EcoVadis Platinum: From ambition to reality

“Achieving the EcoVadis Platinum medal means demonstrating that sustainability management is well integrated into your business model.” 

EcoVadis is one of the most widely used business sustainability rating systems. But only the top 1% of rated companies are awarded the prestigious EcoVadis Platinum Medal.  

While EcoVadis does not publish the score threshold percentile on a regular basis, in January the Platinum threshold was 80 and in July, 81. 

Platinum is only awarded to companies with a high level of sustainability maturity, and it usually takes several assessments for a company to achieve it.  

The assessment and subsequent internal optimisation processes are, therefore, likely to require a significant commitment in terms of time and resources. However, from our experience in helping clients achieve EcoVadis Platinum, we’ve identified some key strategies for success. 

What’s the difference between EcoVadis Gold and EcoVadis Platinum? 

To achieve EcoVadis Gold, you must provide documentary evidence of the effectiveness of your sustainability management system across the majority of your organisation’s ‘activated criteria’ – the sustainability sub-themes that EcoVadis considers most relevant to your organisation.

This evidence can include documents such as policies, KPI reports and records of sustainability audits by external bodies. To achieve Platinum, on the other hand, you must provide evidence that covers all of your organisation’s activated criteria. 

This means you need to show that you have a comprehensive set of policies and SMART targets in place covering all the relevant topics – GHG emissions to employee health and safety. And if you don’t already have the appropriate measures in place, you’ll need to develop them.

Remember that the EcoVadis assessment is a process of continuous improvement. Platinum is about showing a consistent commitment to excellence in sustainability management, with purpose as a key strategic driver for your company. 

Click here to read more about the steps you can take to achieve the EcoVadis Gold Medal. 

Targeting long-term strategic sustainability improvements 

Often, the difference between achieving EcoVadis Gold and Platinum isn’t just about how well you report on your sustainability management system. It can also be about driving progress on your sustainability commitments by making far-reaching changes to your operations.

For example, when catering company CIRFOOD was looking to make the leap to Platinum, it made some significant changes to its strategy. These included adopting a more sustainable procurement policy featuring local sourcing, implementing a supplier code of conduct, serving more vegetarian meals and using more electric vehicles. 

These changes were much more far-reaching than the steps the company took when it was in the early stages of its EcoVadis journey and pursuing the Bronze Medal. Then, the focus was on picking the ‘low-hanging fruit’ and establishing the frameworks it would build on in future assessments.

By treating the assessment as a continuous improvement process and learning from the insights provided by the EcoVadis Scorecard, CIRFOOD was able to optimise its policies and procedures. This has helped the company to implement the kinds of large-scale, structural changes necessary to achieve Platinum. 

Click here to learn more about our work with CIRFOOD. 

Demonstrating leadership in sustainability management 

Another way to showcase your organisation’s sustainability management progress is to participate in industry forums, pursue alignment with international standards and obtain relevant certifications.  

However, achieving certification can be costly, and you should consider how well this fits with your business objectives. For example, before it achieved the Platinum Medal, our client Tosca was considering getting ISO 14000 (environmental management) certification to cover all its facilities. However, it subsequently decided that the cost of certification didn’t justify the resulting EcoVadis score improvement. 

But the lack of certification didn’t stop the company from achieving EcoVadis Platinum status, demonstrating that it’s possible to balance an excellent sustainability rating with business considerations. This was thanks to its integrated approach to sustainability management, which covers all areas of the organisation and the activities of its value chain partners.

The EcoVadis assessment has consistently challenged the company to think harder and develop more effective strategies to drive long-term impact. And the process has been instrumental in raising the visibility of the company’s sustainability credentials and driving internal improvements as the business continues to grow. 

Watch our on-demand webinar to learn more about Tosca and CIRFOOD’s journey to EcoVadis Platinum. 

It’s this kind of holistic and detailed thinking that will help your organisation stand out and achieve the EcoVadis Platinum Medal. Fundamentally, achieving this award means providing proof that sustainability management is well integrated into your business model.  

Whether it’s sustainable innovation or collaboration with stakeholders in the value chain, you need to show that you’re taking every possible step in all areas relevant to your business. This will help ensure that you’re well-positioned to make a positive impact across the four themes of Environment, Labour and Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement – resulting in an excellent sustainability management system.