How to move from EcoVadis Silver to Gold in 2026 

“At Gold level, the question shifts from whether you have policies and systems in place to whether those systems are genuinely working, fully deployed, and visible to the outside world. That is a meaningful and demanding transition.” 

Stephanie Pragastis, Senior Sustainability Consultant and Trainer, Nexio Projects 

Holding a Silver Medal places a company in the top 15% of more than 130,000 organisations rated on EcoVadis globally [2]. For most supply chains, that is a strong position. Silver signals structured sustainability management, consistent reporting, and active supplier engagement. For premium procurement relationships, ESG-conscious investors, and enterprise-level supply chains, it also marks the entry point to a more selective tier. For those relationships, Gold is the relevant threshold. 

As of May 2026, the approximate score observed at Gold level sits at 80 out of 100, up from 77 in July 2025 [1]. The gap between Silver and Gold is approximately 7 points in raw score terms. What Nexio Projects observes across its client portfolio is that Gold companies consistently score higher on a specific set of indicators: they tend to have quantitative SMART targets, where Silver companies have qualitative commitments, a public sustainability report where Silver companies report internally or selectively, and documented measures in place for every activated criterion where Silver companies cover the majority. This article maps those patterns using the indicator structure that drives the EcoVadis score. 

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 your 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. What it takes to reach Gold in any individual case also depends on the weighting of a company’s activated sustainability criteria, its size band, and how it currently performs on each individual indicator. 

The Gold profile: What companies at this level tend to have 

Based on Nexio Projects’ benchmarking data and client portfolio work, companies scoring in the Gold range in 2026 tend to have the following in place [1]: 

• Structured policies covering all key EcoVadis sustainability criteria activated for their sector, size, and geography (Policies indicator)  

• Future-facing, quantitative SMART targets in place for some key activated sustainability criteria (Policies indicator)  

• Documented measures covering all key activated criteria, with no criterion left without at least one implementing action (Measures indicator)  

• Multiple valid third-party certifications covering the majority of key sustainability themes, with scope extending across the majority of the organisation (Certifications indicator)  

• A public sustainability report that complies with a recognised reporting standard, covering key sustainability criteria over multiple reporting cycles (Reporting indicator) 

• A voluntary commitment to at least one sustainability-related industry initiative 

• No controversies, fines, or adverse media relating to sustainability themes 

The score in context 

Nexio Projects’ benchmarking data through May 2026 shows the following [1]: 

Gold moved 2 points between January and May 2026, a faster rate of increase than any other medal level in that period. Companies holding Silver on the basis of a score in the low-to-mid 70s have less distance to the threshold than the percentile position implies, but equally less margin for inaction as the Gold cohort continues to advance. 

Understanding the indicators 

Before mapping specific levers, it is useful to understand how the EcoVadis scoring formula distributes weight. The decisions that move a score from Silver into Gold territory are disproportionately concentrated in a few of the scoring indicators. 

EcoVadis evaluates companies across four sustainability themes (Environment, Labour and Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement) and assigns scores across four main content indicators: 

• Policies (25% of overall score): Written commitments, governance structures, scope definitions, quantitative SMART targets and formal endorsements  

• Measures (24% of overall score): Documented actions implemented across all four themes to address sustainability topics across all four themes: procedures, training programmes, risk assessments, tools or equipment. This is the highest-weighted single content indicator 

• Certifications (16% of overall score): Valid third-party certifications, sustainability labels, and independent audits  

• Reporting (14% of overall score): KPI data reported in publicly available documents 

• 360° Watch (21% of overall score): Adverse media, NGO alerts, and regulatory findings 

For large companies, a Coverage multiplier is applied to the Actions category (which includes both Measures and Certifications), meaning the organisational scope of management systems and certifications affects how these indicator scores translate into overall score points.  

EcoVadis 360° Watch findings can affect medal eligibility. A company becomes ineligible if it has at least one severe finding in any theme, at least one major finding each in two different themes, or five or more major findings within a single theme. Findings remain valid for three years for Environment, Labour and Human Rights, and Sustainable Procurement, and for between five and ten years for Ethics. Different thresholds apply to very large companies (50,000+ employees). 

