Your customer wants an EcoVadis score. You've never heard of it.
We help suppliers understand what EcoVadis is, why they're being asked, and get through it without overspending or overthinking it. Ltt Group helps suppliers prepare for EcoVadis assessments.
You've had an email that doesn't make sense.
Your customer has told you that you need to sign up to EcoVadis or you can no longer supply them. You've never heard of it. You've googled it and found enterprise pricing that makes your eyes water. You're wondering whether this is even legal.
You're not alone. This is happening to suppliers across every sector right now. Procurement teams at large companies are rolling out EcoVadis as a standard requirement for their supply chain. It's not optional. It's not going away. And if you don't respond, the risk is real: reduced priority in procurement decisions, loss of preferred supplier status, or contract termination.
But here's the thing most suppliers don't realise until someone explains it properly. EcoVadis isn't a judgement on whether your business is sustainable enough. It's a documentation exercise. It scores your policies, your evidence, and your ability to prove what you're already doing. Most businesses are doing far more than they think. They just haven't written it down in the format EcoVadis needs.
EcoVadis in 60 seconds
EcoVadis is a sustainability ratings platform used by procurement teams to assess their suppliers. Your customer subscribes to it. They ask you to complete a questionnaire and upload supporting documents. An analyst reviews your submission and gives you a score out of 100.
That score is split across four areas: environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. Each is worth 25%.
Your customer uses that score to compare you against other suppliers, make procurement decisions, and satisfy their own reporting requirements.
What it is
- A questionnaire plus supporting documents
- Analyst-reviewed (not automated)
- A score you can share with any customer who asks
- An annual process (you update it each year)
What it isn't
- A full audit of your business
- A replacement for your reputation or product quality
- Something you do once and forget about
Why your customer is doing this
Your customer isn't asking because they think you're not sustainable. They're asking because procurement teams need a consistent, comparable way to assess suppliers. EcoVadis gives them a standardised scorecard they can use across their entire supply base.
Typical reasons customers require it:
Reducing supply chain risk
Meeting their own due diligence obligations
Standardising how they assess suppliers
Creating comparable data across hundreds or thousands of suppliers
The commercial reality is that your EcoVadis score can influence whether you get onboarded, keep preferred supplier status, renew contracts, or win tenders.
From "how is this even legal?" to EcoVadis submission in 12 weeks.
A supplier in the food industry was told by their biggest customer that they needed an EcoVadis score or they could no longer supply them. The business owner posted on LinkedIn, furious. She called it "an act of ransom" and questioned whether it was even legal.
We were tagged into that post by a mutual connection. We offered to explain what was going on. She took us up on it.
We ran a free 90-minute call. By the end of it, she understood why her customer was asking, what EcoVadis was scoring, and what evidence she'd need. She went from angry and confused to informed and clear on next steps.
Two weeks later, she engaged us on a Tier 2 guided support package. We're now working through the submission together. Her EcoVadis application will be completed by end of May, with a score expected by end of July.
Customer requirement received
LinkedIn post expressing frustration (publicly visible)
Tagged into the post by a mutual connection
Free 90-minute education call
Purchase order received within two weeks
Stage 1 call completed
EcoVadis submission on track for end of May
Score expected end of July
"Thank you for explaining what it is all about!"
Three ways to approach EcoVadis
DIY
EcoVadis subscription only
You do it yourself. EcoVadis provides a questionnaire and guidance. If you have the time, the internal knowledge, and someone who can gather evidence and write policies, this works.
Cost: just the EcoVadis subscription fee. EcoVadis pricing varies, so it's worth getting in touch with them.
Tier 1: Ready
Review and route map
POA
Best if you want to stay hands-on but avoid mistakes that cost you points.
What's included:
- Review of your existing policies, ESG activity, CSR evidence
- Gap analysis aligned to EcoVadis's four scoring themes
- Prioritised action plan and evidence checklist
- Readout call with clear next steps
You do the submission. We make sure you're not leaving points on the table.
Tier 2: Guided
Co-pilot to submission
POA
Best if you want confidence and speed, with your team providing the inputs and us guiding every step.
Everything in Tier 1, plus:
- Step-by-step guidance to register and set up your EcoVadis account
- Guidance on customer communication (what to say, what not to say)
- Optional attendance at customer or internal meetings
- Section-by-section review before you submit
- Final submission readiness review
Both tiers: you sign up to EcoVadis directly, pay them directly, and own your account and data. We don't take commission on your EcoVadis subscription.
Already have Bronze or Silver and need to do better?
Not everyone coming to us is starting from scratch. Some businesses already have an EcoVadis score but their customer wants a higher one. You got Bronze, they want Silver. You've got Silver, they need Gold. You submitted last year and the score came back lower than you expected.
The problem is usually the same: you answered the questionnaire honestly but you didn't present your evidence in the way EcoVadis scores it. Policies existed but weren't uploaded. Actions were taken but not documented. The score reflects what you proved, not what you do.
We review your existing scorecard, identify where you lost points, and build a plan to close the gaps before your next submission. Sometimes it's as simple as restructuring documents you already have. Sometimes it's filling genuine gaps in policy or evidence. Either way, you'll know exactly where the points are and what it takes to get them.
If your customer has told you your current score isn't high enough, get in touch. A 30-minute call will tell us whether we can help.
Where most first submissions lose points
EcoVadis scores evidence, not intentions. If you can't prove it, you don't get credit for it.
The most common mistakes:
- Claiming actions without uploading evidence to support them
- Having policies that exist on paper but no proof of implementation
- Documents that are outdated, inconsistent, or not relevant to what's being asked
- Nobody internally who owns the process, so evidence collection takes forever
- Answering based on what you think they want to hear rather than what you can prove
The rule is simple: every "yes" answer needs proof. If you say you have an environmental policy, you need to upload it. If you say you've reduced emissions, you need to show the data. If you say you train staff on ethics, you need the training records.
Why Ltt
We support businesses through the EcoVadis process. We work with suppliers preparing for assessments every day, so we understand what the questionnaire asks for, where points are typically lost, and what evidence customers actually expect to see.
We keep prices transparent, don't take commission on your EcoVadis subscription, and don't overcomplicate it. We translate what you already do into the policies, actions, and evidence your customer expects.
Common questions
Confused about EcoVadis? That's where we start.
Book a call. We'll explain what's being asked of you, why, and what it would take to get through it. If you can do it yourself, we'll tell you. If you need help, we'll tell you what it costs.