EcoVadis Ratings

Scoring Principles

Document Classification | EcoVadis Public EcoVadis 2023 V1.4

Table of Contents
Methodology Principles..........................................................................................3

Assessment Methodology.....................................................................................4

Scoring Principles........................................................................................................6

Scoring and Weight of Management Indicators......................................8

Policies

• Policies Management Indicator..........................................................10

• Endorsement Management Indicator............................................13

Actions

• Measures Management Indicator......................................................16

• Certification Management Indicator...............................................19

• Coverage Management Indicator....................................................22

Results

• Reporting Management Indicator....................................................24

• 360° Watch Management Indicator...............................................28

Strengths and Improvement Areas................................................................30

Company Scoring Example.................................................................................31

Assessment Process Examples.........................................................................33

Support Materials and Useful Resources...................................................36

Methodology Principles
The EcoVadis rating methodology measures the quality of a company’s sustainability management
system through its policies, actions and results. The EcoVadis sustainability rating methodology
is based on the following seven foundational principles.
Evidence Based
The burden of proof is on the company being
rated. It must provide supporting documents,
such as commitments, certificates and
KPI reporting, that showcase the maturity
of its sustainability management system.
The company’s declarations are only creditedif
evidence is provided.
Industry, Location and Size Matter
The sustainability management system
is assessed based on material industry issues,
presence in risk countries and the size
and geographical span of the company.
Diversification of Sources
The rating is based not only on supporting
documents provided by the company but also
on information published by non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), trade unions, international
organizations, local authorities and other third-
party organizations (e.g., auditors, CDP, external
compliance database).
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Technology is a Must Excellence Through Continuous
Improvement
A rating system can only become reliable
and robust if it is supported by technology. A professional rating methodology is one
Technology facilitates industrialization, which that is open to quality controls, continuous
enables fast learning, growth and scalability. improvement and stakeholder feedback.
EcoVadis has implemented a company-wide
quality management system supported by
Assessment by International a client advisory board and a scientific committee.
Sustainability Experts
The supporting documents are analyzed by
a team of sustainability experts from around
the globe who keep track of the latest best
practices in sustainability.
Traceability and Transparency
Every document used in the rating process
is stored securely and can be traced. Rated
companies have access to detailed results
on each scoring decision.
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Assessment 21 Sustainability Criteria
Methodology
Sustainability Criteria Covered Environment Labor & Human Ethics
by the EcoVadis Assessment Rights
Operations • Corruption
EcoVadis Ratings evaluate corporate performance • Energy Consumption & GHGs Human Resources • Anticompetitive Practices
on up to 21 sustainability criteria across four themes: • Water • Responsible Information
• Employee Health & Safety
Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Management
• Biodiversity • Working Conditions
Sustainable Procurement. The criteria covered
in each assessment are based on their relevance • Air Pollution • Social Dialogue
to a company’s industry, size and operational • Materials, Chemicals & Waste • Career Management
locations. These factors are defined during & Training Sustainable
a company’s registration on the EcoVadis platform Procurement
and shape the questionnaire it receives. Products
• Product Use Human Rights
• Supplier Environmental
• Product End-of-Life • Child Labor, Forced Labor Practices
• Customer Health & Safety & Human Trafficking
• Supplier Social Practices
• Environmental Services & • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Advocacy • External Stakeholder Human
Rights

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EcoVadis Sustainability
Management Indicators
EcoVadis considers an effective sustainability
management system to be one that consists
of three key elements: Policies, Actions and
Results. Each of these elements carries a particular
weight when evaluating a company’s performance
on a given assessment theme. These core
management layers are further divided into seven
management indicators: Policies, Endorsements,
Measures, Certifications, Coverage, Reporting
and 360° Watch Findings.
REPORTING POLICIES
Reporting information includes the Policies, objectives, targets,
governance
quality, transparency and level of key
performance indicators (KPIs). These
indicators should pertain to the scope ENDORSEMENTS
of the assessed company, cover all Endorsement of external sustainability
operational sites, be recent (i.e., within the initiatives and principles
last two years) and be readily available (e.g., UN Global Compact)
to stakeholders (e.g., KPIs on total
energy consumption in KWh within
the last two calendar years)
360º WATCH FINDINGS
Stakeholder viewpoints Policies
(e.g., administrative and judicial
authorities, trade unions, NGOs) MEASURES
Actions implemented (e.g., procedures,
training, equipment)
Sustainability
Management CERTIFICATIONS
System Certifications, labels, third-party audits

