The customer’s own duty
A Modern Slavery Act statement, for an organisation with £36 million turnover or more.
The Act requires the statement, not a rating.Supply chain · ratings
The EcoVadis rating
An EcoVadis rating is EcoVadis’s scored opinion, from 0 to 100, of how a company manages environmental, labour, ethics and procurement issues.
A scorecard lasts 12 months, the rated supplier normally pays, and a medal needs every theme at 30 or above.
No UK law requires one: it arrives as a request from a customer.
Status
Is an EcoVadis rating required by law?
No. It is a commercial request, often made to support the customer’s own legal duties.
The Home Office’s statutory guidance treats audits and assessments as one due-diligence tool that “should not be relied upon alone”, and names no rating provider (§4.4).
EcoVadis says the rating is “always solicited”, and that a company can always refuse an assessment (§1.1).
The customer’s side of the same request is explained on modern slavery reporting requirements.
A customer asks for an EcoVadis rating
The customer’s procurement policy
A contract term or a supplier code.
A commercial obligation you can negotiate.EU law
The ESG Ratings Regulation governs rating providers.
It places no duty on the rated supplier.What it assesses
What does EcoVadis assess?
Four themes holding 21 criteria, each scored on seven management indicators.
Each theme gets a weight of 1 to 4 for the company’s industry, size and risk profile, and the overall score is their weighted average (§1.2).
The seven indicators run from policy and endorsement to measures, certifications, coverage, reporting and the 360° Watch of outside sources.
Only documented answers are credited, and EcoVadis uses no estimates or industry averages where data is missing (§2.6(a)).
Four themesExplore
Four themes
Labor & Human Rights
Seven criteria, including child labour, forced labour and human trafficking.
Four themes
Ethics
Three criteria: corruption, anticompetitive practices, responsible information management.
One supplier
Why can a good score earn no medal?
A 300-person UK manufacturer scores 58 but Sustainable Procurement scores 27, so it gets a badge, not a medal.
It is an illustration, not a real company; its other themes scored 62, 55 and 48.
Had every theme reached 30 and its percentile put it in the top 35%, it would have been eligible for at least Bronze.
A score of 70 would not guarantee Gold either, because EcoVadis publishes no medal score thresholds (EcoVadis).
- 1
What did it score?
58 overall: the “Good” level, 45 to 64 (methodology §2.3(e)).
- 2
Can it have a medal?
No: Sustainable Procurement scored 27, below the theme floor of 30 (Medals §2.3).
- 3
A badge instead?
Yes, a Committed badge, because the overall score is at least 45 (Badges §2.3).
- 4
How long does it last?
Twelve months from publication; then a reassessment (§2.1(c)).
- 5
What would change it?
Documented supplier policies and actions in procurement, the weakest theme.
Scores and medals
What do the scores and medals mean?
Five score levels from EcoVadis’s methodology, and medals by percentile once the eligibility rules are met.
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Score levels | Insufficient 0–24 · Partial 25–44 · Good 45–64 · Advanced 65–84 · Outstanding 85–100 | Methodology §2.3(e) |
| Medals | Platinum top 1% · Gold top 5% · Silver top 15% · Bronze top 35%, against all companies assessed in the previous 12 months | Medals and Badges |
| Medal ineligibility | Any theme below 30; certain 360° Watch findings; excluded industries such as tobacco and coal | Medals §2.3 |
| Badges | Committed at 45 or more; Fast Mover at 34–44 with a 6-point rise within 18 months; not for a medal holder | Badges §2.3 |
| Validity | Scorecard, medal and badge: 12 months from publication | §2.1(c) |
| Sharing | From 1 January 2026, every external use links to the company’s EcoVadis Recognition Page | EcoVadis Help Center |
Your scorecard
What does your scorecard add up to?
Enter the scores, your percentile and the publication date: the level, the medal test and the expiry follow.
The check applies EcoVadis’s published rules; EcoVadis makes the decision.
It does not model the 360° Watch findings or the excluded industries, which can also bar a medal.
A badge needs no severe finding in the past five years, or seven for Ethics (Badges §2.3).
EcoVadis · read your scorecard
Enter the overall score from your scorecard.
Rules: EcoVadis Sustainability Rating methodology V10.0 §2.3(e); Medals Methodology V2.0 §2.3; Badges Methodology V1.0 §2.3; Medals and Badges page. The 360° Watch and industry exclusions are not modelled.
A reading of EcoVadis’s published rules, not EcoVadis’s decision. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Who pays
Who pays for an EcoVadis rating?
Normally the rated supplier, through a subscription; the buyer pays only where its own contract says so.
EcoVadis prices by employee band, region, a 1- or 3-year term and plan; its own price list is on its pricing page.
Prices are not repeated here: they could not be confirmed in a UK view of that page.
