Having a structured approach to sustainability is crucial — not just for your EcoVadis score but for long-term business success. But how do you actually improve that score? Let’s deep dive into a solid approach.
Well, the first step is examining your scorecard. EcoVadis provides detailed feedback on your performance, highlighting exactly where you’re strong and where you need to improve. So, if for example your score in sustainable procurement is lower than expected, that’s a clear signal to refine your supplier policies or introduce new monitoring processes.
EcoVadis will give you a clear indication of the gaps noted in your system, which will help you focus your efforts.
Next, focus on structured documentation. The more centralised and organised your sustainability management system is, the easier it is to demonstrate progress. I recently worked with a client in the fast-moving consumer goods sector who streamlined their entire documentation process by creating a central sustainability database.
So, instead of hunting for documentation like policies, training records, and reports every assessment cycle, they had a single well-maintained repository that made it easy to track and showcase their improvements.
By taking a structured approach to documentation, they not only improved their EcoVadis score but also made sustainability a more integrated and manageable part of their business operations.
Now, another key factor is engaging your stakeholders. Ensure that key departments like HR, procurement, operations, for example, are aligned and engaged, and that these stakeholders understand how to properly document sustainability efforts.
So, for example, if your company has a diversity and inclusion policy, make sure HR is actively tracking hiring data and running employee engagement programmes that back it up with real action.
With this approach to sustainability embedded throughout the organisation, it will mean that when it comes time for the assessment, sourcing documentation and stakeholder input from across your organisation will be much simpler.
And finally, strengthen your reporting to optimise your document submissions.
Now remember, EcoVadis allows you to submit 55 new documents each year, so efficiency is key. This is where a structured sustainability reporting process becomes essential, allowing you to submit a high-quality, multi-purpose document to make your submission both strategic and impactful.
Think of it this way: Instead of scrambling to pull together fragmented pieces of evidence every time you complete an assessment, your sustainability report can serve as a go-to resource covering multiple EcoVadis pillars all in one place.
And beyond EcoVadis, sustainability reporting is a real sign of ESG maturity. It enhances transparency with external stakeholders and, very importantly, it also creates internal accountability.
When your company is actively tracking sustainability performance year on year, it becomes much easier to set meaningful targets and drive continuous improvement.
So, for companies aiming for a Gold or Platinum EcoVadis medal, a high-quality sustainability report is essential. It moves you beyond compliance and into sustainability leadership — embedding ESG principles into your company’s culture and long-term vision.
Thank you, Stephanie, again, in this final episode, for explaining how your journey looks like to become a Platinum member.
Thank you all for joining us through all these episodes around introducing how to improve your score, but also how the EcoVadis assessment looks like, and foremost how you can improve your medals — above and beyond.
Go to our website for even more content on how to go above and beyond in your sustainability journey.
Thank you very much once again, and wish you good luck with your journey.
