training report or a measurement report.

Status. Keep the status up to date: not started, in progress, completed. The starting status “Not started” is the default. Only set an action to completed once the evidence has been uploaded.

Setting an action to “completed” without evidence is the same as doing nothing. For each completed action, check that the document is on the platform, and that it meets the requirements in questionnaire and documents.

Example: an action plan for a transport company

A transport company with 120 employees has received three improvement points. The company fills in the CAP as follows.

Improvement point on scorecard	Action	Owner	Deadline	Evidence
No CO2 figures for all locations	Draw up a scope 1 and 2 footprint for all three locations	Operations manager	March	Footprint report with date and locations
No sustainable procurement policy	Adopt a purchasing policy with environmental and social requirements	Purchasing manager	February	Signed policy with version number
No whistleblower scheme	Draft, introduce and communicate a scheme	HR manager	April	Scheme plus intranet notice with date

Note the evidence. The footprint is a report that can be used a second time. The intranet notice shows that employees know about the scheme. This is how you build evidence that is directly usable at the reassessment.

For drawing up a CO2 footprint, you can use the explanation on calculating your CO2 footprint. That is a different standard, but the method for scope 1 and 2 is the same.

How do you update the CAP between two assessments?

The CAP is a living document. Update it regularly, so you do not start work only just before the deadline.

Every month. Go through the actions with their owners. Is the deadline approaching and is the evidence missing? Then set the action to in progress.
Every quarter. Upload new evidence and check that the files are legible and dated. For example, a scanned signature is not always sufficient.
Just before the reassessment. Check that each action is completed or has been explained. Do not set an action that is not completed to “completed” just to make it look better.

The CAP also helps with the next scorecard. If you have completed last year’s actions properly, you can quickly see at the next assessment which improvement points have disappeared.

Common mistakes in the CAP

Actions without an owner. If nobody is responsible, nothing happens. Give each action one name.

An action that is too broad. “Become more sustainable” is not an action. Make it concrete, with a document or measurement as the result.

Uploading evidence too late. You must have the evidence ready before the reassessment is completed. Plan the uploads in advance.

Keeping the CAP only in your own Excel list. Your own list is useful for internal use, but the platform is the source. Keep the status there as well.

Seeing the CAP as an exam. It is a working tool. If an action proves unachievable, it is better to explain why than to hide it.

How much time does the CAP take?

That depends on the number of improvement points and how much evidence you already have. With an assessment that has a handful of improvement points, it is usually a few hours a week, spread over a few months. With a first assessment that has many improvement points, it takes longer, because you have to set up policy, figures and documents at the same time. This is an estimate, not a fixed EcoVadis standard.

Checklist for your CAP

Does each improvement point have an action with an owner?
Is the deadline before your next assessment?
Is the evidence on the platform and dated?
Is the status up to date?
Do you have actions you will not meet, and is the reason noted?
Have you discussed the planning with the owners?