EcoVadis: Obtain a Good ESG Rating When a Major Client Requires It

Quick answer. EcoVadis is a corporate responsibility assessment platform that rates suppliers on 100 points across 4 themes (Environment, Labour & Human Rights, Ethics, Responsible Procurement). Companies reaching at least 30 points per theme and ranking in the top percentiles receive a medal (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum). The questionnaire is customized by sector and size, the assessment takes several weeks, and every answer must be backed by documents. It has become a common requirement for being approved as a supplier to large corporations.

Since 2023, EcoVadis assessment requests have multiplied. Three drivers explain this.

1. The French Duty of Care law (law no. 2017-399). Since 27 March 2017, French companies with more than 5,000 employees (or 10,000 worldwide) must establish a vigilance plan covering their subsidiaries, subcontractors and suppliers with which an established commercial relationship is maintained. The plan maps social, environmental and governance risks. EcoVadis has become the tool to delegate this assessment while keeping an audit trail.

2. The CSRD directive and sustainability reporting. Directive (EU) 2022/2464 requires large companies to report under the ESRS standards, including mapping the value chain's impact. Major clients therefore collect their suppliers' EcoVadis ratings to feed their own report.

3. Responsible procurement as a market standard. The ISO 20400 standard and large companies' sustainable sourcing policies now include an EcoVadis clause. For an industrial or services SME, it is often an implicit condition for accessing tenders.

The 4 evaluation themes#

EcoVadis structures its questionnaire around four pillars, subdivided into criteria tailored to your sector, size and operating regions.

The scoring system#

Your overall score is a rating out of 100, distributed across the four themes using a weighting that depends on your sector and size. To aim for a medal, you must reach, under the current EcoVadis rules, at least 30 points in each of the four themes: any theme below that blocks the medal, whatever the others.

Illustrative example. An SME performs well across the four themes; its overall score, weighted by sector and size, then sits around 70 out of 100. The exact weighting depends on your profile, which is why two companies with the same raw theme scores can end up with a different overall score.

Medals and percentiles#

EcoVadis awards medals not on fixed point thresholds but on your percentile ranking among companies assessed worldwide over the past twelve months. According to the official documentation, the distribution is:

• Bronze: from the 65th percentile (roughly the top third)
• Silver: from the 85th percentile
• Gold: from the 95th percentile
• Platinum: from the 99th percentile

The points needed for a medal therefore shift over time: as the assessed-company base grows, the thresholds move.

1. Register and create your profile#

Access the EcoVadis portal and provide your sector, headcount, revenue and main operating regions. This step is free and quick; a file is opened for you.

2. Map your evidence to each theme#

EcoVadis works on an evidence basis: every claim must be backed by supporting proof. Prepare, by theme:

• Environment: carbon footprint, energy invoices, ISO 14001 certificate, sorting data.
• Labour: aggregated payroll items, ESG indicators, gender equality index results, URSSAF certificates, training plan.
• Ethics: code of conduct, anti-corruption policy, GDPR compliance, cybersecurity policy.
• Responsible Procurement: ESG clauses in contracts, supplier audits, diversification policy.

3. Complete the customized questionnaire#

EcoVadis sends a questionnaire tailored to your profile, mixing compliance questions (yes/no with attachment) and numerical performance questions. A few principles:

• Answer thoroughly; a vague answer earns little.
• Attach official documents (reports, certificates, attestations).
• If a data point does not exist, say so rather than invent it: an omission costs points, a false claim costs trust.

4. Submit and await expert review#

When the file is complete, an independent expert panel checks the consistency between your answers and your documents, assesses process maturity and applies external monitoring (media, NGOs, litigation). This review takes several weeks: anticipate if a client has set a deadline.

5. Receive the score and plan improvements#

You receive a report with the overall score, the theme breakdown, your percentile, any medal and recommendations. The score is valid for twelve months; a reassessment is possible afterwards, once corrective actions are taken.

Micro-enterprises (10 employees or fewer). Assessment is possible but the effort-to-benefit ratio is low, unless a client explicitly requires it. The absence of formal structures limits scoring opportunities.

Industrial subcontracting SMEs. A classic, well-supported case: expectations focus on compliance (ISO 9001, ISO 14001), working conditions and payment-term discipline.

First assessment or reassessment. The first is the most time-consuming, as data must be reconstructed. Later ones are faster if you have improved documentation continuously.

Multi-site or group. EcoVadis can assess a single entity or the whole group. Clarify with your contact the perimeter your client expects.

• EcoVadis is not an official certification: it is a private rating, though widely recognized as a de facto standard.
• Percentiles change: a medal earned at a given date reflects the ranking at that time; a client demanding "this medal by this date" sometimes creates needless pressure.
• The cost is not negligible: a first assessment carries a platform fee, plus the internal resources to assemble the file.
• Score confidentiality: only you see the detailed report; your client sees only the medal and percentile you choose to share.
• Requests are spreading: with the CSRD and responsible procurement, even a 50-employee SME can be asked. Anticipate rather than react to a deadline.

EcoVadis has become widespread among suppliers to French or European groups. As a French chartered accountant registered with the Ordre des experts-comptables, we help these suppliers prepare their non-financial assessment. The difficulty rarely lies in the questionnaire itself, which is clear and well designed, but in mobilizing internal teams to assemble the evidence.

We supported a 60-employee industrial SME whose main client, a listed group, required a Silver medal before renewing the contract, with a four-month deadline. At the initial audit, payroll was well structured but environmental reporting was limited to energy invoices. Reconstructing a carbon footprint (scopes 1, 2 and an estimate of scope 3) took external consulting and several weeks of internal work. Securing the medal locked in the contract for three years. The decisive factor was lead time: without anticipation, the file would have been rushed and the score disappointing.

Hayot Expertise advice. If a client mandates EcoVadis, treat it as an investment, not a burden. Use the assessment to understand your own footprint. We help SMEs and mid-caps in the preparation phase, especially collecting environmental and social data. Beyond EcoVadis, this effort fits a broader logic of ESG obligations and ESG reporting, which we support through our ESG and CSRD support offering and our firm's accountancy expertise.