ts

Act
ul
COVERAGE

i
s

o
e
Level of deployment of certificates

n
R
s
or actions throughout the company

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Scoring Principles
Scoring is based on the evidence companies provide in their questionnaires and supporting
information collected from stakeholders (e.g., 360° Watch Findings) and third parties
(e.g., auditors).
Each of the seven management indicators (Policies, Measures, etc.) is assigned a score
between 0 and 100 in increments of 25. The score is based on multiple factors, including the
percentage of relevant sustainability criteria addressed and the relative importance of each.

0 25 50 75 100
Insufficient Partial Good Advanced Outstanding

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Overall scoring on each theme – Environment,
Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable
Procurement – * is calculated by aggregating
the weighted scores on the seven management
indicators.
The overall score* is a weighted average of the four
theme scores. Size and country risk factors are also
integrated at this stage.

* The overall score is rounded to the nearest whole number, while

the theme scores are rounded to the nearest ten.

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Scoring and POLICIES
Policies, objectives, targets, governance
0 Insufficient
Partial
Good

Weight of
80% Advanced
Policies 100 Outstanding
(25%)

Management
0 Insufficient
Endorsement of external sustainability Partial
ENDORSEMENTS
initiatives and principles, e.g. UN Global Good
20% Advanced

Indicators
Compact
100 Outstanding

0 Insufficient
Partial
MEASURES Actions put in place to support objectives Good
Scoring on each theme is based on a company’s 65% and targets Advanced
performance on seven management indicators 100 Outstanding
across three management layers: Policies, Actions 0 Insufficient
and Results. The overall score is the weighted
Actions CERTIFICATIONS
Partial
average of the four theme scores. Additionally, Certifications, labels, third-party audit Good
the scoring formula takes into account size and
(40%) 35% Advanced
100 Outstanding
country risk factors, which EcoVadis reviews
and revises regularly to reflect the wide range 0 Not Applicable
of sustainability risks faced by the diverse COVERAGE Level of deployment of certificates or actions
Low Coverage
Medium Coverage
companies in our network. multiplying factor throughout the company High Coverage
100 Very High Coverage

0 Insufficient
Partial
REPORTING Quality of reporting readily available Good
40% to stakeholders Advanced
Outstanding
Results 100

(35%) 0 Severe
360° WATCH Standpoints of stakeholders representatives, Major
FINDINGS e.g. administrative & judicial authorities, Minor
60% trade unions, NGOs Neutral / Under Watch
100 Positive

