How to move from EcoVadis Commited Badge to Bronze in 2026

“EcoVadis goes beyond a simple rating. It serves as a structured pathway that enables organisations to continually advance sustainability management through well-defined policies, meaningful actions, and transparent results.” 

Every company holding the Committed Badge is competing for Bronze against the same rising bar. As of May 2026, that bar sits at approximately 64 out of 100, up from 62 in July 2025 [1]. Two points in under a year may not sound significant. Across a global database of over 130,000 rated companies [2], it reflects a measurable shift in the average quality of sustainability management. The companies already on the platform are getting better, and new entrants must start ahead of where they needed to start two years ago. 

This article uses Nexio Projects’ own benchmarking data to profile exactly what a Bronze-level sustainability management system looks like in 2026. The goal is a concrete picture of where you need to be, grounded in real data. 

A note on how EcoVadis medals are awarded in 2026 

Since January 2024, EcoVadis has awarded medals based entirely on percentile ranking, not fixed score thresholds. Your overall score is compared against every company rated on the EcoVadis platform over the previous 12 months. Your medal depends on where you rank within that global group: Bronze goes to the top 35%, Silver to the top 15%, Gold to the top 5%, and Platinum to the top 1%. Because the database keeps growing and companies keep improving, the approximate score required for each medal rises over time. The score benchmarks referenced in this article are drawn from Nexio Projects’ internal client portfolio data, last updated May 2026. They are directional indicators, not fixed targets published by EcoVadis. 

The Bronze profile: what a 64/100 management system actually contains 

Bronze means your sustainability management system outperforms at least 65% of all companies rated globally over the previous 12 months [2]. Based on Nexio Projects’ benchmarking data and the EcoVadis methodology, a company scoring in the Bronze range in 2026 typically has the following in place [1]: 

• Sustainability commitments and policies covering some key EcoVadis criteria, potentially with some quantitative targets in place  

• Evidence of some initial measures introduced to reduce negative impact across some of the key EcoVadis sustainability criteria  

• Reported metrics covering some of the key EcoVadis sustainability criteria, over multiple reporting cycles  

• Clear internal ownership of the EcoVadis assessment process • No outstanding 360° Watch findings 

What a Bronze company might not yet have at this stage: structured management systems covering the majority of activated criteria, KPI reporting  covering all key EcoVadis sustainability criteria across multiple cycles, risk assessments, or any third-party certifications. These are more frequently seen at Silver and above. 

The gap between the Committed Badge and Bronze is often a formalisation gap. Most companies holding the Committed Badge (score 45 or above) already have sustainability activities underway. The work is to document those activities as formal policies and measures, then submit them to EcoVadis standards. 

Why the threshold keeps rising and what that means for timing 

The benchmark data tells a consistent story [1]: 

Silver moved 5 points in twelve months. The direction of travel is consistent across all levels. For companies at the Committed Badge stage, waiting does not hold your position. A company scoring 61 today and making no changes is likely to find itself further from Bronze at the next assessment, as the peer group improves around it. 

“Identifying which practices are formalised and which are still informal or undocumented is often where the real work begins. That diagnosis helps you see both your strengths and the areas that need more structure before you submit.” 

The rule that disqualifies more Bronze candidates than any other 

To qualify for any EcoVadis medal, a company must score at least 30 points in each of the four themes: Environment, Labour and Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement [2]. A strong overall score provides no protection. A company scoring 66 overall but 28 in Ethics receives no medal. 

The themes most consistently below 30 in Nexio Projects’ client analyses are Ethics and Sustainable Procurement, where documentation tends to be weakest in companies without prior structured sustainability management [3]. A Code of Conduct with employee acknowledgement, structured according to the EcoVadis methodology criteria can be the boost needed to bring the score to above 30 points, alongside scores in other indicators. A procurement policy referencing supplier sustainability can do the same in the Sustainable Procurement pillar. Both are achievable in weeks. Checking theme-level scores is the first diagnostic step before any other improvement work. 

A note on the recommendations: The actions described below are drawn from patterns observed across Nexio Projects’ client portfolio. They represent common high-impact levers at the Committed-to-Bronze transition but they are not a universal checklist. The relative weight of each action varies significantly depending on your company’s size, industry, and the specific criteria EcoVadis has activated for your scorecard. Use these as a starting point for diagnosis, not a fixed prescription. 

The lever map: What to build for Bronze 

The actions below represent the highest return per unit of effort at the Committed-to-Bronze transition, drawn from Nexio Projects’ lever framework across hundreds of client assessments [3]. 

Environment 

Publish a formal environmental policy naming the company’s material impacts, signed by management, branded, and current. Alongside it, track Scope 1 and 2 emissions data, as well as data for some of the other environmental criteria that EcoVadis deems material for your organisation. A basic annual spreadsheet showing energy consumption, greenhouse gas figures and other environmental metrics qualifies as evidence at this level, provided it is company-specific and submitted. The EcoVadis 2026 questions answered guide covers format and scope requirements in full. [4] 

Labour and Human Rights 

Policies covering the Labour and Human Rights-related topics material for a company, including commitments, roles and responsibilities and endorsement by management.  For measures relating to Health and Safety, Discrimination and Harassment and Child Labour, Forced Labour and Human Trafficking, training records, induction slides, and signed attendance sheets all qualify. For metrics and data, KPIs tracking meaningful metrics relating to the material topics, ideally over multiple reporting periods. 

