How to Improve Your EcoVadis Score

Your EcoVadis score came back and it is not what you hoped. Maybe your customer is not happy. Maybe you expected Silver and got Bronze. Maybe you scored well in some areas but badly in others and you are not sure why.

The good news is that most businesses score lower than they should. Not because their sustainability performance is poor, but because the evidence was not presented in the way EcoVadis assesses it. Here is how to fix that.

Why scores come back low

EcoVadis does not assess what you do. It assesses what you can prove you do. That is the fundamental point most first-time submitters miss.

If you ticked "yes" to having an environmental policy but did not upload the document, you get zero credit. If you said you train staff on health and safety but cannot provide training records, the answer is treated as unsupported. If your policies exist but are undated, unsigned, or buried in an employee handbook without a standalone version, the analyst may not find them or may not consider them sufficient.

The single most common reason for a lower-than-expected score is evidence presentation, not a lack of sustainability activity. Businesses are doing more than their scores reflect. They just have not packaged it properly.

Environment (25%)

This is where most points are lost. The environment section looks for a carbon baseline, measured data rather than estimates, reduction targets, evidence of actions taken, and an environmental management system or policy.

Quick wins: calculate your Scope 1 and 2 baseline using actual utility bills and fuel records. Estimates based on industry averages score lower than measured data. Write a standalone environmental policy that covers your key impacts. Document any actions you have already taken to reduce energy use, waste, or emissions, with dates and data.

If you have ISO 14001 certification, make sure you upload the certificate. It is worth significant points.

Labour and Human Rights (25%)

This section covers health and safety, working conditions, diversity, training, and employee wellbeing. Many businesses score well here without much extra work because they already comply with UK employment law.

Quick wins: ensure your health and safety policy is a standalone, dated document. Upload training records or training plans. If you have an employee handbook, create separate policy documents for the key areas (working hours, diversity, grievance procedures) rather than relying on the handbook alone. Evidence of staff consultations or surveys scores well.

Ethics (25%)

Anti-corruption, data protection, whistleblowing, fair competition. Again, many UK businesses comply with these through general good practice but do not have dedicated, standalone policies.

Quick wins: your GDPR compliance counts here. Make sure you have a data protection policy you can upload. Write a short anti-bribery and corruption statement. Create a whistleblowing procedure if you do not have one. A code of conduct that covers ethical behaviour scores well.

Sustainable Procurement (25%)

This is the area that catches businesses off guard. It assesses how you manage sustainability in your own supply chain. Do you evaluate your suppliers on environmental or social criteria? Do you have a supplier code of conduct? Do you consider sustainability when choosing who to buy from?

Most SMEs have never thought about sustainability from the buying side. They have been focused on meeting their customers' requirements, not setting requirements for their own suppliers.

Quick wins: write a simple supplier code of conduct. Even a one-page document that sets out your expectations on environmental practices, labour standards, and ethics will score points. If you evaluate suppliers on any criteria beyond price and quality, document that process.

Getting professional help

Ltt Group reviews existing EcoVadis scorecards and identifies exactly where points were lost. We map the gaps, prioritise the quick wins, and build a plan to close them before your next submission. Sometimes the improvement is about restructuring evidence you already have. Sometimes it is about filling genuine gaps in policy or data. Either way, you know exactly what to do and what it will achieve before you spend any time on it.