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Size Factor:
Why?
The questionnaire a company receives at the
start of the assessment process is tailored
to its size (i.e., extra-small, small, medium or
large). Likewise, the scoring formula includes
a size factor that impacts the starting score
of companies of different sizes.
How?
The EcoVadis assessment methodology
takes into consideration the operational
scale of companies of various sizes. For
example, the requirements for an effective
sustainability management system tend to
be more demanding for larger companies.
This is due to factors such as a higher
number of employees, multiple operational
sites within and across countries, a larger
supplier base and the higher level of
resources and effort needed to manage
and mitigate the associated risks. As a result,
our methodology is more stringent for large
companies because of their greater potential
sustainability risks and impacts.
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Country Risk Factor:
Why?
We recognize that companies are exposed
to different levels of risks depending on the
environmental, social and ethical contexts of Key facts:
the countries in which they operate. These
• Low Risk countries have low risks in all
country-related risks are one of the important
of the 4 areas.
factors in customizing the scoring.
• Medium Risk countries typically have
How?
high risk in at least one of the 4 areas.
Country Risk is defined based on the risk
• High Risk countries generally have high
level in 4 areas: Environment, Health & Social, risks in all 4 areas.
Human Rights and Governance. Risk levels are
allocated based on the combination of indices • Ratings with operation only in Low Risk
such as Human Development Index, Global countries are classified as Low Risk.
Slavery Index, Control of Corruption Index
• Ratings with operation in Medium
etc. The risk level of countries is classified
Risk or High Risk countries, but with
into three levels: Low Risk, Medium Risk, and Headquarter in Low Risk or Medium
High Risk. Ratings with higher risk have lower Risk countries are classified as Medium
starting scores, as EcoVadis methodology Risk.
expects a higher level of management
for companies operating in higher risk • Ratings with Headquarter in a High Risk
environments. country are classified as High Risk.
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Policies
Policies Management Indicator
Definition
A policy is a set of objectives addressing specific
sustainability issues. Policies, which are voluntary
and go beyond legal requirements, demonstrate
a company’s commitment to mitigating risks,
reducing negative impacts and enhancing
performance.
Examples of policies:
General principles, statements and qualitative
objectives to improve sustainability
Absolute or relative quantitative targets with
a defined timeframe.
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Scoring Principles
Policies scoring is based on:
Specificity of objectives, ranging from general
statements to time-bound and quantifiable
targets.
Number of relevant sustainability issues
addressed (information on criteria activation
can be found in Industry Risk Profiles –
accessible via questionnaire or published
scorecard).
Additional factors that increase the robustness
of a formalized policy include:
• Governance and allocation of responsibilities
are clearly defined;
• Policies are regularly reviewed and updated;
• The scope of the policy is specified (e.g., what
business units and functions are covered).
Group policies from the parent company
are taken into account.
Evidence
Supporting documentation with evidence
of company objectives integrated into formal
company documents available to internal
or external stakeholders (e.g., company
commitment to reducing energy consumption
communicated in the environmental policy
section of the sustainability report).
Examples of qualitative objectives
vs. quantitative targets.
“Our company is committed to reducing
its environmental impact by using recycled
materials to minimize its virgin materials
consumption.” – Qualitative objective
“We are committed to using 75% of recycled
materials in our production process by 2030.”
– Quantitative target
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Scoring Matrix for the Environment, Labor & Human Rights and Sustainable Procurement Themes

0 25 50 75 100
Insufficient Partial Good Advanced Outstanding

Qualitative objectives Qualitative objectives for

No formalized policy Qualitative objectives Qualitative objectives
and quantitative targets all key sustainability issues

Less than 67% of key More than 67% of key More than 67% of key Quantitative targets for at least
-
sustainability issues covered sustainability issues covered sustainability issues covered 50% of key sustainability issues

1 of the following: 2 of the following:

Governance and allocation Governance and allocation

- - -
of responsibilities of responsibilities

- - - Review mechanism Review mechanism

- - - Specific scope Specific scope

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Scoring Matrix for the Ethics Theme

0 25 50 75 100
Insufficient Partial Good Advanced Outstanding

No formalized policy Qualitative objectives Qualitative objectives Qualitative objectives Qualitative objectives

Less than 50% of key At least 50% of key All key sustainability issues All key sustainability issues
-
sustainability issues covered sustainability issues covered covered covered

Policies on 2 of these issues: Policies on 3 of these issues: Policies on 3 of these issues:

- - bribery bribery bribery

- - conflict of interest conflict of interest conflict of interest
- - money laundering money laundering money laundering
- - fraud fraud fraud

At least 2 of the following: At least 4 of the following: At least 6 of the following:

- - Detailed ethical guidelines with examples

- - Formal review mechanism

- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Governance and allocation of responsibilities (such as Ethics Committee or Ethics Officer)
Scope of policy is specified
Quantitative targets for key sustainability issues
Ethics Policy Acknowledgment is signed by all employees
Disciplinary measures for policy violations

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Policies
Endorsements Management Indicator
Definition
Endorsements are a company’s public adherence
or commitment to meeting sustainability objectives
or principles defined by a recognized third-party
organization or active participation in formal
initiatives. Endorsements must be publicly verifiable
or officially documented.
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Scoring Principles Evidence
Endorsement scoring is based on: Endorsement declarations are verified by analysts,
typically through a given endorsement’s online
If a company’s endorsement declaration can be membership database.
verified (i.e., through the website of the issuing
organization), it is reflected in its Endorsement
score. The following aspects of an endorsement
are taken into consideration:
• The sustainability issues or criteria
it addresses;
• Sector or cross-sectoral scope;
• Requirements for signatories, participants or
members.
If a company has endorsed multiple initiatives,
the highest-scoring endorsement is considered
and bonus points are given for other
endorsements.
Group endorsements from the parent company
are also taken into account.
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Here are some examples from EcoVadis’ live sustainability standards database, which is updated continuously by a central review team

