As expectations around sustainability grow, so does skepticism. Investors, customers, and partners are no longer content with lofty ESG claims — they want evidence. That’s why third-party assessments like EcoVadis are gaining traction across industries.

EcoVadis has now rated over 130,000 companies across 180 countries. A strong score signals credible ESG performance and can improve business value by boosting transparency and trust. This guide walks you through how EcoVadis works and how your team can prepare for a confident, well-supported disclosure.

How the EcoVadis Process Works

EcoVadis focuses on supply chain transparency and ESG performance. Though voluntary, assessments are often prompted by customer requests. The process includes four key stages:

1. Registration and Questionnaire
   After signing up, you’ll receive a tailored questionnaire based on your industry and size. Supporting documentation is critical — your responses are evaluated largely based on what you submit.

2. Expert Review
   EcoVadis analysts evaluate your materials and also conduct a “360 Watch,” which monitors over 100,000 public sources (like media and NGOs) for any external ESG-related issues tied to your company.

3. Scoring
   Your company receives a scorecard (0–100) with a breakdown across four ESG categories. You may also earn a medal — bronze, silver, gold, or platinum — based on your performance.

4. Opportunities for Improvement
   You’ll receive feedback to guide future action. Many companies opt for reassessment to improve scores and demonstrate continuous improvement.

What EcoVadis Evaluates

• Environment: Includes emissions, energy use, water and biodiversity, and waste management. Scope 1–3 emissions data must be well-documented and methodologically sound.

• Labor & Human Rights: Assesses working conditions, diversity, and due diligence on human rights risks like child labor or trafficking.

• Ethics: Covers anti-corruption, fair competition, and data privacy. Active implementation of policies — not just their existence — is essential.

• Sustainable Procurement: Looks at how CSR principles are embedded in your supply chain. Strong practices include supplier engagement and lifecycle analysis.

Providing accurate, current documentation across all categories is crucial to a strong result.

Tips for a Successful Assessment

Your exact questions won’t be visible until you’re inside the EcoVadis platform, but your team can still prepare. Focus on:

• Documentation: Provide timely, official materials — outdated or informal files can lower your score.

• Transparency: It’s better to disclose slow progress than to withhold data entirely.

• Results, not just policies: Metrics and verified outcomes are more valuable than high-level commitments.

Why ESG Reporting Software Makes a Difference

Because EcoVadis emphasizes documentation, transparency, and traceability, ESG reporting software is a powerful tool for streamlining and strengthening your submission.

Here’s what to look for in a platform like LoneReport:

• Clarity & Traceability: You should be able to see exactly how emissions figures were calculated — including the methodologies, frameworks, and data sources used.

• Data Ownership: Full control over your data means you can easily explain year-over-year changes and defend your assumptions.

• Adaptability: Your reporting tool should support multiple frameworks (like CDP, CSRD, SB 253), giving you flexibility to tailor outputs to different stakeholder requests.

• Scalability: ESG reporting needs grow over time. A centralized system helps you scale while maintaining consistency, audit-readiness, and stakeholder confidence.

With LoneReport, ESG teams can generate accurate, framework-specific reports and prepare EcoVadis submissions backed by solid data — without scrambling to pull from multiple systems.

Turning Your Score into Business Value

A high EcoVadis rating can differentiate your company in competitive markets, reduce reputational risk, and strengthen trust with investors and customers. But the real value comes from the quality of your underlying data.

By investing in transparent ESG reporting practices and the right tools to support them, your team can meet today’s disclosure expectations and build long-term resilience.