Question · EcoVadis
What does EcoVadis ask for?
Evidence, not answers. Across four themes, Environment, Labour and Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement, EcoVadis checks up to 21 criteria: whether you have a policy, whether you act on it, and whether you report results. Each claim needs a dated, signed, current document from your own company. Documents written only for the questionnaire are rejected.
The four themes, with Indian examples
| Theme | Criteria | Example documents an Indian company may hold |
|---|---|---|
| Environment | Energy and GHGs, water, biodiversity, local and accidental pollution, materials, chemicals and waste, product use, product end-of-life, customer health and safety, environmental services and advocacy | PCB consent to operate, hazardous waste annual return, EPR registration, a Scope 1 and 2 inventory built from discom bills and fuel invoices |
| Labour and Human Rights | Employee health and safety, working conditions, social dialogue, career management and training, child and forced labour, diversity, equity and inclusion, external stakeholder human rights | POSH annual report, certified standing orders, accident register, training records, works committee minutes |
| Ethics | Corruption, anticompetitive practices, responsible information management | Signed anti-bribery policy, vigil mechanism, training completion records, ISO/IEC 27001 certificate |
| Sustainable Procurement | Supplier environmental practices, supplier social practices | A signed supplier code of conduct, supplier assessment records |
Not every criterion applies to every company. EcoVadis activates criteria by sector, size and country.
How scoring works, in plain words
For each activated criterion, EcoVadis asks three things. Do you have a policy: a written commitment, signed and dated? Do you take actions: procedures, certifications, training, audits? Do you report results: figures such as emissions, injury rates or the share of suppliers assessed? A company with policies and nothing else scores low.
Then the evidence is read for quality. It counts when it is official, dated, correctly scoped and current. It loses credit when a policy is undated, a code is unsigned, a certificate has expired, a group document is used for a single site, or a screenshot has no source. Most lost points are documentation gaps, not performance gaps.
The result is a score from 0 to 100 per theme and overall, weighted by which themes matter for your sector. This page does not predict a score or a medal.
The rule
Do not write a document just for the questionnaire. EcoVadis rejects documents created solely for it. A missing policy is filled by adopting it, signing it, dating it and acting on it; the evidence follows.
Common questions
Can we write policies just for the EcoVadis questionnaire?
No. EcoVadis rejects documents created solely for the questionnaire. A policy counts when the company has adopted it, signed and dated it, and acts on it. Fill a gap by putting the policy into practice; the evidence follows.
Which documents does EcoVadis usually reject?
Undated policies, unsigned codes, expired certificates, group documents used for a site-level claim, and screenshots without a source. Evidence has to be official, dated, correctly scoped and current.
Does EcoVadis look beyond the documents we upload?
Yes. Its 360° Watch draws on public sources such as news and NGO reports, and an adverse finding can affect the assessment. Your uploaded evidence and what is said about you in public are read together.
Next step
Learn to build the pack yourself
The November cohort, Applied Sustainability Reporting with Claude. Weeks 5 and 6 are EcoVadis: evidence standards, gap diagnosis, and an EcoVadis pack you build. Starts 12 November 2026; applications close 15 October 2026.
Apply for the November cohortHave it done for your company
EcoVadis pack: an evidence matrix mapped to your activated criteria, submission, and a corrective-action plan for reassessment. Scoped in writing before we start.
See the services