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EcoVadis rating (often called certification): what a UK supplier needs to prepare
EcoVadis isn't a certificate. It's a sustainability rating out of 100, valid for 12 months. Plan on three to four months from registration to scorecard, and gather your policies and evidence for four themes before you start.
It's a rating, not a certificate
There is no pass mark. Your customer sees your scorecard and compares it with its own threshold, and often with your competitors.
The job is to prove, with documents, that someone in your business manages sustainability and can show the results.
How do you get an EcoVadis rating?
- Check you aren't already registered. A colleague or another customer's request may have started an account.
- Register and choose a plan. Usually through the invitation your customer sends.
- Gather your evidence. Policies, actions and results for the four themes, before the questionnaire opens.
- Answer the questionnaire and upload documents. Every answer needs a document behind it.
- Wait for the analyst review. Analysts score what you sent and check the news for controversies.
- Check the scorecard, then share it. Report any factual errors before it's published, then plan for reassessment in 12 months.
What does EcoVadis actually look at?
The score covers four themes: environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. Within them sit 21 criteria. Which ones apply depends on your size, industry and countries, so a manufacturer and a software firm of the same size face different questionnaires.
Analysts look for policies, actions that put them into practice, and results you report. Certifications such as ISO 14001 count, and EcoVadis also checks the news for controversies about you.
The commonest reason a decent company scores badly is missing evidence, not missing performance. If a policy isn't dated, approved and kept under review, or an action isn't recorded, it may as well not exist.
Training counts as evidence too. A record of carbon literacy training shows the Environment theme is more than a policy on paper.
What does it take to win a medal?
Medals are awarded by percentile, not by a fixed score. Your score is compared with every company EcoVadis has rated over the previous 12 months, so the score that earns Bronze moves as everyone else's does.
Your percentile isn't the only test. Under the EcoVadis medals methodology (version 2.0, January 2026) you also need at least 30 in each of the four themes, so one neglected theme can cost you the medal however strong the others are. A poor 360° Watch result from news and other outside sources can rule you out too, and some industries, such as tobacco and coal, can't hold medals at all. A serious controversy can see a medal suspended.
Below the medals, a "Committed" badge recognises an overall score of 45 or more. Medals, badges and scorecards are all valid for 12 months.
EcoVadis assessment timeline: how long will it take?
Allow three to four months from registration to scorecard, and longer if your policies need writing first. That's our planning estimate from the stages below, not a figure EcoVadis guarantees.
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Registration and plan selection | About a week |
| Questionnaire and document upload | 30 business days by default, which can be extended |
| Analyst review and scorecard | 6 to 8 weeks after submission |
| Submissions made after 30 September | Often published only at the end of the calendar year |
Thirty business days is plenty to upload documents that exist. It is not enough to write, approve and start using new ones.
If your deadline is already close, our fast-track EcoVadis support spends those days on the evidence you already have.
Short on time? Our fast-track EcoVadis support gets you submitted in ten working days.
What changed in 2026
EcoVadis now publishes its methodology updates each quarter. Four changes from 2026 matter most to a supplier preparing now:
- Certificates marked "in progress" no longer count. If ISO 14001 is still being implemented, it won't score until the certificate is issued.
- More ways to prove a certification. Where a public verification database exists, an invoice, certifier correspondence or a database screenshot can now stand in for the certificate itself.
- A two-day check before publication. You see your scorecard two business days before your customers do, and can report factual errors such as a misapplied document. Disagreeing with a score doesn't count as an error.
- Targets need a baseline year. From 14 October 2026, numerical targets in your policies must state a baseline year or they won't count.
Medals have worked by percentile since January 2024, when EcoVadis tightened Silver from the top 25% to the top 15% and Bronze from the top 50% to the top 35%.
What does EcoVadis cost?
EcoVadis charges an annual subscription based on company size, location and plan. Its own plans and pricing tool gives the exact figure, so check it before you budget.
Add your team's time, any outside help, and any gaps the assessment exposes, such as a missing carbon footprint. In the UK, EcoVadis consultants who publish fixed fees for managing a full submission charge from about £3,000 to £6,000 + VAT, depending on company size.
Is EcoVadis worth it?
If a customer has asked for it, almost always. Compare the total cost with the value of that customer's business: a subscription of a few thousand euros is small next to a contract worth several hundred thousand pounds a year.
If nobody has asked, wait. EcoVadis is driven by buyers, so a rating no customer requests earns you little. The exception is when you're bidding for work with large companies that use it, where a medal can set you apart before anyone asks.
The real cost to weigh is a weak score. It sits on the platform for 12 months, and every customer you share it with can see it. Preparing properly before you register is cheaper than living with a low score for a year.
Does a parent company's rating count?
No. A rating covers only the entity that was assessed, so a parent company's or subsidiary's medal isn't yours. If you're unsure whether your company already has an account, ask EcoVadis support before registering again.
What should you gather first?
Start with what you already have. Most suppliers find more than they expect, spread across HR, operations, finance and quality.
Environment
An environmental policy, energy and fuel data, waste records, any carbon footprint, ISO 14001 or ISO 50001 certificates, and records of reduction projects such as lighting upgrades or packaging changes.
Labour and human rights
Health and safety policy and accident statistics, training records, employee handbook, equality and diversity policy, your modern slavery statement if you publish one, and employee engagement or survey results.
Ethics
Anti-bribery and corruption policy, whistleblowing procedure, data protection and information security policies, and evidence that staff have been trained on them.
Sustainable procurement
A supplier code of conduct, the share of suppliers who have signed it, any supplier questionnaires or audits you run, and how sustainability features in your purchasing decisions.
What this could earn you. This evidence puts energy, waste and materials data side by side, often for the first time. That is where cost savings tend to show up. A good score can also count in tenders and with some lenders.
Common questions
Is EcoVadis certification mandatory?
No law requires it. It becomes mandatory in practice when a customer writes it into a tender or supplier agreement, sometimes with a minimum score or medal.
How long is an EcoVadis rating valid?
A scorecard is valid for 12 months, and medals and badges last as long as the scorecard they were awarded on. After that you are reassessed, usually when a customer requests your rating again.
What is a good EcoVadis score?
Good is whatever your customer has set as their threshold. As a guide, 45 earns the Committed badge, and medals depend on where your score sits against all rated companies, with Bronze for the top 35%.
How much does EcoVadis certification cost?
The EcoVadis subscription depends on company size, location and plan, and EcoVadis's own plans and pricing tool gives the exact figure. Outside help, if you use it, is a separate fee; ours starts at £2,950 + VAT.
Can a small or mid-sized company get a medal?
Yes. The criteria scale with company size. What matters is documented policies, actions and results for each theme that applies to you.
Want a hand with yours? See our EcoVadis consultant service and fixed fees. For everything else your customers might ask for, read our guide to sustainability requirements for suppliers.