Silver companies in Nexio Projects’ portfolio typically score well on Policies at a qualitative level and have one or two certifications and some KPI reporting in place. The gap to Gold tends to concentrate in three areas: Reporting (moving from internal or selective disclosure to a public sustainability report aligned to a recognised standard); Policies (converting qualitative commitments into quantitative SMART targets); and Measures (ensuring every activated criterion has at least one documented implementing action, not just the highest-priority ones). 

“Gold-level companies have typically done the structural work already. What often holds them back is visibility: excellent practices not yet publicly reported, or management systems that exist at one site but have not been extended across the organisation. Closing those gaps is often faster than companies expect.” 

Rachit Paliwal, Senior Sustainability Consultant, Nexio Projects 

What Silver companies tend to miss: portfolio observations 

1. No public sustainability report 

Silver-level companies in Nexio Projects’ portfolio frequently track and report sustainability data internally or disclose it selectively through assessments and client questionnaires. To score at or near the maximum on the Reporting indicator, a company needs a publicly available sustainability report that complies with a recognised reporting standard (GRI “in accordance with,” SASB, ESRS, IFRS, or VSME Comprehensive) and covers quantitative KPI data for key criteria across multiple reporting cycles. The act of publishing a structured, standard-aligned public report is the single most common differentiator between Silver and Gold submissions in Nexio Projects’ experience. Without it, the Reporting indicator is structurally capped regardless of how well sustainability data is tracked internally. 

2. Certifications limited to the primary site or a single theme 

Silver-level companies often hold one certification, typically ISO 14001 for Environment, covering the main site. Gold-level companies in Nexio Projects’ portfolio tend to have multiple valid certifications across the majority of key sustainability themes, with scope extending to the majority of the organisation. A company with ISO 14001 at headquarters and no equivalent Labour or Ethics certification is scoring below the Certifications indicator’s ceiling in at least two themes. Extending certifications to additional themes (ISO 45001 for Health and Safety, third-party social audits for Labour, relevant certifications for Ethics where applicable) and extending existing certifications to additional sites moves this indicator materially. 

3. Qualitative commitments not converted to SMART targets 

Silver-level policies in Nexio Projects’ portfolio frequently include strong qualitative commitments: “to reduce carbon emissions over time,” “to continually improve health and safety performance.” Gold-level companies tend to have replaced or supplemented at least some of these with quantitative SMART targets: a defined baseline, a measurable reduction ambition, and a timeline. A target of “reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 30% by 2030 against a 2022 baseline” qualifies. The priority is to convert commitments on the highest-weighted activated criteria first. 

4. Measures that cover most criteria but not all 

Silver-level Measures scores typically reflect structured systems covering the majority of activated criteria. The gap to Gold-level Measures performance often lies in the criteria with policies in place but no documented implementing action. Scoring higher on the Measures indicator requires ensuring no activated criterion is left without at least one concrete documented measure. The EcoVadis 2026 questions answered guide explains how EcoVadis credits measures for each type of activated criterion. [4] 

The lever map: What to build for Gold 

The levers below are organised by scoring indicator. The relative priority of each depends on where a company’s current indicator scores sit and which criteria are activated and how heavily weighted for its sector and size. A gap analysis against the current EcoVadis scorecard is the recommended starting point before sequencing improvement effort. 

Policies: Converting commitments into SMART targets 

The Policies indicator rewards written commitments that are specific, measurable, time-bound, and scoped. Where a company has qualitative commitments on its highest-weighted activated criteria, the lever is to convert those commitments into quantitative SMART targets with a defined baseline year, a measurable reduction or improvement ambition, and a delivery timeline. For most sectors, this starts with Environment: a Scope 1 and 2 GHG reduction target with a 2030 horizon is standard at Gold level. Where Labour and Human Rights are highly weighted, a quantitative target on H&S incident frequency rate or training completion rate adds further to the Policies score. Strengthening the governance framework (by assigning formal sustainability responsibilities and documenting the performance review cycle) also contributes to the Policies indicator across all themes. At least one active endorsement is consistently observed in Gold-level companies in Nexio Projects’ portfolio. 

