Where carbon sits in an EcoVadis rating
EcoVadis rates companies on four themes: Environment, Labour and Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. Carbon falls under Environment, as the issue EcoVadis calls "energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions", alongside water, waste, biodiversity and others. Which issues apply to you, and how much the Environment theme counts towards your overall score, depends on your industry, size and where you operate.
The scorers don't measure your emissions for you. They mark the evidence you upload. EcoVadis states plainly that it treats a missing document as a missing management approach, so a good carbon story told only in the questionnaire's text boxes scores badly.
The seven indicators, and what counts for carbon
Each theme is scored from seven management indicators. These are EcoVadis's default weights:
| Indicator | Weight | Carbon evidence that fits |
|---|---|---|
| Policies | 20% | A signed environmental or climate policy with a quantified target, such as a percentage cut from a named baseline year by a named year |
| Endorsements | 5% | A public commitment to an outside initiative, for example a target validated by the Science Based Targets initiative |
| Actions (measures and certifications) | 40% | Records of what you did: LED upgrades, heating controls, a travel policy, a renewable tariff. Plus certificates from independent accredited bodies |
| Reporting | 14% | Measured energy use and Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, with the period and method stated |
| 360° Watch | 21% | Nothing you upload: EcoVadis looks at what NGOs, regulators and the press say about you |
The seventh indicator, Coverage, only matters for companies with 1,000 or more employees. The theme score is then adjusted: smaller companies get a size factor added, so they need fewer features to reach the same score, and companies with an extra small headcount (1 to 25) are scored on a simpler formula.
The coverage rule that catches small firms out
EcoVadis only credits reported figures if they cover enough of the business being assessed: 80% for most indicators, but 95% for greenhouse gas emissions and energy. A footprint for your head office alone won't do if you have other sites.
Take a firm with a head office using 40,000 kWh of electricity and 60,000 kWh of gas a year, and a depot using 12,000 kWh of electricity and 15,000 kWh of gas. With the 2026 government factors, the head office is 16.18 tonnes CO2e and the depot 4.31 tonnes. Report the head office alone and you cover about 79% of the total, well short of 95%. Adding the depot's bills fixes it.
What a strong carbon submission looks like
- A policy with a number in it. "We will cut our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by [x]% from our [year] baseline by [year], and reach net zero by [year]." Signed by a director and dated.
- A measured footprint covering every site, in tonnes CO2e by scope, with the reporting period, the method (the GHG Protocol) and the factor year (for UK firms, the government conversion factors).
- Scope 3 where you can. Even a partial Scope 3, such as business travel, commuting and waste, shows you understand where your wider impact sits.
- Proof of actions: invoices for the LED upgrade, the green tariff contract, the travel policy. Dated documents beat descriptions.
- Year-on-year figures. A rating lasts 12 months, so plan for the next one. Keeping the same method each year lets the scorer see real progress.
The same pack answers most customer questionnaires too. Our guide on what to send when a customer asks for your carbon data covers the general case, and our post on answering a CDP supply chain request covers the other big platform.
Mistakes that cost marks
- A target with no baseline. "Net zero by 2040" with no starting figure is hard to credit. Name the baseline year and its emissions.
- Calling a target science-based when it isn't. Only targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative are. See our guide to science-based targets for SMEs.
- Undated or unsigned documents. Scorers need to see that a policy is current and owned by someone senior.
- Different numbers in different places. If your EcoVadis figures don't match your website or your tender answers, it undermines all of them.
How Carbon Recycling helps
Carbon Recycling turns your bills, mileage, travel and waste records into a Scope 1, 2 and 3 footprint using the UK government factors for the right year, split by site, so you can see at a glance whether every site is in. The Carbon Reduction Plan it produces holds your baseline, target and actions in one signed document you can upload as evidence, and our free supplier questionnaire answer bank gives you consistent wording for the text boxes. Measuring every site matters beyond the score: in the example above the depot is 4.31 tonnes a year that would otherwise never get a reduction plan.