SMEs: How to succeed with your EcoVadis assessment and build credibility

SMEs are increasingly being asked to demonstrate their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Whether to meet a client request, access a tender or anticipate upcoming regulations, the EcoVadis assessment has become a powerful lever for both business growth and structured sustainability management.

Why SMEs should pay attention to EcoVadis

Many large groups (such as L’Oréal, Michelin, Schneider Electric, Airbus, Veolia or Bouygues) now require their suppliers to hold an EcoVadis score to ensure transparency across their supply chains.

For an SME, undergoing an EcoVadis assessment means:

• Demonstrating CSR credibility to demanding clients
• Structuring internal practices around a recognised framework
• Identifying optimisation opportunities, innovation drivers and cost-reduction levers (energy, purchasing, organisation)
• Easier access to public and private tenders
• Standing out from competitors with a clear, comparable rating
• Anticipating upcoming regulations, including CSRD and the EU Taxonomy

What EcoVadis assesses for SMEs

Each pillar is assessed across three main dimensions:

• Policies: clear commitments and objectives
• Actions: concrete initiatives and implementation evidence
• Results: indicators and reporting

How an SME can prepare for its EcoVadis assessment

1. Identify existing documents

Before getting started, it is essential to map what already exists, even if documentation is partial or informal: policies, charters, certificates, reports, procedures or operational practices.

Examples of valuable documents:

• Environmental policy or code of conduct
• ISO 14001 or ISO 45001 certificates
• Carbon footprint or waste reduction plan
• Health and safety training programmes

2. Structure and contextualise your commitments

Even with limited resources, an SME can present a credible and readable CSR approach:

• Define simple, realistic objectives aligned with the business
• Explain the context and real scope of implemented actions
• Describe how actions are deployed, even if they are modest
• Gradually involve teams in the CSR journey

The goal is not to multiply initiatives, but to demonstrate consistency between challenges, actions and available resources.

3. Monitor and update over time

EcoVadis values year-on-year progress. Documents must be recent and kept up to date:

• Up to 8 years for policies and action plans
• A maximum of 2 years for quantitative reporting, audits and KPIs

The benefits of a strong EcoVadis score for SMEs

• Building trust with clients and partners through a recognised framework
• Standing out in tenders, including against larger competitors
• Gaining better visibility on CSR issues, social and environmental
• Identifying operational improvement levers (costs, organisation, purchasing)
• Laying solid foundations to support business growth

How Ditto supports SMEs with EcoVadis

Ditto helps SMEs approach EcoVadis in a pragmatic and progressive way, fully aligned with their operational constraints:

• EcoVadis diagnostic to identify real priorities
• Tailored action plan aligned with EcoVadis expectations
• Operational templates (policies, charters, action plans)
• Human support and coaching to structure and contextualise evidence
• Indicator tracking to prepare future assessments with confidence

EcoVadis for SMEs – Key takeaways