Article
Which environmental data do you need to collect for EcoVadis?
In brief
EcoVadis environmental indicators measure the company's impact on the planet within the Environment theme. For an SME the difficulty is not finding the figures — they already exist in invoices, the carbon footprint and regulatory declarations — but choosing the most defensible source when they diverge, and keeping the same method year after year: EcoVadis looks at the trend.
What does the Environment theme cover?
- Energy consumption and GHG: energy use, greenhouse gas emissions (Scopes 1, 2 and 3).
- Resources and water: water use, raw materials management.
- Waste and discharges: waste production, wastewater and hazardous substances management.
- Local impact: biodiversity and local pollution.
Which indicators, in which units?
| Indicator | Unit |
|---|---|
| Total energy consumption | kWh |
| Total renewable energy consumption | kWh |
| Total water consumption | litres |
| Recycled and reused water | litres |
| Air pollutants | metric tonnes (t) |
| Hazardous waste | kg |
| Non-hazardous waste | kg |
| Recovered waste | kg |
What does this look like at a Walloon printer of size S?
| Requested indicator | 2025 value | Reliability | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total energy (kWh) | 1,408,200 (electricity 914,340 + gas 451,043 + self-consumed PV 42,115 + charging points 702) | ⚠️ conflict to arbitrate | 2025 carbon footprint (energy supplier invoices) |
| — regional environmental declaration variant | 1,659,157 kWh | Estimated | Regional audit (gas declared at 702 MWh) |
| Renewable energy (kWh) | 43,387 produced, of which 42,115 self-consumed | Reliable | Supplier readings 2025 |
| Total water (litres) | 379,000 (379 m³) | Reliable | Regularisation invoices, 3 meters |
| Recycled / reused water (litres) | 0 | Reliable (by default) | Empty field in the carbon footprint; no equipment installed |
| Air pollutants (t) | 60.69 t (NMVOC 59,409 kg + CO 787 kg + NOx 495 kg) | NMVOC reliable (accredited measurements under way, 3 scenarios); CO/NOx recalculated in 2025 | 2026 environmental declaration |
| Hazardous waste (kg) | 166,350 | Reliable (weighing by licensed collectors) | Environmental declaration / collector register |
| Non-hazardous waste (kg) | 413,090 | Reliable | 2026 environmental declaration |
| Recovered waste (kg) | ~578,860 (99.9% of the 579,440 total) | Reliable | 100% R-codes, no D-disposal |
Which trade-offs do you settle before uploading evidence?
Three points to settle before uploading anything to the platform:
- Natural gas — the supplier invoice (451,043 kWh) and the regional environmental declaration (702 MWh) diverge by 36%. The invoiced figure is the most defensible as evidence.
- Photovoltaics — the January audit indicated ~38,120 kWh; the supplier's June readings give 43,387 kWh. Keep the readings.
- Waste — the carbon footprint counts only 351.88 t (collectors' scope) versus 579.44 t in the regional declaration. Different scopes, to be harmonised.
Two data points usually remain to be produced for full coverage: reused water (no recycling in place → answering "0" is acceptable and documentable) and the historical detail of water consumption, missing from the invoices provided.
Key takeaways
- The figures almost always exist already: energy invoices, meter readings, carbon footprint, regional environmental declarations, waste collectors' registers.
- When two sources diverge, keep the most defensible one (the invoice rather than the estimate) and document the choice.
- Keep the same method year after year: EcoVadis assesses the trend as much as the value.
- A documented zero beats a missing indicator.
Frequently asked questions
Should you answer when an indicator is zero, such as reused water?
Yes. If no recycling equipment is in place, answering "0" is acceptable and documentable — an empty field in the carbon footprint can serve as justification. A documented zero beats a missing answer.