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You need to obtain or improve your score Ecovadis ? Save time and secure your results: book a meeting to prepare your appraisal.
97% of clients of Mon Entreprise Durable say they have carried out their CSR projects without slowing down their business operations.
As you now know, earning the EcoVadis medal is like having a golden ticket that unlocks new business opportunities. In the B2C sector, consumers value initiatives related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In the B2B sector, your clients may be required to demonstrate their commitment to CSR, which in turn reflects on your own sustainability performance. That’s why it’s so important to aim for an excellent EcoVadis score.
This globally recognized certification stands out for its focus on the value chain: suppliers. That’s why it has become a must-have for boosting your competitiveness and opening doors to new markets and partnerships. Earning it is more than just a formality or a badge to proudly display on your website. It’s much more than that: it’s tangible recognition of your company’s commitment to CSR, which your customers can in turn value.
But how can you be sure to win that coveted medal—whether it’s bronze, silver, gold, or platinum? Here are five best practices to help you understand and improve your EcoVadis score.
1. Fully Understanding the EcoVadis Assessment Criteria
If you’re still wondering “What is EcoVadis?” or “How is the EcoVadis assessment conducted?”, then a quick recap is in order.
EcoVadis is a platform for assessing CSR performancethat rates companies across four major areas: the environment, social responsibility, ethics, and responsible procurement. These criteria are further broken down into 21 indicators, which provide a comprehensive and detailed overview of each company’s responsible practices. They are adjusted according to each organization’s size, industry, and location. Your final score is a weighted average, and based on this score, you could earn one of the prestigious EcoVadis medals.
| Medal level | Percentile rank | Overall score (indicative)* |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum | Top 1% of | 78 à 100 |
| Gold | Top 5 | 70 à 77 |
| Silver | Top 25 | 59 à 69 |
| Bronze | Top 50 | 50 à 58 |
* the overall score evolves according to the scores of the companies evaluated over the last 12 months. It tends to increase over the years.
Your first task, therefore, is to fully grasp these criteria and understand where you stand in relation to them. Carefully reviewing the EcoVadis questionnaire and assessment documents is a good place to start. Ask yourself the right questions:
- Where does your company stand in terms of environmental management and waste recycling?
- What policies have you put in place regarding equal opportunities and working conditions?
- Are you transparent about your supply chain?
Understanding these elements will help you better prepare for the next step: improving your score. Because the EcoVadis assessment isn’t just a bureaucratic exercise; it’s a true reflection of your social and environmental performance. This will help you identify the areas where you excel and those that need improvement. It’s a real boon that saves you precious time!
Source : https://ecovadis.com/
2. Implement robust and measurable CSR policies
To set your sights on the top spot, focus your efforts on strengthening your CSR policies. These policies must be robust—that is, well-defined, actionable, and measurable. This last point is important to remember: EcoVadis analysts won’t just read your documents; they’ll look for the real impact of your actions. That’s why you must link each document to concrete, quantifiable results that are, ideally, verifiable by third parties.
A common mistake is to write general policies that lack precision. Instead, define clear objectives, both qualitative and quantitative. For example, if you commit to reducing CO₂ emissions, define a percentage reduction over a given period and track your progress with performance indicators (KPIs).
Another mistake companies make is underestimating the importance of documentation in the EcoVadis assessment. For each criterion assessed, you will be asked to provide tangible evidence: internal policies, audit reports, certificates, etc. These documents must be authentic, reflect practices that have been in place for at least three months, and, above all, be relevant.
Take the time to review your internal policies, sustainability reports, codes of ethics, and all other relevant documents. Make sure they are up to date, complete, and aligned with international best practices. For example, if you have an environmental policy, does it comply with ISO 14001 standards? Are your ethical commitments clearly defined and backed by concrete actions?
Here are a few tips to help you prepare these documents efficiently:
- Centralize your information: create a shared folder where all relevant documents are stored. Make sure they’re up-to-date and easily accessible.
- Careful presentation: each document should mention your company’s name, logo, date of creation or revision, and a brief summary of actions taken.
- Highlight the results: the numbers speak for themselves. If you’ve managed to reduce your carbon footprint by 15% in two years, that’s the kind of information you absolutely must put forward.