Measures: Covering all activated criteria across all four themes 

Measures is the highest-weighted single indicator (24% of overall score). At the Silver-to-Gold transition, the most consistent gap is not in the themes where measures are already strongest (typically Environment and Labour and Human Rights) but in the criteria across themes without documented implementing action. 

For Environment, measures to consider beyond energy and GHG tracking include a formal waste management procedure, a water risk assessment or water management procedure (where activated), site-level environmental impact assessments, and topic-specific training programmes on environmental topics relevant to the sector. 

For Labour and Human Rights, the gap at this level is often in implementing measures beyond the H&S policy and training records already in place. Formal H&S management procedures (incident investigation procedure, risk assessment methodology), training programmes on specific Labour topics such as ergonomics, discrimination and harassment, and work-life balance, and documented mental health or wellbeing initiatives where activated, all contribute to the Measures indicator for this theme. 

For Ethics, the two measures most commonly underdeveloped at Silver level are a documented corruption risk assessment and a documented information security risk assessment. Both are also required to exceed 75/100 on the Ethics Measures indicator at any level. A formal whistleblower procedure with evidence of operationalisation adds further credit. These measures are often absent even in companies with strong ethics policies and training programmes. 

For Sustainable Procurement, where SP is an activated high-weight criterion, the Measures leap from Silver to Gold typically involves moving from a supplier code of conduct and basic screening to a structured SAQ process for key suppliers, a documented supplier risk assessment methodology, and evidence of supplier monitoring across the assessment cycle. Where SP is lower-weighted, the priority of these actions relative to other indicators should be guided by the scorecard gap analysis. 

Certifications: Extending scope and coverage 

The Certifications indicator rewards the number of valid certifications, their relevance to activated criteria, and the organisational coverage of those certifications. For large companies, the Coverage multiplier means that extending an existing certification to additional sites or subsidiaries has a compound score value. For most Silver companies, the priority is to add a second certification covering a different sustainability theme (ISO 45001 for Health and Safety if ISO 14001 is already in place, or a third-party social audit such as SMETA for Labour and Sustainable Procurement) and to extend the scope of existing certifications to additional locations where this has not yet been done. 

Reporting: Publishing a formal public sustainability report 

The Reporting indicator is frequently the largest single lever at the Silver-to-Gold transition. To score at or near the maximum on Reporting, a company needs a publicly available sustainability report, accessible on its website, that complies with a recognised reporting standard (GRI “in accordance with,” SASB, ESRS, IFRS, or VSME Comprehensive; note that GRI “with reference” now caps at 75/100 following the April 2026 methodology update) and covers quantitative KPI data for key criteria across multiple reporting cycles. Internal tracking documents, client-facing questionnaire responses, and private ESG disclosures do not qualify regardless of their quality. For companies already tracking KPIs internally, the primary work at this stage is to structure, compile, and publish that data as a formal report aligned to a recognised standard. The EcoVadis essentials guide covers the evidence requirements for the Reporting indicator in full. [5] 

What this looks like in practice 

A mid-size manufacturing company with around 800 employees and operations across three European countries had held the Silver Medal for two consecutive assessment cycles. The company’s largest customer introduced a Gold requirement as a condition of preferred supplier status within one assessment cycle. 

Nexio Projects conducted a gap analysis against the company’s current scorecard and identified four bottlenecks. First, no public sustainability report had been published; the company’s sustainability data was tracked internally and disclosed selectively in client questionnaires. Second, ISO 14001 was in place at the main site only, with no equivalent certification covering Labour and Human Rights themes or the two subsidiary sites. Third, the environmental policy referenced a general commitment to reducing emissions but contained no SMART GHG target. Fourth, the Ethics theme had a Code of Conduct and anti-corruption training programme but no documented corruption risk assessment and no information security risk assessment, leaving two zero-measure criteria in place. 

