Why do companies lose points even when they have many documents and policies?
Because EcoVadis rewards quality and relevance, not volume.
The most common mistakes are:
Uploading large quantities of documents with no direct link to the question
Uploading policies that are too generic, not formalized, or not time-bound
Documents that apply to only part of the company, not the whole assessment scope
Policies without evidence of implementation(training, audits, KPIs, certifications, supplier actions) Key takeaway: A single well-structured policy, referenced clearly and supported by evidence, scores higher than 15 generic PDFs.
Why can a parent company policy or certification be rejected?
Because EcoVadis does not automatically accept group-level documentation. A parent-company document is valid only if:
It applies to 100% of the evaluated entity,or- It applies to**≥80%** of employees or sites
If the parent company operates very different activities (e.g., manufacturing vs. consulting), policies may be rejected even if the entity belongs to the group.
This is why companies often get fewer points than expected — they rely on corporate policies that don’t technically apply to the submitted scope.
Why do many companies fail the documentation audit even with real sustainability actions?
Because EcoVadis only accepts official, recent and credible documents, produced before the assessment. Common disqualifications include:
A PowerPoint document describing what the company “plans” to do
A screnshot of internal emails
Self-declared statements
Reporting data older than 2 years or Policies older than 8 years
EcoVadis is extremely strict: if an action is not documented properly, it does not count in the score.
Why do companies with real sustainability performance still receive mediocre scores?
Because EcoVadis does not score on the maturity of the company — it scores on the maturity of its management system (PDCA):
Policies: commitments, scope, responsible parties
Actions: training, supplier audits, monitoring systems
Results: KPIs, trends, external verification
Coverage: % of employees or sites impacted
External verification: certifications, labels, audits
Incident monitoring: no major controversies in the last 3 to 5 yers
Companies that only have policies (Plan) but no proof of implementation (Do/Check/Act) rarely score above 45–50.
Why is the number of uploaded documents limited to 55?
EcoVadis intentionally restricts uploads to encourage:
Consolidated, formalized documentation
Clear traceability of evidence
More efficient auditing from analysts
This is why high-performing companies often use:One consolidated CSR report
One Code of Conduct
One Supplier Code of Conduct
One KPI report
One environmental or social certification
Why do KPIs often get rejected, even if they exist internally?
Because most internal tables or dashboards don’t meet EcoVadis criteria. A KPI report must:
✔ cover the evaluated entity (not only the group)
✔ show a date and reporting period
✔ show units (kWh, tons, %, etc.)
✔ show at least two years of data
✔ ideally follow a standard (GRI, SASB, CSRD)
✔ be publicly available or externally verified
Without those elements, KPIs often receive zero credit.
Why do some companies lose medals due to the 360° Watch?
Because EcoVadis monitors external sources over 5 to 10 years, including:
NGO reports
Legal sanctions
Environmental incidents
Labor or human rights violations
Supply chain controversies
Media investigations
Even a single severe external incident can block a medal, regardless of documents provided.
Why do companies fail reassessments even after scoring well the previous year?
Because EcoVadis expects continuous improvement.
A stable score = a bad sign.
A regression = very bad sign.
To maintain or improve a score, companies must show:
updated KPIs (last 2 fiscal years)
new trainings or audits
renewed certifications
expanded supplier controls
updated policies and commitments
Uploading the same documents as last year usually results in a lower rating.
Why do documents get rejected even if they are “real” and professional?
Because documentation must check all compliance boxes:
Official: PDF, signed & approved, versioned
Pre-existing: created more than a month before the date of the assessment
Within scope: applies to assessed entities, not unrelated sites
Recent: not older than 2 years for KPIs or reporting, not older than 8 years for policies
Complete: not excerpts or partial screenshots
Credible: third-party sources preferred
Documents like marketing brochures, PowerPoint, or draft procedures are almost always rejected.
Why is EcoVadis so difficult without support?
Because companies must:
Interpret 21 sustainability criteria with different scoring rules
Know exactly which document counts for which question
Avoid invalid formats, scope errors, outdated data, or missing evidence
Consolidate documents to stay below 55 uploads
Predict which elements affect scoring the most
Avoid a single error that could invalidate the assessment
This complexity is why companies often lose points even when they are sustainable — the scoring logic is technical, not intuitive.