Each subscription year includes one assessment, so a 3-year term buys three annual scorecards (EcoVadis Help Center).
A Basic plan is enough only if the customer itself reads ratings inside the EcoVadis network.
Who paysExplore
Who pays
The supplier
Pays an annual or multi-year subscription; the questionnaire cannot be submitted without one.
Who pays
The buyer
May pay the first 12 months, only if its own agreement with EcoVadis says so.
Who pays
The plan
Basic shares only inside the EcoVadis network; Premium and above share with anyone and promote medals.
Carbon Rating
What is the EcoVadis Carbon Rating?
A separate 0–100 scorecard on greenhouse gas management, requested by the buyer, with the supplier’s consent.
It covers “solely issues related to GHG emissions” and is offered only to companies in EcoVadis’s S, M and L size bands (EcoVadis).
A Leader level is not the same as SBTi validation; validation is one of its named prerequisites, explained on SBTi validation.
Investors often ask for CDP reporting instead, which is a different system.
- 0
Insufficient
No evidence of GHG management. - 1–20
Beginner
Early steps. - 21–50
Intermediate
Measurement and some action. - 51–75
Advanced
Including public reporting of third-party verified emissions. - 76–100
Leader
Absolute Scope 1 and 2 targets and evidence of science-aligned targets.
Regulation
Is EcoVadis regulated?
In the EU it has notified ESMA and awaits authorisation; in the UK, the question is not settled.
EcoVadis says its ratings are within the EU Regulation; it notified ESMA on 8 July 2026 and expects its review to conclude around May 2027 (EcoVadis).
As at 15 October 2026 it was notified, not authorised.
The Treasury’s explanatory memorandum says ratings used for purposes such as “supply chain management” are out of the UK regime where the provider could not reasonably expect investment use (EM ¶5.5).
The instrument names no provider, so whether any EcoVadis rating is in scope is not decided.
Rules on ratersExplore
Rules on raters
EU ESG Ratings Regulation
Applies from 2 July 2026; recital 42 names ratings used “in the procurement and supply chain context”.
Rules on raters
ESMA list
EcoVadis SAS appears on the list of firms that have notified, last updated 9 October 2026.
Rules on raters
UK regime
From 29 June 2028, ratings likely to influence an investment decision need FCA authorisation.
Audits
How does a SMETA audit fit with EcoVadis?
A recent recognised audit generally keeps a supplier out of EcoVadis’s site-verification selection.
| Question | EcoVadis’s answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Does EcoVadis verify sites? | Sometimes, using an SA8000-based protocol, at no extra fee | Methodology |
| Who is selected? | Factors include no third-party audit reports and a preliminary score of 55 or higher | Methodology |
| Does a SMETA audit count? | A recognised audit within the previous two years generally keeps you out of selection | EcoVadis Help Center |
| Does it raise the score? | EcoVadis says no such thing; third-party audits count as evidence | Methodology |
What a SMETA audit is, and what it costs, is on Sedex and SMETA audits.
Order of work
What should a supplier do first?
Read the customer’s request, then gather documents before you open the questionnaire.
Many of the same documents answer a customer’s ESG questionnaire.
Some suppliers also pursue B Corp certification, which is a certification and a different thing.
- 1
Read the request
Who asked, what score or medal they want, and whether they pay the first year.
- 2
Find the weakest theme
A theme below 30 blocks any medal.
- 3
Gather documents
Policies, measures and reports: only documented answers are credited.
- 4
Choose the plan
Basic shares only inside the EcoVadis network.
- 5
Diarise the expiry
Twelve months from publication; reassess before it lapses.
An EcoVadis rating is a customer’s request scored on your documents, and it lasts a year.
- 0–100 · four themes
An EcoVadis rating scores your management system, not your products
21 criteria, documents only. - Theme floor 30
One weak theme blocks any medal
Medals then follow percentile rank. - 12 months
A scorecard lasts a year from publication
A reassessment gives the next one. - Supplier pays
Unless your customer’s own contract with EcoVadis says otherwise
Fees never depend on the result. - No UK law
A rating is a customer’s request, not a legal duty
The Modern Slavery Act asks for a statement.
Frequently asked
What else do people ask about the EcoVadis rating?
What is an EcoVadis rating?
It is EcoVadis’s own opinion of a company’s sustainability management system, scored from 0 to 100 overall and in four themes: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement.
The themes hold 21 criteria.
EcoVadis credits only declarations supported by documents.
Is an EcoVadis rating a legal requirement in the UK?
No. No UK law requires an EcoVadis rating.
Customers ask for one, often to support their own Modern Slavery Act statement, which requires the statement and not any particular audit or rating.
What score do you need for an EcoVadis medal?
