Article

Why is it harder to earn and keep a Bronze medal? EcoVadis' evolution 2024-2026

In brief

In three years EcoVadis changed in nature: from a fixed score to continuous percentile competition, from a declarative questionnaire to public and verified evidence, from a document-based rating to AI media monitoring that can block medals. Understanding the 2024-2026 trajectory explains why the medal that looked accessible yesterday now demands real management discipline.

What changed at EcoVadis between 2024 and 2026?

In 2024:

• Introduction of the badges: the "Committed" badge (minimum score of 45) and "Fast Mover" badge (score of 34-44 with an improvement of at least 6 points over 18 months) to recognise progress.
• Percentile-based medals: medals no longer depend on fixed scores but on a percentile ranking against the entire EcoVadis database of the previous 12 months.
• AI in the 360° Watch: an artificial-intelligence algorithm identifies companies' public news (positive or negative), with a direct impact on score and medal eligibility.

In 2025:

• Creation of the "Extra Large" (XL) category: companies with more than 50,000 employees now have specific scoring rules, with mandatory targets (Scope 1 & 2 objectives for the maximum Environment score).
• Criteria and questionnaire update: new topics on the circular economy (product end-of-life, packaging), living wage and working time. Conversely, anti-competitive practices are no longer covered by direct questions: they are tracked only through the 360° Watch.

In 2026:

• Environmental materiality pilot: in certain sectors, companies can choose whether topics such as water, air pollution or product end-of-life are material to them — a more proportionate, tailored assessment.
• Reinforced 360° Watch assessment: introduction of "stakeholder consensus" to better assess the severity of controversies and avoid disproportionate penalties for uncertain or disputed impacts.
• Recognition of VSME and ESRS standards: new strengths for reports compliant with EFRAG's VSME standard (European SMEs) and with CSRD/ESRS.
• Integration of external environmental risks (ENV7003) and actions against external environmental disruptions (ENV7012).

Why has earning and keeping a medal become harder?

• Continuous competition (percentiles vs fixed scores): score thresholds rise constantly as the EcoVadis network grows and improves. The estimated indicative score for Gold went from 77/100 in July 2025 to 78/100 in January 2026.
• Higher transparency requirements for Reporting: this indicator weighs 14% of the overall score. To pass 50/100, KPIs must be published in a public annual or sustainability report (no longer just a website), and, for the maximum score expected at Gold and Platinum, at least 85% of the activated sustainability criteria must be covered by KPIs.
• Stricter evidence provenance: in an entity-level assessment, consolidated group reports or data are no longer accepted by analysts unless they contain a specific, detailed breakdown for the assessed entity.
• The 360° Watch exclusion impact: a major or severe infraction identified by the monitoring (workplace accident, pollution, late supplier payments) can make the company ineligible for any medal for 3 to 5 years, regardless of the overall score.

Key takeaways

• 2024 switched EcoVadis to percentile competition: the bar rises mechanically every year.
• 2025 hardened the questionnaire (circular economy, living wage) and created the XL category.
• 2026 personalises materiality, refines the 360° Watch and rewards VSME/ESRS.
• The four combined effects: rising thresholds, mandatory public reporting, strict evidence breakdowns, and a 360° Watch able to block medals for 3 to 5 years.