EcoVadis 2027: What's Changing in the Methodology

EcoVadis publishes its methodology changes on its Help Center, quarter by quarter. The fall 2026 changes come in two waves: a set of questionnaire adjustments on October 14, 2026, then a deeper scoring overhaul on January 12, 2027. If you're new to the process, start with the EcoVadis assessment and how it works.

Both waves affect what drives your EcoVadis score: how targets are accepted, how reporting is scored and how medals are calculated. This article walks through each change based on the release notes EcoVadis has published, and what it means for your next questionnaire.

Timeline of the changes

Since October 14, 2026: what changes in the questionnaire

Every quantitative target needs a baseline year

This is the change with the most immediate effect. For any questionnaire submitted on or after October 14, 2026, a quantitative target declared under the Policy questions is accepted only if the supporting evidence states a baseline year. The target year and target value were already required. Without a baseline year, the analyst rejects the declaration and it adds nothing to the Policies indicator.

The rule applies to every kind of target: relative percentage reductions, absolute targets and zero-incident commitments. EcoVadis gives three compliant examples:

• reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 from a 2020 baseline;
• reduce work-related accidents by 20% by 2030 compared to 2020;
• maintain zero work-related accidents through 2027 based on a 2026 baseline.

Analysts check the evidence, not just the questionnaire answer. If your environmental policy says "30% fewer emissions by 2030" with no starting point, update it before you upload it.

Reporting questions sorted by topic

Until now, free-form metrics ("Reporting on water," "Reporting on Employee Health and Safety"…) sat in one general question, shown whether or not the topic was material for the company. They now live inside each topic-specific question and only appear when the matching criterion is activated for your industry.

EcoVadis is also adding predefined metrics aligned with GRI, ESRS, the VS and the ISSB standards. They include:

• number of sites in or near a biodiversity-sensitive area;
• employee turnover rate;
• percentage of employees covered by elected employee representatives or collective agreements;
• number of identified child, forced or compulsory labor incidents;
• percentage of revenue from products and services with demonstrable positive environmental impacts.

The yes/no question about sites near biodiversity-sensitive areas is gone, replaced by the numeric metric. These metrics will matter even more in January 2027, when Reporting scoring starts to factor in the share of predefined metrics you disclose (see below).

VSME becomes VS on the platform

Following the Delegated Act adopted by the European Commission, EcoVadis is replacing "VSME" with "Voluntary Standard (VS/VSME)" across its questionnaires, guidance and scorecards. Analysis guidelines for new reports prepared under the VS (formerly VSME) now distinguish required from voluntary disclosures depending on whether the company has more or fewer than 10 employees, as set out in the July Delegated Act.

A report already prepared under the VSME guidelines remains accepted, with no change to evaluation rules for FY2026 and earlier. Only the label of the scorecard strength changes, for example "Reporting in accordance with Voluntary Standard (VS/VSME) Basic Module."

Other October adjustments

• "Other" options: in the Measures, Endorsements and Certificates indicators, the help text now states that these options are optional. Leaving them blank won't lower your score as long as your other answers are backed by evidence. If you select one without an explanation in the text field, it can't be analyzed.
• More detailed scorecard: the Reporting indicator in the Ethics and Sustainable Procurement themes now shows a strength or improvement area for each metric. Scoring for that indicator is unchanged.
• Biodiversity: a new measure on impacts from living modified organisms is available to M and L companies in 20 ISIC codes (crops, livestock, aquaculture, pharmaceuticals, R&D, waste treatment…), in line with Annex II of the CSDDD.
• Staffing agencies: from October 15, temporary staffing companies (ISIC 782) report metrics specific to temporary agency workers, including training hours per worker and the share of women. EcoVadis states this change cannot lower scores.

January 12, 2027: medals, reporting and materiality

Medal cutoffs calculated by company size

EcoVadis medals are awarded by percentile: Platinum for the top 1% of rated companies, Gold for the top 5%, Silver for the top 15% and Bronze for the top 35%. Today, those percentiles are calculated across all rated companies, regardless of size.

Starting January 12, 2027, EcoVadis plans to calculate score cutoffs separately within four size pools: XS, S, M and L. The percentiles stay the same. A size S company will be compared with other size S companies. EcoVadis says the goal is a fairer allocation of medals that keeps any one company size from being overrepresented. The release note is written in the conditional ("would be replaced"): the principle is announced, but the cutoffs for each pool haven't been published.

EcoVadis still doesn't publish score cutoffs. Our estimates from the Ditto portfolio, detailed in the guide on EcoVadis score inflation, put the Silver cutoff at about 71-73/100 in August 2026, Gold at about 80-81 and Platinum at about 86-88. They cover all company sizes combined. After January 12, 2027, they won't hold for any single size pool and will need to be recalculated pool by pool.

A lighter Reporting indicator under 1,000 employees

Reporting indicator scoring changes in two ways for all companies with 26 or more employees.

The score will factor in the share of the questionnaire's predefined metrics that the company discloses. The more standardized metrics you report, the higher the indicator goes.

Requirements will also be split by size. For S and M companies, with fewer than 1,000 employees, reaching 100 will require two of the following three, instead of all three today:

• a materiality analysis;
• reporting aligned with a reporting standard;
• third-party verification or assurance.

In practice, a small business that already has a double materiality assessment and a report prepared under a recognized standard can aim for the maximum without paying for external assurance. Large companies (L and XL) keep the full requirement.

Materiality and country risk recalibrated

EcoVadis is also revising its materiality methodology to better account for the severity and likelihood of impacts, based on industry, country and company size. The revision adjusts the 21 sustainability criteria, theme weights and country risk factors, drawing on the OECD Due Diligence Guidance, the CSDDD and the CSRD.

Country risk adjustments will no longer apply to the overall score but theme by theme. EcoVadis says companies with strong management indicators should get full credit for their performance. The new weightings haven't been published yet, so the balance of your score across the criteria EcoVadis assesses may shift even if your file stays the same.

How to prepare for your next assessment

Four actions cover most of the changes:

1. Review your quantitative targets. Each target needs a value, a target year and a baseline year, written in the document you upload.
2. Fill in the predefined metrics. They already feed the new reporting questions and will count toward scoring from January 2027. Gather the data (employee turnover, collective agreement coverage, incidents) before you open the questionnaire. The list of documents required for the EcoVadis questionnaire helps spot gaps.
3. Under 1,000 employees, pick your two reporting requirements. A materiality analysis and a report aligned with a standard will be enough to aim for 100, with no external verification.
4. Stop comparing your score with pre-2027 cutoffs. After January 12, your medal will depend on your rank within your size pool. To track progress, look at how your theme scores change from one assessment to the next.

Beyond that, the ways to improve your EcoVadis score stay the same: formal policies, documented actions and tracked indicators. Ditto's platform for the EcoVadis assessment links each questionnaire answer to its evidence, which makes updates easier when requirements change.

EcoVadis 2027: Key Takeaways