EcoVadis gives medals by percentile, not by a published overall score: Platinum is the top 1%, Gold the top 5%, Silver the top 15% and Bronze the top 35%.
A company is ineligible if any theme scores below 30, whatever its percentile.
Is 45 a pass in EcoVadis?
EcoVadis sets no pass mark.
45 is the bottom of its “Good” level and the minimum for a Committed badge.
A customer may set its own threshold in its contract with you.
How long does an EcoVadis scorecard last?
Twelve months from its publication date.
A new scorecard comes only from a reassessment.
A 3-year subscription buys three annual assessments; it does not make one scorecard last three years.
Who pays for EcoVadis?
Normally the rated supplier, through a subscription priced by employee band, region, term and plan.
A buyer pays the first year only if its own contract with EcoVadis says so.
EcoVadis says its fees are never contingent on the rating result.
Is EcoVadis regulated?
In the EU, EcoVadis says its ratings are in scope of the ESG Ratings Regulation; it notified ESMA on 8 July 2026 and expects authorisation around May 2027. It was not authorised as at 15 October 2026.
In the UK, the ESG ratings regime starts on 29 June 2028, and nothing in the instrument decides whether a supplier rating is in or out.
Does a SMETA audit help with EcoVadis?
EcoVadis says a recent recognised third-party audit, such as SMETA within the previous two years, generally keeps a supplier out of its site-verification selection, and third-party audits count as evidence. It does not say an audit raises the score.
Sources
Where does each figure come from?
Every figure, date and status on this page traces to the instrument’s owner.
Secondary commentary is never the source for a number.
Checked against 19 sources fromEcoVadisEcoVadis Help CenterEUR-LexESMAlegislation.gov.ukHM Treasury
- EcoVadisSustainability Rating Methodology disclosure document (V10.0, January 2026)
Four themes, 21 criteria, the 0–100 score and its five levels, 12-month validity, site verification.
- EcoVadisMedals Methodology disclosure document (V2.0, January 2026), §2.3
The ineligibility rules: a theme below 30, the 360° Watch findings, excluded industries.
- EcoVadisBadges Methodology disclosure document (V1.0, January 2026), §2.3
Committed at 45; Fast Mover at 34–44 with a 6-point rise; no badge for a medal holder.
- EcoVadisCarbon Rating Methodology disclosure document (v2.0, January 2026)
A separate 0–100 scorecard on GHG management, requested by buyers.
- EcoVadisMedals and Badges
Platinum top 1%, Gold top 5%, Silver top 15%, Bronze top 35%; a medal “is not a certification”.
- EcoVadisRated Companies Terms and Conditions, §9
The rated company pays; a buyer pays the first 12 months only under its own contract with EcoVadis.
- EcoVadisTrust Center: ESMA, Business model and Pricing
Fees “never contingent on the rating result”; notification to ESMA on 8 July 2026.
- EcoVadisPlans and Pricing
Plan contents: Basic shares only inside the EcoVadis network.
- EcoVadis Help CenterGetting ready to start a reassessment
One assessment per subscription year.
- EcoVadis Help CenterUnderstanding EcoVadis Medals and Badges
Medal score thresholds are not published; the Recognition Page link rule from 1 January 2026.
- EcoVadis Help CenterOn-site verification
A recent SMETA or similar audit generally keeps a supplier out of site-verification selection.
- EcoVadisOur Impact
175,000 rated companies, EcoVadis’s own count.
- EUR-LexRegulation (EU) 2024/3005 on ESG rating activities, Arts 2, 3 and recital 42
Applies from 2 July 2026; recital 42 names procurement and supply chain use.
- ESMAList of firms that have notified ESMA under Article 51 (9 October 2026)
EcoVadis SAS is listed as having notified, not as authorised.
- legislation.gov.ukFSMA 2000 (Regulated Activities) (ESG Ratings) Order 2025 (SI 2025/1349), art 6
The UK test: a rating “likely to influence a decision to make an investment”, from 29 June 2028.
- HM TreasuryExplanatory Memorandum to SI 2025/1349, ¶5.5
Names “supply chain management” as a use firms should weigh.
- Home OfficeTransparency in supply chains: a practical guide, §4.4
Audits “should not be relied upon alone”; no audit scheme or rating provider is named.
- legislation.gov.ukModern Slavery Act 2015, section 54
The statement duty; due diligence is something the statement “may” cover.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2015/1833, regulation 2
The £36 million turnover threshold for the statement.
Continue reading
Where to go next
Guide
Sedex and SMETA audits
The audit a customer may ask for alongside, or instead of, a rating.
Guide
EcoVadis, in its own words
The software registry’s profile, read from EcoVadis’s own pages.
Guide
ESG questionnaires
Answering customers’ sustainability questions.
Guide
Modern slavery reporting requirements
The statement duty behind many supplier requests.