Scores

Initiative Verification Sector

Labour & Sustainable
Environment Ethics
Human Rights Procurement

United Nations Global https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/

Cross-sectoral 75 75 50 50
Compact participants/

International Council on http://www.icmm.com/members/member- Mining

100 100 75 -
Mining and Metals (ICMM) companies and metals

Responsible Care Global

https://www.icca-chem.org/responsible-care Chemicals 75 50 - -
Charter

UN Principles for
Responsible Investment https://www.unpri.org/directory Financial 75 - - 25
(UN PRI)

Charte de la Diversité
https://www.charte-diversite.com/signataires Cross-sectoral - 50 - -
(French Diversity Charter)

Sustainable Apparel Apparel,

Coalition (SAC) Brands & http://apparelcoalition.org/members footwear, - - - 75
Retailers Member home textiles

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Examples of invalid endorsements

International Labour Organization (ILO)

Why?
ILO Conventions are signed on to and ratified
by governments rather than companies.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

Why?
A declaration can be made with no formal
adherence mechanism for companies

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Actions
Measures Management Indicator

Definition Evidence

A measure is a concrete action implemented Supporting documentation with a detailed

by a rated company to support its sustainability
policies, commitments and targets and address
relevant sustainability criteria.
Examples:
Scoring Principles
Measures scoring is based on:
Number of relevant sustainability issues
addressed (information on criteria activation
can be found in Industry Risk Profiles
– accessible via the questionnaire or published
scorecard);
Concrete evidence of implementation from
supporting documentation;
Match the scope of the assessment (group,
entity or site);
Actions implemented at the parent company
are also taken into account.
description of actions the company has
implemented to address certain sustainability
criteria.
Overview of grievance mechanism
or whistleblowing procedure in the company
code of conduct that provides information on
reporting channels and/or accessibility and
assurances regarding confidentiality and non-
retaliation.
Environmental emergency response procedure
document outlining actions to be taken
in the event of an accident.

Note: To achieve a score of 100, evidence of actions

implemented must be present in all activated criteria.

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Scoring Matrix for the Environment, Labor & Human Rights Scoring Matrix for Ethics Theme
and Sustainable Procurement Themes

Percentage of key sustainability issues addressed Sustainability issues addressed

Information Corruption All relevant

< 33% 33 to 65% ≥66% security prevention issues

No measures 0 0 0 No measures 0 0 0

1 measure 25 25 50 1 measure 25 25 50

2 to 3 measures 25 50 75 2 to 3 measures 25 50 75*

4+ measures 50 75 100 4+ measures 50 75* 100**

Example: when Information Security and Corruption are the two material sustainability issues for the assessment
* Risk assessment is documented for at least one of the following: information security or corruption prevention.
**Risk assessment is documented for both information security and corruption prevention.

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Scoring Matrix for the Sustainable Procurement Theme
List of accepted measures
No measures 0 The measures are presented in the order
we recommend you implement them.
1 measure 25 1. Suppliers have signed a Sustainability Code
of Conduct.
2 to 3 measures 50
2. Environmental, labor and human rights clauses
are integrated into supplier contracts.
4 to 5 measures 75
3. A sustainability risk analysis is conducted before
assessing or auditing suppliers.
6+ measures 100
4. Suppliers are assessed on their environmental
and social practices through a questionnaire.
5. Employees in the procurement department
of your company have received training on
sustainability issues within the supply chain.
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6. Suppliers are audited on-site to evaluate their
sustainability practices.
7. Suppliers are engaged in capacity building
initiatives for sustainability, such as corrective
actions and training.
8. Well-performing suppliers have access to
unique incentives, such as supplier awards,
preferred supplier programs or RFPs.
9. Sustainability objectives are integrated into
performance reviews of employees in the
procurement department of your company.
10. Tangible innovative practices such as 2nd
tier audits and worker voice surveys are
implemented.
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Actions
Certifications Management Indicator

Definition Evidence

Certifications confirm a rated company’s Complete certificates must be provided

compliance with international sustainability
standards. They can come in the form of
sustainability management system certifications,
sustainability management system labels
or ecolabels certifying products or services.
by the rated company. Certificates that
canbe found in the public domain but are not
uploaded as supporting documents will not
be considered.