Ethics 

A Code of Conduct covering anti-corruption and information security, combined with a record of employees acknowledging it, starts building the Policies indicator. A whistleblowing or grievance mechanism adds further credit, as well as evidence of due diligence measures applied across the organisation. 

Sustainable Procurement 

A procurement policy naming sustainability requirements for suppliers is the entry point. Two or three sentences in an existing purchasing policy will suffice initially. Adding sustainability clauses to supplier contracts, where relevant, improves this theme further. The EcoVadis essentials guide covers evidence standards for each activated criterion. [5] 

What this looks like in practice 

A mid-size European logistics company with around 500 employees engaged Nexio Projects when a key manufacturing client introduced a Bronze Medal requirement for preferred supplier status. The company held the Committed Badge with a score of 50.  

Gap analysis identified a single medal disqualifier: the Ethics theme was scoring below 30. Overall score aside, no medal was possible until that floor was cleared. The company had no formal Code of Conduct and no documented grievance mechanism, despite having clear expectations in place for employee conduct. The Sustainable Procurement and Environment themes were also below the Bronze benchmark, largely because environmental KPIs were being tracked internally but never submitted as structured evidence. 

Nexio Projects prioritised Ethics first. A Code of Conduct covering anti-corruption and information security was formalised, and a digital employee sign-off process confirmed acknowledgement across the organisation. A grievance reporting channel was documented and communicated. In parallel, a basic environmental policy was finalised and an annual KPI spreadsheet covering energy consumption and greenhouse gas estimates was prepared for submission. A procurement policy referencing supplier sustainability requirements was added to an existing purchasing framework. 

The total preparation time was three months. No new sustainability practice was introduced. 

At reassessment, the company scored 65 and earned the Bronze Medal, ranking in the top 35% globally. The improvement was 15 points. Every gain came from structuring and submitting what the company was already doing. 

Nexio Projects clients achieve an average score improvement of 13.8 points across the portfolio [3]. For companies in the Committed-to-Bronze range, that average is typically enough to clear Bronze in a single cycle. The CIRFOOD multi-year partnership shows what the full journey looks like: a company that started at a comparable baseline and reached Platinum through structured, successive cycles. [6] 

What comes after Bronze 

“Each EcoVadis assessment becomes more about confirming your organisation’s progress already underway. Your submission begins to tell a consistent and credible story: policies backed by action, action evidenced by data, and data used to refine priorities.” 

Bronze confirms a company’s sustainability management system meets a defined, globally benchmarked standard. For most supply chain relationships, it clears the threshold for preferred supplier status. 

The path from Bronze to Silver requires a different kind of work: moving from “we have some policies and initial measures” to “our management systems are structured, cover the majority of our activated criteria, and we report on them consistently.” That transition is the subject of the next article in this series. The full 2026 requirements across all levels are covered in Stay ahead of the rising standards: EcoVadis 2026 unlocked. [7] 

Key takeaways 

• As of May 2026, the approximate score required for Bronze is 64/100, up from 62 in July 2025. The threshold rises as the database grows.  

• At Bronze level, policies are in place covering some key EcoVadis sustainability criteria, supported by management systems and measures addressing some of those criteria, and metrics are reported for some key criteria over multiple reporting cycles. 
• A minimum of 30 points in each of the four themes is required for any medal. Ethics and Sustainable Procurement are the most common disqualifiers.  
• The gap between the Committed Badge and Bronze is often a formalisation gap. Many companies already have the activities. The work is to document and submit them correctly.  
• Timing matters. Waiting does not preserve your position. The peer group is improving continuously. 

Nexio Projects is an international sustainability consultancy dedicated to guiding organisations on their journey from compliance to purpose. Their expert team provides EcoVadis assessment support, gap analysis, document preparation, and submission coaching to help companies at every medal level improve faster and more reliably. Recognised as a top boutique ESG and sustainability strategy firm by Verdantix and as a top European sustainability consultancy by Consultancy EU, Nexio Projects helps clients reach their EcoVadis goals with a structured, step-by-step approach. 

Ready to move from Committed Badge to Bronze? Book a free discovery call with the Nexio Projects EcoVadis team and get a clear picture of your highest-priority actions before your next assessment. 

References  

[1] Nexio Projects. Ecovadis infographic.pptx. Internal benchmarking slide, 26Q2 EcoVadis medal articles folder, Marketing Team SharePoint. May 2026.  

[2] EcoVadis. EcoVadis Medals and Badges. https://ecovadis.com/suppliers/ecovadis-medals-and-badges/. Accessed May 2026.  

[3] Nexio Projects. Internal track record data: average client improvement of 13.8 points. Portfolio analysis, 2026.  

[4] Nexio Projects. EcoVadis 2026: Your questions answered. https://nexioprojects.com/ecovadis-2026-your-questions-answered/. Published February 2026. [5] Nexio Projects. EcoVadis essentials: A guide for beginners and reassessed companies. https://nexioprojects.com/ecovadis-essentials-a-guide-for-beginners-and-reassessed-companies/. Published September 2025.  

[6] Nexio Projects. CIRFOOD’s multi-year sustainability partnership with Nexio Projects. https://nexioprojects.com/cirfoods-multi-year-sustainability-partnership-with-nexio-projects-from-vision-to-leadership/. Published November 2025.  

[7] Nexio Projects. Stay ahead of the rising standards: EcoVadis 2026 unlocked. https://nexioprojects.com/knowledge-centre/stay-ahead-of-the-rising-standards-ecovadis-2026-unlocked/. 2026.