The improvement programme introduced: a GRI-referenced annual sustainability report published on the company website; extension of ISO 14001 to all three sites; ISO 45001 deployed at the primary site as a new certification covering Labour and Human Rights; a formal Scope 1 and 2 GHG reduction target of 35% by 2030 against a 2023 baseline; and both a corruption risk assessment and an information security risk assessment documented for Ethics. 

At reassessment, the company scored 81 and earned the Gold Medal. The single largest gain was in Reporting, driven by the new public report. Ethics Measures also moved significantly following the two risk assessments. The total improvement was 8 points from a starting position of 73. 

Nexio Projects clients achieve an average score improvement of 13.8 points across the portfolio [3]. At the Silver-to-Gold range, the gains come from Reporting, Certifications, SMART targets, and closing Measures gaps — not from adding volume to a system that is already structured. The Stolthaven Terminals case study shows what a disciplined, company-wide approach to these four indicators produced in practice, taking Stolthaven into the top 2% of their sector globally. [6] 

What comes after Gold 

“Each EcoVadis assessment at this level becomes a test of whether your sustainability commitments are genuinely embedded in your governance, your operations, and your external communications. Gold companies have made that transition. Platinum requires sustaining and deepening it.” 

Stephanie Pragastis, Senior Sustainability Consultant and Trainer, Nexio Projects 

Gold places a company in the top 5% of the global EcoVadis database. For enterprise-level procurement and investor-facing ESG disclosure, it signals a management system that is comprehensive, publicly accountable, and beginning to be third-party validated. 

The path from Gold to Platinum requires a further shift: moving from comprehensive coverage on the majority of criteria toward top scores on the highest-weighted indicators across all activated criteria, with verified public reporting, SMART targets covering the majority of criteria, and measures in place for every single activated criterion. That is the subject of the final article in this series. For a full picture of the 2026 requirements across all levels, the Nexio Projects guide Stay ahead of the rising standards: EcoVadis 2026 unlocked covers the methodology changes that matter most for companies at Silver and above. [7] 

Key takeaways 

• As of May 2026, the approximate score observed at Gold is 80/100, up from 77 in July 2025. These are portfolio-based benchmarks from Nexio Projects’ client data, not fixed EcoVadis-published thresholds.  

• Gold-level companies in Nexio Projects’ portfolio tend to have SMART targets on at least some activated criteria, documented measures covering all key activated criteria, multiple certifications across the majority of key themes, and a public sustainability report aligned to a recognised standard.  

• The Reporting indicator is the most consistent single differentiator between Silver and Gold: the transition from internal tracking to a publicly available, standard-aligned report is a step most Silver companies have not yet taken. 

• The Measures indicator gap at this level sits not in the best-covered themes but in the criteria across all four themes that have a policy in place but no documented implementing action, including Ethics, where a corruption risk assessment and an information security risk assessment are both needed to exceed 75/100.  

• What it takes to close the gap is specific to each company’s activated criteria, size band, and current indicator scores. A gap analysis against the current scorecard is the recommended starting point. 

Nexio Projects understands medal-level performance 

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, scorecard coaching, and structured improvement planning to help companies at every medal level improve efficiently and reliably. Recognised as a top boutique ESG and sustainability strategy firm by Verdantix and as the best ESG consultancy in the Netherlands by Consultancy NL, Nexio Projects helps clients move through the medal levels with a structured, step-by-step approach. 

Ready to move from Silver to Gold before your next assessment? Book a free discovery call with the Nexio Projects EcoVadis team and get a targeted gap analysis for your Gold transition. 

References 

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

[2] EcoVadis. EcoVadis Medals and Badges: Levels, Criteria and Meaning. 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. How Stolthaven Terminals achieved EcoVadis Gold. https://nexioprojects.com/how-stolthaven-terminals-achieved-ecovadis-gold-best-practice-learnings-for-sustainability-leaders/. Published July 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.