Scoring Principles

Certification scoring is based on:

Certificate issued by an independent
and accredited external certification body;
Certificate issue and expiry dates are within
the validity period;
Activity and sites covered in line with the rated
entity (group, entity or site);
Addresses sustainability issues or criteria.

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Here are some examples from EcoVadis’ live sustainability standards database, which is updated continuously by a central review team

Scores
Certification Verification Type
Labour & Sustainable
Environment Ethics
Human Rights Procurement

Management
ISO 14001 Valid certificate 100 - - -
system

Management
ISO 45001 Valid certificate - 50 - -
system

Management
ISO 27001 Valid certificate - - 50 -
system

Social Accountability Valid certificate + http://www. Management

- 75 - 25
8000 (SA8000) saasaccreditation.org/certfacilitieslist.htm system

Forest Stewardship Council Valid certificate

Ecolabel - - - 50
(FSC) Chain of Custody + http://info.fsc.org

EU Ecolabel Valid certificate Ecolabel 50 - - 25

Marine Stewardship Council Valid certificate

Ecolabel - - - 25
(MSC) Chain of Custody + http://cert.msc.org/supplierdirectory

VCA or SCC (SHE Management

Valid certificate - 50 - -
Checklist for Contractors) system

Management
RC14001 Valid certificate 100 50 - -
system

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Compensation Scheme on the Certification
indicator for the Ethics and Sustainable
Procurement themes.

Why?
The certification scores for the Ethics and
Sustainable Procurement themes receive a
compensation bonus in some specific cases to
account for a lack of existing certification schemes
and market maturity on the topics covered. This
bonus is given to companies that can demonstrate
they have policies and measures in place that
enhance their readiness for emerging standards
and schemes.

How?
The compensation bonus depends on the scores
received on the Policies and Measures indicators.
However, the bonuses awarded through this
compensation rule are limited to encourage rated
companies to follow a formal certification process.

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Actions
Coverage Management Indicator

Definition Evidence

Coverage refers to the extent to which actions Supporting documentation with information on
have been implemented throughout a company’s the deployment of sustainability measures and
workforce and across its operational sites. This certifications across the organization’s sites and
indicator is only applicable to large companies workforce must be provided for the past two
(1,000+ employees), as the deployment of their calendar years.
sustainability management systems may differ
Examples:
throughout their operations.
Percentage of ISO 14001 or EMAS-certified
operational sites;
Scoring Principles
Percentage of employees covered by social
The Coverage score, which has a minimum benefits;
threshold of 25, serves as a multiplying factor
in the calculation of the Actions score. Percentage of employees who received
training on business ethics within the year.
Coverage scoring is based on:
The implementation level of sustainability
actions (for example, the percentage of
the total workforce across all locations who
received career training);
The percentage of operational sites certified
throughout a company’s locations (for
example, the percentage of sites that are ISO
45001 certified);
Reporting data within the past two calendar
years.

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Examples from EcoVadis live sustainability standards database, updated continually by a central review team

0 25 50 75 100
Not Applicable Low coverage Medium coverage High coverage Very high coverage

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

- Information available showing
low coverage of theme-specific
sustainability actions
No information on coverage
available
Information available
showing average coverage of
operations with theme-specific
sustainability actions
Information available
showing high coverage of
operations with theme-specific
sustainability actions
Information available showing
very high coverage of
operations with theme-specific
sustainability actions (the vast
majority of sites, employees
and suppliers covered)

EXAMPLE: COVERAGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS

- 1-25% of production sites 26-50% of production sites 51-75% of production sites 76-100% of production sites
are ISO 14001 certified are ISO 14001 certified are ISO 14001 certified are ISO 14001 certified

