✅ Purpose of the Document
The Sustainable Procurement Policy is the overarching policy document that governs all procurement activities at your company. It sets out your company's commitments towards ethical, social, and environmental standards across your entire supply chain. It covers environmental responsibility (GHG, water, waste), labour & human rights, anti-corruption, supplier governance, inclusive sourcing, and performance reporting.
This document directly supports your EcoVadis score across four themes: Environment (ENV), Labour & Human Rights (LAB), Ethics (FB), and Sustainable Procurement (SUP). It is one of the highest-impact single documents you can upload to EcoVadis - a well-structured, board-approved Policy can evidence policy commitments across 20+ EcoVadis questions simultaneously.
🏗 Expected Structure & Key Elements
The list below outlines the core sections your Sustainable Procurement Policy should include to ensure full auditability and alignment with EcoVadis criteria:
Introduction & Purpose: States the Policy's objective, the international frameworks it aligns with (ISO 20400, UN Global Compact, UNGPs, OECD Guidelines), and that it replaces any prior procurement policy.
Scope: Defines which entities, departments, spend categories and supplier tiers are covered.
Environmental Responsibility : Three sub-sections: 3.1 Energy & GHG/Climate (Scope 3 reduction, SBTi) · 3.2 Water Management · 3.3 Waste & Circular Economy. Each includes a Policy/Action/Reporting block and a KPI table.
Social & Labour Standards: Two sub-sections: 4.1 Fair Labour Practices (ILO conventions, living wage, safe working conditions) · 4.2 Child Labour, Forced Labour & Human Trafficking (zero-tolerance, due diligence, whistleblowing). Includes devoir de vigilance reference (FR version).
Ethics & Anti-Corruption: Two sub-sections: 5.1 Anti-Corruption & Bribery (zero-tolerance, training, audit rights) · 5.2 Business Ethics & Fair Competition (competition law, conflicts of interest, whistleblowing channel).
Sustainable Procurement Governance: Three sub-sections: 6.1 Policy Framework & Supplier Requirements (Code of Conduct, contractual clauses) · 6.2 Supplier Assessment & Continuous Improvement (scoring, CAP process) · 6.3 Inclusive Sourcing & Supplier Diversity.
Performance Metrics & Reporting: KPI indicator table (9 indicators) covering all themes - the EcoVadis "reporting" questions
Governance & Accountability: Ownership (CPO + CSO), board endorsement, enforcement & review cycle
Versioning & Approval: Version history table, four-signatory approval block (Chair, CEO, CSO, Audit Chair)
📚 Acceptance Criteria per Framework
For EcoVadis, the Policy must:
Be an officially published, standalone policy document (not a presentation slide or internal memo)
Apply to the current assessment scope (the assessed legal entity and its supply chain)
Be dated within the 8 years
Cover at minimum: environmental commitments, social/labour commitments, and ethical business conduct in procurement
Ideally Be signed or formally approved by senior management (CEO, Board, or CSO level)
What makes the document strong "auditable evidence":-Formalisation - a Word/PDF document on company letterhead, with version number, effective date, and ownerInternalisation - evidence it is communicated to procurement staff (training records, intranet publication)
Applicability - explicitly names the entity / group scope covered
Recency - issued or updated within the last 24 months
Exhaustive - Include both qualitative objectives and quantitative targets
📌 Include on the document: company logo / letterhead · author function · effective date · version number · approval signatures
📎 Typical Attachments & Supporting Proofs
When uploading this Policy to EcoVadis, also attach the following to maximise your evidence score:
Signed Supplier Code of Conduct - referenced in section 6.1, confirms supplier contractual adherence
Supplier Evaluation Procedure - demonstrates the operationalisation of section 6.2
Training records - proving procurement staff have received anti-corruption and sustainable purchasing training (sections 5.1, 5.2, 6.1)
CSR/ESG report extract - showing the KPIs from section 7 are actually reported
Intranet screenshot or communication email - proving the Policy was published internally
Supplier assessment results or scores - evidencing section 6.2 in practice
Board or ExCom meeting minutes approving the Policy - strengthens the governance evidence for section 8
❌ Common Mistakes to Avoid
Uploading a presentation or a one-pager: EcoVadis expects a formal policy document with structure, version control, and approval. A 2-slide deck or a bullet-point summary will not be accepted as evidence.
No date or approval signature: An undated document or one with no sign-off will be scored lower. Always include effective date and at minimum a CEO or CSO signature.
No quantitative targets: EcoVadis explicitly checks whether policies include both qualitative objectives and quantitative targets. Aspirational language alone ("we aim to improve") without measurable KPIs scores poorly.
Missing a responsible owner: EcoVadis expects a named function (not a person) to own the policy. Fill in the "Owner" field on the cover page (e.g. "Chief Procurement Officer").
Keeping sector-specific sections that don't apply: The template includes sections for GHG/Climate, Water, Waste, Labour, Ethics, and Diversity.Remove or clearly mark as "not applicable" any sub-section that does not apply to your business. In particular:
If you are a pure services company with no manufacturing, the detailed Water Management section (3.2) and some Waste sub-points may not be relevant - keep the commitment language but remove specific manufacturing references.