3. Involve the entire company in the CSR initiative
Who is responsible for improving the EcoVadis score? Management? CSR managers? Yes, but not only them. It’s a collective effort that requires support from the entire company. To achieve this, train your teams.
Start by raising your employees’ awareness of CSR issues and the importance of EcoVadis certification. This can be done through training sessions, workshops, or regular internal communications. You can also appoint “CSR ambassadors” within each department to ensure that policies are clearly understood and implemented at all levels.
On another note, involving your suppliers is just as important. Responsible procurement accounts for 20% of your total score. You can easily boost this score by choosing business partners who adhere to the same CSR standards as you. Working closely with them to improve their own performance can have a direct impact on your rating.
4. Continuously monitor and evaluate CSR initiatives
While your good intentions are commendable, they are not enough. Above all, you have to prove that you put them into practice, bearing in mind that measurable results count for 35% of your final score.
So, what should you actually do? Use management and reporting systems to continuously evaluate your CSR policies. Establish specific KPIs to track your performance and quantify the actual impact of your actions.
For example, if you have implemented a policy to improve employee health and safety, regularly monitor accident rates or absenteeism. This monitoring should be documented and presented at your appraisal to show that your actions are having a tangible effect, as in this key performance indicator chart :
| CSR Area | Example of KPI | Period of validity |
|---|---|---|
| Environment | Reducing CO₂ emissions | 2 years old |
| Occupational health and safety | Work-related accident rate | 2 years |
| Responsible purchasing | Proportion of suppliers with CSR certification | 2 years |
Continually monitor these indicators to adjust your strategies in real time to stay on track.
5. Put Yourself in the Shoes of EcoVadis Analysts
Put yourself in the shoes of the EcoVadis analysts who will evaluate your questionnaire and make a decision on your application. How do you do it? By carrying out your own self-assessment. Periodically, take a step back from your practices and identify your weak points before they are detected by others. Here are a few questions to ask yourself during your self-assessment:
- CSR Policy: Is our CSR policy well-documented and aligned with international standards such as ISO 26000?
- Actions: do we have concrete actions in place for each of the themes assessed (environment, social, ethics, responsible purchasing)?
- Results: can we prove the effectiveness of our actions with clear performance indicators and measurable results?
Use this self-assessment to make adjustments before submitting your official application. You’ll gain peace of mind and increase your chances of winning a high medal.
After each EcoVadis assessment, you’ll receive detailed feedback on your company’s strengths and areas for improvement. This feedback is a goldmine for understanding where you stand compared to your peers and what you can do to move forward. Take the time to analyze these results in depth. Identify the areas where you can still improve and define new actions to continue improving your score.
Case study: ALD Automotive and its move to platinum
Let’s take the example of ALD Automotive, a company that has earned a gold medal for four consecutive years and has been awarded the EcoVadis platinum medal in 2023. How did they do it?
ALD Automotive has implemented a robust CSR strategy focused on clear and measurable objectives, particularly in the environmental area. One of the highlights of their approach was a 10% improvement in the environmental category, which was decisive in moving from gold to platinum. They also successfully engaged the entire company in this process, which led to significant results across all evaluated categories. This effort paid off, enabling the Swiss company to rank among the top 1% of companies audited worldwide.
What is particularly interesting about their approach is their ability to innovate and continuously improve. Even after winning a gold medal, ALD’s leaders did not let up in their efforts; on the contrary, they sought to push their limits even further. This case clearly demonstrates that the EcoVadis assessment is not an end in itself, but rather a continuous process of improvement.
To conclude...
Since we’re talking about medals, let’s wrap up with an Olympic reference. Improving your EcoVadis score isn’t a sprint—it’s a marathon. It’s a long-term effort that requires commitment, discipline, and a long-term vision. But it’s worth the effort. By achieving a good score, you strengthen your credibility with your partners and customers while also contributing to a more sustainable future.
So don’t settle for just a medal—aim for excellence. With the best practices we’ve discussed here, you have everything you need to ace your EcoVadis assessment. Now it’s up to you to take action and turn your CSR commitment into a competitive advantage.
Your goal is to obtain the EcoEntreprise certification? Put your trust in a company that has been through the same programme. We also support you with the standards B Corpand CSRD and EcoVadis.