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Results
Reporting Management Indicator
Definition
Reporting is based on quantitative KPIs that
measure a rated company’s implementation of
sustainability practices. An effective KPI report
needs to be up-to-date (within the last two calendar
years) but also needs to consider reporting quality
and transparency.
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Scoring Principles
Number of activated sustainability issues
addressed (information on criteria activation can
be found in Industry Risk Profiles – accessible via
questionnaire or published scorecard)
Formality: clearly states the reporting year
and unit (such as kWh or liters)
Transparency: publicly available to stakeholders
Reliability: verification of non-financial data
by an accredited auditor
Timeliness: within the last two calendar years
Comparability of reporting: multiple
consecutive year reporting that enables
companies to benchmark their performance
over time against industry and regional peers
Compliance: with a sustainability reporting
standard such as GRI or SASB
Evidence
Reporting evidence is often found in annual
reports and sustainability reports but may also
be disclosed in stand-alone internal reporting
documents.
Note:
1. Only reporting related to the rated entity is taken into
account and can contribute to a maximum score.
2. Reporting data must cover the majority of operations
(entity turnover/employee number greater than 80% of
the assessment scope).
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Scoring Matrix for the Environment and Labor & Human Rights Themes

0 25 50 75 100
Insufficient Partial Good Advanced Outstanding

1 of the following:

Materiality analysis Materiality analysis

No reporting documentation - -
conducted conducted

Reporting covers at least Reporting covers at least

Reporting is older than Reporting covers at least Reporting covers at least 3 consecutive years, and 3 consecutive years, and
2 calendar years 2 consecutive months 12 months minimum the latest reporting period the latest reporting period
is not older than 2 years is not older than 2 years

Less than 67% of key More than 67% of key More than 67% of key More than 85% of key
-
sustainability issues covered sustainability issues covered sustainability issues covered sustainability issues covered

- - - Publicly available Publicly available

1 of the following:

Complies with reporting Complies with reporting

- - -
standards standards

Verified by an accredited Verified by an accredited

- - -
auditor auditor

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Scoring Matrix for the Ethics Theme

0 25 50 75 100
Insufficient Partial Good Advanced Outstanding

1 of the following:

Materiality analysis Materiality analysis

No reporting documentation - -
conducted conducted

Reporting covers at least Reporting covers at least

Reporting is older than Reporting covers at least Reporting covers at least 3 consecutive years, and 3 consecutive years, and
2 calendar years 2 consecutive months 12 months minimum the latest reporting period the latest reporting period
is not older than 2 years is not older than 2 years

- Includes 1 KPI for ethics Includes 2 KPIs for ethics Reports on 3 KPIs for ethics Reports on 3 KPIs for ethics

- - - Publicly available Publicly available

1 of the following:

Complies with reporting Complies with reporting

- - -
standards standards

Verified by an accredited Verified by an accredited

- - -
auditor auditor

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Scoring Matrix for the Sustainable Procurement Theme

0 25 50 75 100
Insufficient Partial Good Advanced Outstanding

1 of the following:

Materiality analysis Materiality analysis

No reporting documentation - -
conducted conducted

Reporting covers at least Reporting covers at least

Reporting is older than Reporting covers at least Reporting covers at least 3 consecutive years, and 3 consecutive years, and
2 calendar years 2 consecutive months 12 months minimum the latest reporting period the latest reporting period
is not older than 2 years is not older than 2 years

Includes 1 KPI for sustainable Includes 2 KPI for sustainable Reports on 3 KPIs for Reports on 3 KPIs for
-
procurement procurement sustainable procurement sustainable procurement

- - - Publicly available Publicly available

1 of the following:

