How to Improve Your EcoVadis Score: A Practical Guide

EcoVadis scores improve through a combination of better evidence documentation, genuine programme improvements, and a clear understanding of how the assessment methodology works. This guide covers the most effective ways to improve your score — whether you're preparing for your first assessment or working to move from Bronze to Silver or higher.

How EcoVadis Scoring Works

EcoVadis rates companies on a 0–100 scale across four themes: Environment, Labour and Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. Within each theme, companies are assessed on three dimensions: policies (do you have written policies covering this area?), actions (do you implement concrete measures?), and results (do you have measurable outcomes and data?).

Importantly, the weighting of each theme varies by industry. For a manufacturing company, Environment may account for a much larger share of the overall score than for a professional services firm. Understanding your industry's specific weighting is the first step in prioritising improvement efforts.

Score thresholds for medals: Bronze = 45–54, Silver = 55–64, Gold = 65–74, Platinum = 75+. The majority of first-time assessments land in the 35–50 range, regardless of how strong the underlying sustainability programme is — often because evidence is incomplete or poorly matched to what EcoVadis looks for.

Quick Wins: Evidence Gaps That Drag Scores Down

Before addressing programme gaps, close the evidence gaps. Many companies lose significant points not because their programmes are weak, but because they haven't documented them in a format EcoVadis recognises.

1. Written Policies Are Non-Negotiable

EcoVadis's "Policies" dimension scores whether you have formal, written policies in place. An environmental programme that isn't captured in a documented environmental policy gets zero credit in that dimension. At minimum, ensure you have written, approved policies covering:

• Environmental management (energy, emissions, water, waste)
• Health and safety
• Non-discrimination and fair labour practices
• Anti-bribery and anti-corruption (Ethics theme)
• Supplier code of conduct (Sustainable Procurement theme)

These policies don't need to be complex. A clear, board-approved one-page policy covering the relevant topic is worth more to EcoVadis than an elaborate programme with no documentation.

2. Certifications Are High-Value Evidence

ISO certifications (ISO 14001 for environmental management, ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety, ISO 37001 for anti-bribery) carry significant weight in EcoVadis scoring. If you have any relevant certifications, make sure they are uploaded and clearly linked to the relevant themes. If you're close to achieving a relevant certification, timing the assessment after certification completion can meaningfully change the score.

3. Quantitative Data Unlocks the Results Dimension

The "Results" dimension requires actual data: GHG emissions figures, energy consumption, water usage, waste volumes, incident rates, training hours. Many companies have this data internally but haven't pulled it into a format suitable for the EcoVadis submission. Ensuring your most recent annual data is accessible and clearly presented can add significant points to the Environment and Labour themes specifically.

This is where a structured ESG data collection system pays off — having auditable, consistently formatted data ready to extract for the EcoVadis submission is far more efficient than assembling it from scratch each assessment cycle.

4. Supply Chain and Procurement Documentation

The Sustainable Procurement theme is frequently underprepared. EcoVadis wants to see that you are actively managing supplier sustainability — not just that you have a supplier code of conduct on paper. Evidence that scores points includes:

• A supplier code of conduct distributed to suppliers
• Supplier sustainability assessments or questionnaires (EcoVadis ratings of your own suppliers count here)
• Documentation of supplier audits or corrective action processes
• Sustainability criteria in supplier selection and contracting processes

Medium-Term Programme Improvements

Beyond documentation, genuine score improvement requires programme depth. EcoVadis's scoring differentiates between companies that have policies and companies that have active management systems with measurable improvement targets.

Set Targets and Track Progress

EcoVadis rewards companies that set specific improvement targets — a GHG reduction target, a waste diversion target, a lost time injury rate target — and report progress against them. Science-based emissions targets (SBTi) are particularly well-regarded and often appear in Gold and Platinum scorecards. Even internal targets without external validation add points if they're quantified and tracked.

Scope 3 Emissions Reporting

For the Environment theme, reporting Scope 3 emissions data — particularly Category 1 (purchased goods) and Category 11 (use of products) — differentiates higher-scoring companies from mid-tier ones. You don't need perfect data to submit; a well-documented spend-based estimate with clear methodology can score positively, particularly for first-time reporters.

Employee Training and Awareness

EcoVadis scores training on environmental and social topics. If your company runs any sustainability, anti-corruption, health and safety, or human rights training — even if it's e-learning modules — document the coverage and completion rates. Training that exists but isn't documented contributes nothing to the score.

Assessment Strategy and Timing

A few practical considerations when managing the EcoVadis process:

• Don't rush the submission: EcoVadis assessments are valid for 12 months. A submission with incomplete evidence will score poorly and require a full re-assessment to improve. It's worth taking the time to assemble a complete, well-organised submission.
• Review your previous scorecard carefully: If you have a prior assessment, the scorecard includes detailed feedback on where points were lost. Work through each gap before re-submitting.
• Stage improvements before submission: If you know a certification is coming or a policy will be approved in the next few months, timing the submission to include it can add medal-tier points.
• Organise evidence by theme, not by document: EcoVadis assessors review hundreds of submissions. Evidence that is clearly labelled and organised by theme and sub-category is processed more accurately than a bulk document upload.

Getting Expert Help

Improving an EcoVadis score isn't purely a data problem — it requires understanding how EcoVadis's methodology is applied in practice, which evidence formats are accepted, and where the highest-impact improvements are for your specific industry and programme maturity.

Brightest's EcoVadis consulting and data management services provide expert support across the full assessment cycle: gap analysis against current scoring, evidence organisation and submission preparation, programme improvement planning, and data infrastructure to make future assessments faster and more accurate.

For companies that want to move systematically from their current score to Silver, Gold, or Platinum, a structured approach to the assessment process — rather than a one-time effort — is the most reliable path. Book a call to discuss where you are and what it would take to get to the next level.