Article

Does your sector shape your EcoVadis scorecard? Activated criteria explained

In brief

Expert insight — François Dequenne: the biggest mistake we see is companies preparing a generic EcoVadis submission without first understanding which criteria actually count for their sector. That's where scores stall. Your score is not built from a single universal questionnaire: it is shaped by your sector, your size and where you operate. Two companies submitting the same week can receive entirely different scorecards, because different criteria are activated for each. Focus on the wrong areas and you spend months preparing evidence that carries minimal weight; understand your sector's activation pattern and every hour of preparation becomes targeted.

What does activated criteria actually mean?

EcoVadis assesses companies across 21 sustainability criteria grouped into the four themes. Not all 21 apply to every company. When you register, you provide your industry classification (ISIC code), company size and operational locations. EcoVadis uses these to determine which criteria are material: high-importance criteria carry the greatest weight in your score, medium-importance criteria contribute less, and non-activated criteria don't count at all. A software company won't face questions on hazardous substance management; a chemicals manufacturer will, with significant weight.

The overall score is a weighted average of the four theme scores — and the theme weights also shift by sector, size and country risk profile. Two companies can have identical raw theme scores and different overall results.

What weighs most in manufacturing?

For manufacturers — machinery, components, plastics, industrial equipment — Environment and Labour typically carry the highest combined weight.

Within Environment, Energy Consumption & GHGs is activated at high importance for most manufacturing sectors: EcoVadis expects policies, actions, KPI data and, where possible, certifications. ISO 50001 and ISO 14001 are particularly valuable, especially covering more than 75% of operational scope. Reporting Scope 1 and 2 emissions (ideally Scope 3) strengthens the Reporting indicator.

Employee Health & Safety sits at high importance within Labour: a policy alone won't score well — analysts look for documented risk assessments, training records, accident frequency data, and ISO 45001 where feasible.

Materials, Chemicals & Waste is frequently high-importance for manufacturers handling hazardous substances, complex waste streams or REACH obligations. Product Use, Product End-of-Life and Customer Health & Safety are typically medium importance: lifecycle analyses, recall procedures and customer safety communication contribute here. Air Pollution and Water vary with operational profile and location; Biodiversity is often non-activated for standard manufacturing.

"For manufacturers, the data on energy, waste and health and safety usually exists in EHS systems, utility bills or incident logs. The gap is in structuring it into the format EcoVadis can score."

What weighs most in FMCG and consumer goods?

For FMCG and consumer goods brands the assessment looks markedly different: Sustainable Procurement carries more weight, and Labour extends deeper into supply chain risks.

Child Labour, Forced Labour & Human Trafficking is activated as a material criterion, particularly when operating in or sourcing from higher-risk regions — with focus on your own operations: prohibition policies, employee awareness training, documented grievance mechanisms. Customer Health & Safety is also activated: product safety policies, labelling procedures, documented recall response plans.

The supply chain is where the widest improvement margin sits, and Sustainable Procurement is its clearest expression: a global average of 43.1/100 according to the EcoVadis Index, 9th edition (2025). The gap is widest among smaller suppliers, who run these practices without documenting them. For FMCG companies under pressure from the Consumer Goods Forum and regulators on supply chain transparency, it is both the greatest risk and the greatest improvement opportunity. Scoring well requires at minimum: a supplier code of conduct, evidence of supplier sustainability assessments (questionnaire-based at minimum), and records of buyer training on responsible sourcing. Supply-chain-level due diligence — audit coverage of the supply base, procurement team training on forced labour risks — is assessed here too. Many FMCG companies have these programmes; the gap is usually translating them into the format and specificity analysts can verify.

What weighs most in chemicals?

Chemicals companies face the broadest environmental activation: Materials/Chemicals & Waste, Air Pollution and Water are typically all high importance; depending on locations and operations, Biodiversity and Employee Health & Safety can be triggered too. This reflects the sector's genuine risk profile: hazardous substances at scale, VOC emissions, complex waste streams, operations near water sources.

On Materials, Chemicals & Waste, the assessment probes GHS-aligned substance labelling, hazardous waste treatment procedures and REACH compliance documentation. The Together for Sustainability (TfS) audit framework is a recognised third-party standard specific to the sector. Air Pollution activates questions on SOx, NOx, VOCs, particulates and odour management — monitoring data, abatement equipment records, emergency procedures for accidental releases. Water is assessed in depth: effluent treatment, wastewater quality assessments, quantitative consumption reporting; closed-loop systems and formal water audits position you substantially better than a high-level policy.

For Environment overall, treat ISO 14001 as the foundational certification — but coverage decides its value: a certificate covering 30% of sites contributes far less than one covering 80%.

Can an activated criterion ever be ignored?

Criteria activated at medium importance still contribute to the theme score. A medium-importance criterion scored at zero drags the theme down and can cost a medal level — remember the percentile-based medal bar rises each cycle (Platinum top 1%, Gold top 5%, Silver top 15%, Bronze top 35%).

The practical implication: start every cycle by confirming which criteria are activated in your scorecard and at what importance level. Then sequence preparation — high-importance first, medium second, non-activated not at all. That sequencing is what converts preparation time into points.

Key takeaways

• Your ISIC code, size and locations determine which of the 21 criteria are activated and how the four themes are weighted.
• Manufacturing: Energy & GHGs and Employee H&S at high importance; ISO 14001/45001/50001 are the impactful certifications.
• FMCG: Sustainable Procurement and supply-chain labour risks under intense scrutiny — the theme with the widest improvement margin (global average 43.1/100), especially among smaller suppliers.
• Chemicals: the broadest environmental activation — Materials/Chemicals & Waste, Air Pollution, Water — demanding detailed operational evidence.
• Sequence preparation by importance level; a generic submission is the most common reason scores stall.