Complies with reporting Complies with reporting

- - -
standards standards

Verified by an accredited Verified by an accredited

- - -
auditor auditor

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Results
360° Watch Management Indicator
Definition
The 360° Watch feature, and its corresponding
management indicator in our methodology, enable
us to collect and classify external inputs and
integrate them into the rating process. Our analysts
carefully review the results of a scan of more than
100,000 external sources to identify the most
relevant news, both negative and positive, related
to a given company over the past five to ten years
(the validity period varies based on a number of
factors). 360° Watch Findings, the output of this
process, reflect the effectiveness of a company’s
sustainability management system.
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Scoring Principles
The 360°Watch score is set at 75/100 by default
and may be increased or decreased based on the
following factors:
Nature of the case (positive or negative);
Timing and validity of the case;
Severity of negative cases: severity is
determined based on a range of factors such
as repeated occurrences, percentage of
workforce involved, financial sanctions, etc.
Note: If no cases with negative impacts are identified,
the score is eligible to be raised above the default of 75.
Please refer to the 360° Watch Guide
for more information.
Evidence
All 360° Watch Findings are gathered through
EcoVadis’ in-house scanning tool and verified by
our analysts. The following are considered evidence:
Official statements or published documents
from government bodies;
Court rulings or legal settlements;
Factual statements made by the press or
organizations, such as independent NGOs,
that meet scientific standards and demonstrate
financial neutrality.
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 0 25 50 75 75 100
Case(s) with severe Cases(s) with major Case(s) with minor Under watch case(s) Neutral case(s) Cases with positive
negative impact negative impact negative impact impact

Repeated major Major violations Minor incidents with Minor accident with No significant Multiple recognized
violations of of internationally legal or financial negligible impact or controversies or sustainability
internationally recognized standards sanctions short-term effects incidents management practices
recognized standards with sanctions or fines or awards
with sanctions or fines

EXAMPLES

Repeated major pollution Major H&S violations with Minor fine for Ongoing investigation None Top 5 ranking in
with massive fines monetary sanctions discrimination case which might result sector index and
in a fine external recognition of
performance

Note: This is a simplified matrix – there are differences across themes.

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Strengths and Improvement Areas
In addition to scoring, every EcoVadis Scorecard highlights a set of strengths and improvement areas for
each theme. These are further categorized according to the three management layers: Policies, Actions
and Results. Strengths reflect the valuable sustainability practices that a company has implemented while
improvement areas present opportunities to take corrective action.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT VALUABLE PRACTICES

0 25 50 75 100
Insufficient Partial Good Advanced Outstanding

IMPROVEMENT AREAS STRENGTHS

Please note the theme and overall scores are not based on the number of strengths and improvement
areas. Strengths and improvement areas provide complementary qualitative information. Rated companies
can continually improve their strengths (from good to advanced to outstanding) as having no improvement
area does not imply that the maximum score has been reached.

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More information on specific strengths and improvement areas can be found
by clicking on the “i” information icon on the scorecard.

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Company Scoring Example
Environment Labor & Human Rights

Policies 50 Policies Policies 50 Policies

Endorsement of Sustainability Initiatives 0 Weight 25% Weight: 25% 0 Endorsement of Sustainability Initiatives
Measures/Action 50 75 Measures/Action
Actions Actions
Certifications/Labels/Audits 100
Weight: 40% 60/100 50/100 Weight: 40%
50 Certifications/Labels/Audits
Implementation Coverage 50 25 Implementation Coverage
Weight: 28% Weight: 36%
Reporting/KPIs 50 Results Results 25 Reporting/KPIs
360º Controversies/Awards 75 Weight: 35% Weight: 35% 75 360º Controversies/Awards

Overall score
Ethics 52 /100
Sustainable Procurement

Policies 50 Policies Policies 25 Policies

Endorsement of Sustainability Initiatives 0 Weight 25% Weight: 25% 0 Endorsement of Sustainability Initiatives
Measures/Action 25 25 Measures/Action
Actions Actions
Certifications/Labels/Audits 50
Weight: 40% 50/100 40/100 Weight: 40%
50 Certifications/Labels/Audits
Implementation Coverage 50 25 Implementation Coverage
Weight: 18% Weight: 18%
Reporting/KPIs 0 Results Results 25 Reporting/KPIs
360º Controversies/Awards 75 Weight: 35% Weight: 35% 75 360º Controversies/Awards

Each of the seven management indicators (Policies, Measures, etc.) is assigned a score between
0 25 50 75 100
Insufficient Partial Good Advanced Outstanding 0 and 100 in increments of 25. The score is based on multiple factors, including the percentage
of relevant sustainability criteria addressed and the relative importance of each.