If your supply chain does not involve conflict minerals (tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold), do not add a conflict minerals section - it signals you misread the questionnaire and creates audit risk.
If you do not source palm oil or palm-based derivatives, do not include a palm oil section - it is irrelevant and may confuse the assessor.
If your company is not subject to REACH (most service companies, SaaS, consultancies), do not include REACH-specific supplier requirements - this regulation applies to chemical substances in products and will be scored N/A for most service companies.
Do not copy commitments you cannot demonstrate: every commitment in this Policy may be validated through supporting evidence. If you claim 80% of suppliers are assessed on ESG criteria but have no data, the assessor will penalise you.
Generic copy-paste with no company specificity: fill in all
[COMPANY NAME],[BASELINE YEAR],[XX%],[TARGET YEAR], and[€ THRESHOLD]placeholders. A document full of square brackets will not pass review.
🔄 How Often to Update
Updating frequency varies by framework and internal policy standards. Recommendations include:
EcoVadis: Every 8 years, or following a significant change in procurement strategy, scope, or ownership.
ISO 20400: Annual review recommended.
UN Global Compact (COP): Annual - the Communication on Progress references your procurement policy/
CSRD / DPEF: Annual - the DPEF report references your sustainable procurement policy
Trigger an update when:
Your company changes its GHG reduction targets or joins a new framework (e.g. SBTi validation)
New legislation comes into force that affects procurement obligations (e.g. CS3D, French loi devoir de vigilance expansion)
A material change in your supply chain occurs (new tier-1 category, new geographies)
An audit finding or EcoVadis assessor feedback identifies a gap in the policy
A significant change in ownership, leadership, or corporate structure
🖋 Example of a Sustainable Procurement Policy
See an example here.
This template is designed to serve as an inspiration and foundational guide for the team drafting the Sustainable Procurement Policy. To help maximise the potential assessment score, the structure, themes, and commitments outlined here have been explicitly mapped to align with EcoVadis evaluation criteria.
However, this document must be thoroughly appropriated. A policy is only valuable if it reflects reality. You must adapt this text to fit your company's specific operational context. Only include targets, actions, and commitments that are genuinely relevant, actively implemented, or formally budgeted for the near future.Sections to review carefully before publishing:-Section 3.2 (Water) - only include if your procurement activities have material water impacts. Remove specific manufacturing references if you are a service company.
Section 3.3 (Waste) - adapt to your actual waste streams. Do not include packaging language if you do not procure physical goods.
Conflict minerals - this Policy deliberately does not include a conflict minerals section. Only add one if your products contain tin, tantalum, tungsten, or gold (EcoVadis question SUP710). Most service, SaaS, and professional services companies should leave this out entirely.
Palm oil - similarly, only relevant if you source palm or palm-based derivatives. Leave out for all other companies.
REACH regulation - only relevant for companies placing chemical substances or mixtures on the EU market. Not applicable to most service companies, software providers, or distributors of non-chemical goods.
Claiming practices you do not perform will not pass the evidence-gathering phase of the audit. Please review each section and tailor the metrics, tools, and processes to match your actual capabilities.
FAQs
Q1: Can the Policy be written in French only?
Yes. EcoVadis accepts documents in the language of the assessed entity. A French-language Policy is fully valid. If your company operates internationally, consider having an English version as well - use the EN template provided. The French template (Template FR) is adapted to the French legal context, including loi Sapin II, devoir de vigilance, and CSE references.
Q2: Does the Policy need to be signed?
A signature is not strictly mandatory, but it significantly strengthens the evidence. EcoVadis assessors look for board-level endorsement. At minimum, include a CEO or CSO approval signature on the cover page. The four-signatory block in section 9 reflects best practice for large companies; smaller organisations can simplify to one or two signatures.
Q3: What is the difference between this Policy and a Supplier Code of Conduct?
The Policy is your company's internal purchasing policy - it describes your commitments and governance. The Supplier Code of Conduct is a document addressed to your suppliers that sets out the standards they must comply with. Both documents are needed for a strong EcoVadis score in the Sustainable Procurement theme. They reference each other (the Policy requires suppliers to sign the Code of Conduct).
Q4: We don't have quantitative targets yet. Can we still upload the Policy?
Yes, but you will score lower on the "quantitative targets" dimension. We recommend setting at least one or two measurable targets (e.g. "assess [XX]% of strategic suppliers by [year]") before publishing. You can use placeholder values ([XX%], [TARGET YEAR]) while you define the exact figures internally - but replace them before submitting to EcoVadis.
Q5: Our company is in a service / SaaS sector. Should we remove the environmental sections?
No - remove only the sub-sections that genuinely do not apply (e.g. water management if you have no water-intensive supply chain). Keep the climate / GHG section: Scope 3 Category 1 (purchased goods and services) applies to virtually all companies, including SaaS. Your cloud providers, hardware suppliers, and business travel all generate Scope 3 emissions that this Policy commits you to address.