Question · EcoVadis
Why does EcoVadis reject supporting documents?
EcoVadis rejects a supporting document when its analyst cannot tie it to your company, your assessed scope and a current date, or when it was made only for the questionnaire. Its Complete Document Guide (version 1.1, August 2026) names the invalid types. Most rejections are fixed by changing the file, not the practice behind it.
Eleven rejection reasons, with the fix
Examples are invented. The last column is the ClimateFluent document rule that checks for it.
| Reason | What it looks like | Fix | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| No company name or logo | An Excel KPI sheet with no header; a third-party audit report naming only the auditor | Letterhead or a header on every file. For spreadsheets and screenshots, show your company's email or web domain. Training material is exempt. | R2 |
| Out of date | An environmental policy last revised in 2017; an energy table for FY 2022-23 | Policies and actions count for 8 years, metrics for 2, audit reports for 2, certificates to their expiry (3 years if undated). Re-date reviewed policies. | R4 |
| No date of its own | A policy whose only date is the template's revision code in the footer | An issue date and a review date in the document body. | R5 |
| Unreadable | A phone photo of a consent order; a password-protected PDF; a scan with no text layer | A digital PDF with selectable text and no password. | R6 |
| Incomplete | The cover and contents page of an audit report | Upload the whole document. | R6b |
| Outside your scope | Your customer's supplier code; a sister company's safety policy | Your own document, or a parent's that states it applies to your entity. | R3 |
| Not about sustainability | An ISO 9001 certificate, quality procedures, financial statements, a donation receipt | A document tied to one of the 21 EcoVadis criteria. | R10 |
| Unaccredited issuer | An ISO 14001 certificate from a body outside the IAF | A certificate or audit from an accredited body to a recognised standard. | R11 |
| Made for the questionnaire | A file holding EcoVadis's questions and your answers; one self-attestation letter for several options; AI text never adapted to the company | Adopt the policy, sign and date it, and put it into use before you cite it. | R8 |
| Several documents merged | A policy, training photos and an invoice in one PDF | One upload per document. Certificates of one standard across sites may share a file. | R1 |
| Not linked, or linked to the wrong option | A valid file attached to no answer; "Other" ticked with no page number | Link each file to the option it proves, with the page. | R9 |
Rule ids are ClimateFluent's own. The reasons and validity windows come from EcoVadis's Complete Document Guide v1.1, section 3.
When the answer is rejected and the document is fine
EcoVadis's support material separates the two. An option can be declined while the file stays accepted in your Document Library. The usual causes:
- Not enough detail. "Employees are trained on anti-bribery" earns nothing; the training material and the attendance record do.
- The wrong option. A training attendance sheet linked to a reporting option that asks for a percentage and a period.
- A better option already credited. A more specific option was approved from the same file.
- A missing part. A whistle-blower channel needs three parts shown: how staff reach it, confidentiality, and protection from retaliation.
Read the reason in the scorecard's feedback before you replace anything. A file can serve the next cycle as it is.
Check your files before you submit
Upload your EcoVadis questionnaire export to the free evidence check. ClimateFluent checks the export, and every file you add, against EcoVadis's own document guide, and lists each file likely to be rejected with the rule and the fix.
Check your EcoVadis evidence free
How it works, step by step: the evidence check docs. Working in ChatGPT or Claude: can ChatGPT or Claude check EcoVadis evidence?
Common questions
Do rejected documents use up our 55 uploads at the next assessment?
No. The 55-document limit applies to new uploads in each assessment, and documents from earlier assessments do not count toward it. Keep a rejected file, unlink it from the answer and link the replacement. Deleting it frees no space.
Can we use our parent company's policy?
Yes, when it covers your entity. EcoVadis accepts documents carrying the parent's or a subsidiary's name. Add a line or a signed addendum saying the policy applies to your company, and give your own figures for reporting.
Are documents in Hindi or a state language accepted?
They must be machine-readable so EcoVadis can translate them, and Hindi is outside EcoVadis's platform languages. Put a one-page English summary (issuer, date, validity, scope) as page 1 of the same PDF, with the original behind it.
How long before submission should a policy exist?
Consultants converge on at least one month, so the policy reads as part of your management system and not as a file made for the questionnaire. EcoVadis's guide sets no number; it rejects documents made only for the questionnaire.
Related questions
- Which Indian statutory documents count as EcoVadis evidence? PCB consents, POSH, EPR, groundwater and fire NOCs, PF/ESI.
- What does EcoVadis ask for? The four themes, 21 criteria and Indian example documents.
- What changed in EcoVadis document rules in 2026?
- Can ChatGPT or Claude check EcoVadis evidence?
Sources
- EcoVadis, Complete Document Guide v1.1, 1 August 2026, sections 3, 3.1 and 3.3: resources.ecovadis.com
- EcoVadis support attachment on rejected options (insufficient detail, mismatched option, more specific option approved): support.ecovadis.com
- EcoVadis, supported languages: support.ecovadis.com
- Nexio Projects, EcoVadis help desk, 15 and 18 June 2026: nexioprojects.com
- Greenly, compliance criteria for EcoVadis documentation, 31 August 2026: help.greenly.tech
Guidance, not advice. Independent of EcoVadis: ClimateFluent prepares your evidence; EcoVadis does the rating. EcoVadis is a trade mark of EcoVadis SAS.