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Assessment Process Examples
Activity: ISIC 62 – computer programming, consultancy and related activities
Size: Medium (100-499 employees)
Geography: Office activities in France and India
Questionnaire
Does your company have
a formalized environmental
policy?
Answer:
Yes, on energy
consumption and
greenhouse gases (GHGs)
Table of Contents
Evidence provided
Energy Conservation and
Climate Change Policy
Policy example
Document analysis
Energy policy is outlined in
a formal company document.
Energy policy includes
a company-wide commitment
to energy conservation and
GHG emissions reduction
of 10% by 2026.
No other evidence on
environmental policies was
provided.
Scoring Strengths & improvement areas
Theme: Strengths:
Environment POLICY Environmental policy on energy
consumption and GHGs
Score: 25
Quantitative objectives set on
Reason: energy consumption and GHGs
Based on company
activity, two Improvement areas:
environmental criteria Basic environmental policies
were activated for this that lack detail on specific issues
supplier. Evidence is
provided for half of Inconclusive documentation
the criteria. on waste policies
33 37
 Measures Example

Questionnaire Evidence provided Document analysis Scoring Strengths & improvement areas

What actions are in place Code of Ethcs Evidence of a training program Theme: Strengths:
to prevent corruption and and Whisteblower on anti-corruption found. Ethics MEASURE Awareness training performed
bribery? Procedure to prevent corruption and bribery
Code of Ethics outlines the Score: 50
Answer: whistleblower procedure in Whistleblowing procedure for
Awareness training place to enable reporting Reason: stakeholders to report corruption
performed to prevent of corruption and bribery Based on company and bribery
corruption and incidents (clear reporting activity, two ethics
whistleblower procedure channel, non-retaliation and criteria were activated Improvement areas:
in place for stakeholders confidentiality guaranteed). (corruption and Inconclusive documentation on audits
to report corruption and responsible information of control procedures to prevent
bribery management). corruption
There is evidence
of two measures. Inconclusive documentation
on corruption risk assessments

Inconclusive documentation regarding

an anti-corruption due diligence
program for third parties

Inconclusive documentation on
approval procedure for sensitive
transactions (e.g., gifts, entertainment)

Table of Contents 34 37

Questionnaire
On which topics does your
company publish a report?
Answer:
Employee health and safety
Career Management
& Training
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Table of Contents
Reporting Example
Evidence provided Document analysis
Sustainability Report The sustainability report
does not follow any reporting
standard.
Reporting on KPIs:
Lost time injury frequency
rate of the latest reporting
year, average hours of training
per employee in the latest
reporting year, percentage
of women in top executive
positions (excluding boards
of directors) in the latest
reporting year
Scoring Strengths & improvement areas
Theme: Strengths:
Labor & Human Rights Standard reporting on labor and human
REPORTING rights issues
Score: 50
Reason:
Formal report is
provided, is recent
enough (latest repo-
rting year performance),
and there are KPIs for
most activated criteria.
No evidence was
found for multiple-year
reporting or materiality
analysis conducted.
The KPIs do not follow
a reporting standard
and have no external
assurance.
35 37
Support Materials and Useful Resources
Contact the Help Center to log an inquiry
or browse commonly asked questions:
getsupport.ecovadis.com
The EcoVadis Academy
Supporting our network of customers with guided eLearning
courses to develop their sustainable management practices
and improve environmental and social outcomes.
How do I access the EcoVadis Academy?
Table of Contents
EcoVadis Document Guide
Supporting our network of customers with guided eLearning courses to develop their sustainable
management practices and improve environmental and social outcomes.
Go to document
EcoVadis Methodology – Overview and Principles
This document provides an overview of the reference model, seven founding principles and the
ratings process.
Go to document
EcoVadis 360° Watch: A Key Component of the Assessment Methodology
This document looks into the 360° Watch feature that serves to collect, classify, and selectively
apply stakeholder inputs from over 100,000 sources into the EcoVadis rating process.
Go to document
How To Meet the Document Limit and Avoid Submitting Combined Documents
In this supplement to the EcoVadis Document Guide, you will find more tips on selecting
supporting documents for your first assessment or reassessment, and learn how to prioritize
supporting documentation on our platform to meet the limit of 55 new documents per assessment
without combining multiple documents into one file.
Go to document
36 37
 About EcoVadis: From Risk Mitigation to Performance and Impact

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