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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.
If you have questions about the EcoVadis questionnaire and how to complete it, we recommend that you read this article: I need to complete an EcoVadis questionnaire: how should I go about it?
From multinational corporations to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), every company is well aware that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become an essential criterion for evaluation. This assessment comes not only from consumers—both current and prospective customers—but also from suppliers, business and financial partners, shareholders, and government authorities. To standardize the various measurement methods and effectively compare companies with one another on a global scale, one certification has become indispensable: EcoVadis.
In addition to facilitating comparisons, EcoVadis certification helps you structure, assess, and improve your CSR efforts. It serves as a performance indicator that is essential for any organization seeking to demonstrate strong results in the following four areas: environment, social responsibility, ethics, and responsible procurement.
You now know how to prepare to complete an EcoVadis questionnaire. You’re also familiar with best practices for improving your EcoVadis score. Now it’s time to interpret the results with a view to continuously improving your corporate social responsibility.
What is EcoVadis?
A quick recap: The EcoVadis assessment begins with a customized questionnaire that forms the core of the process. You must support your responses to the EcoVadis questionnaire with supporting documents. But that’s not all. The CSR rating agency also uses a 360° monitoring process that includes information from more than 10,000 public sources, such as NGOs, the press, and labor unions. This monitoring helps verify the accuracy of the information provided and identify factors that could affect your score, whether positive or negative.
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. Questionnaire | 20 to 50 customized questions depending on sector and size |
| 2. Submission of Documents | Evidence of compliance with expected CSR practices |
| 3. 360° monitoring | Search for additional information from external sources |
| 4. Expert Analysis | Compilation and analysis of data by CSR experts |
How does the EcoVadis rating system work?
First, let’s clarify something: the EcoVadis rating isn’t just a score that’s assigned to you and that you can then display publicly. It’s also a thematic analysis that gives you a clear picture of your CSR performance.
Four key themes for a global assessment
Your EcoVadis assessment is based on the four main themes mentioned above :
| Main topics | Criteria examined |
|---|---|
| Environment | Waste management, CO2 emissions, use of natural resources |
| Social practices and human rights | Working conditions, non-discrimination, human rights |
| Ethics | Corruption, anti-competitive practices, transparency |
| Responsible Procurement | CSR Assessment of Suppliers |
Each of these areas is rated on a scale of 0 to 100. You are then given an overall score that summarizes your CSR performance. But don’t stop there. This score is just a milestone for what comes next.
Benchmarking: where do you stand?
Armed with this analysis report, you’ll know where you stand in relation to other companies in your sector. It’s not about competition, it’s about identifying opportunities for improvement. After all, benchmarking gives you the means to progress.
Trends in your business sector: anticipate for better performance
EcoVadis does more than just rate you. The assessment also includes an analysis of trends in your industry. It is supplemented by a review of risks and best practices in the sector. The report isn’t set in stone: it must be updated annually to ensure regular monitoring of improvements.
A stepping stone to improving your CSR practices
Now that you have a clear roadmap, you know which path to take to improve your scores and strengthen your corporate social responsibility. It starts with a customized corrective action plan. You identify the improvement measures to be undertaken, the priorities to be set and you can even track the progress of your practices over time.
Examples of corrective actions by theme
| Topics | Example of corrective action |
|---|---|
| Environment | Reducing carbon footprint through energy management |
| Social practices and human rights | Human rights training for employees |
| Ethics | Strengthening anti-corruption policies |
| Responsible Procurement | Selection of CSR-Certified Suppliers |
Communication, to share your actions
Continuous improvement is also a matter of communication. More and more companies are taking an interest in the CSR performance of their business partners. With the EcoVadis tool, you can share your progress with your customers, suppliers, and anyone else who requests it. No more repetitive and costly audits! A single EcoVadis assessment is all it takes to meet the information needs of multiple partners.
Source :https://support.ecovadis.com/
Continuous improvement case study: Hydrex International SAS
Hydrex International SAS is a company specializing in single-use medical devices. Its operations cover France, Switzerland, and Belgium, among other countries. In 2024, the company was awarded a gold medal for its performance in CSR. However, this success does not mean that everything is perfect. The EcoVadis assessment report highlights certain areas that require improvement.
One of the weaknesses identified was the lack of solid documentation detailing the company’s efforts or results in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). Here are some of the recommendations made to Hydrex in their assessment report:
- prepare annual reports on social data, equal pay and diversity;
- argue with KPIs such as the number of employees trained to prevent discrimination and harassment, or the percentage of women among employees;
- add an internal database as a benchmark for continuous monitoring of DE&I progress.
We are confident that by taking these steps, Hydrex will be able to improve its transparency and demonstrate its commitment to fostering a more equitable and inclusive work environment. This improvement process will enable the company to meet the standards of excellence required to earn the Platinum Medal, the highest distinction awarded by EcoVadis.
To conclude...
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.
