For suppliers facing a customer's sustainability questionnaire
Supplier sustainability assessment: be ready before the questionnaire lands
What customers ask for, how the EcoVadis assessment process runs, and how to answer the materiality and emissions questions with evidence. Free workbook included.
A customer has asked you to complete a sustainability questionnaire, or to take an EcoVadis assessment and share the scorecard. This page is written for the company on the receiving end. It covers what the assessment checks, the order things happen in, and the evidence that decides the result.
Why your customers are assessing their suppliers
Large buyers now report emissions across their whole value chain. Your scope 1 and 2 emissions sit inside your customer's scope 3, so a customer with a reduction target or a reporting duty cannot meet it without figures from you. Social and ethical risks travel the same way: a labour or bribery problem at a supplier becomes the buyer's problem.
The request usually arrives in one of two forms. Some customers send their own supplier sustainability questionnaire. Many use EcoVadis instead, which lets them ask every supplier for the same scorecard. Either way, the answer increasingly decides who reaches a tender shortlist and who keeps the contract at renewal.
The EcoVadis assessment process, step by step
The steps are the same for every company. The questionnaire is not, because it is tailored to your industry, size and country.
- Registration. You create a profile and confirm what you do, how many people you employ and where you operate. This decides which criteria apply to you, so get it right.
- Questionnaire and documents. You answer the tailored questions and upload evidence, up to 55 files per assessment. Consultancies that work with EcoVadis report a deadline of about six weeks from when the questionnaire is created.
- Analyst review. Analysts check each document and add findings from news and stakeholder sources, which EcoVadis calls 360° Watch. The same consultancies put this stage at six to eight weeks.
- Preview. You can see your results for 48 hours before they are released.
- Scorecard. You receive an overall score and four theme scores out of 100, with strengths and improvement areas. The scorecard is valid for 12 months, so the next assessment is never far away.
Process, file limit, preview window and validity are from EcoVadis's published rating methodology (June 2026). The six-week and six-to-eight-week timings are reported by consultancies, not by EcoVadis; check your own platform.
The EcoVadis questionnaire: what counts as evidence
EcoVadis scores 21 criteria grouped under four themes. Not every criterion applies to every company, which is why a small reseller and a manufacturer see different questions.
| Theme | What it covers | Evidence suppliers often lack |
|---|---|---|
| Environment | Energy and emissions, water, biodiversity, pollution, waste, product use and end-of-life | Published energy and emissions figures, waste data by stream |
| Labour and human rights | Health and safety, working conditions, training, forced and child labour, discrimination | Training hours, a signed and dated equality policy |
| Ethics | Corruption, anticompetitive practices, information security and data protection | Proof that staff were trained, not only that a code exists |
| Sustainable procurement | How you check your own suppliers' environmental and social practices | Any assessment of your own suppliers |
Inside each theme the score looks at layers. Policies are what you commit to. Actions are what you have done, including certifications such as ISO 14001 or ISO 45001. Reporting is the results you publish. The burden of proof sits with you: an answer with no supporting document earns little, however true it is. Most of the work before an assessment is finding, updating and dating documents you already half have.
ESG materiality assessment for suppliers
Customers and assessors want to know that you understand which sustainability topics matter to your business. A materiality assessment is how you show it. Large companies under the EU's CSRD run a full double materiality assessment; a supplier preparing for a questionnaire needs something lighter that still looks both ways.
Score each topic twice. Once for your impact on people and the environment, by severity, reach and likelihood. Once for its effect on your business, by customer demand, cost and risk. A topic that scores high on either side is material. Write down who scored it and why, because a dated record of the exercise is evidence in its own right, and the result tells you which gaps to close first.
Answering a customer's emissions request
Whether or not your customer uses EcoVadis, the emissions questions are much the same: your scope 1 and 2 totals, your base year, whether you have a reduction target and whether anyone has validated it. Some customers also ask for the emissions attributable to their account, often calculated from their share of your revenue. If you have not measured yet, say so and give a date. A plan with an owner is a better answer than a number you cannot support.
Get the Supplier Assessment Workbook
A free Excel workbook and short guide for the company being assessed
All 21 criteria, with the policy, action and reporting evidence assessors look for. Rate what you hold and see your gaps by theme.
Score each topic on impact and business relevance. Material topics are flagged automatically.
The emissions questions customers ask most, where the data sits, and a calculator for one customer's share.
Gaps ranked by priority, plus your submission deadline, scorecard expiry and reassessment date.
Selling technology through the channel?
Resellers, MSPs and integrators face the same assessments with a few extra twists, from vendor programme requirements to the circular services that count as evidence. The EcoVadis guide for IT partners covers those, with a readiness check and a playbook written for the IT channel.
Frequently asked questions
What is a supplier sustainability assessment?
It is a review a customer runs on its suppliers' environmental, social and ethical practices, usually through its own questionnaire or by asking the supplier to complete an EcoVadis assessment and share the scorecard. For the supplier, it means answering questions and backing each answer with documents.
What are the steps in the EcoVadis assessment process?
You register and confirm your industry, size and locations, which tailors the questionnaire. You answer the questions and upload supporting documents. EcoVadis analysts review the evidence and add findings from external sources. You can preview the result for 48 hours, then the scorecard is published to the customers who asked for it. It stays valid for 12 months.
What documents does the EcoVadis questionnaire need?
Evidence for three layers in each theme: policies you have committed to, actions you have taken (including certifications such as ISO 14001 or ISO 45001), and results you report. A true answer without a supporting document earns little, so most of the preparation is gathering and dating documents. Up to 55 files can be uploaded per assessment.
How long do I have to complete the EcoVadis questionnaire?
Consultancies that work with EcoVadis report a submission deadline of about six weeks from when the questionnaire is created, and six to eight weeks for analyst review after you submit. These are reported figures, not EcoVadis commitments, so check the deadline on your own platform.
Does a supplier need an ESG materiality assessment?
Assessors and customers expect you to know which sustainability topics matter most to your business, and many questionnaires ask directly. A supplier does not need a full CSRD double materiality assessment for this. A documented screen that scores each topic on your impact and on its effect on your business is usually enough to answer the question and to decide where to focus.
Why does my customer want my emissions data?
Your scope 1 and 2 emissions count in your customer's scope 3. A customer with a scope 3 target or reporting duty needs supplier figures to measure and reduce it, so it asks for your totals, your base year, your reduction target and sometimes the share of emissions attributable to its account.
Is Channel Institute an EcoVadis partner?
No. Channel Institute is independent. It is not an EcoVadis partner, accredited consultant or certification body, and this page and the workbook are not endorsed by EcoVadis.
Sources
- EcoVadis, Sustainability Rating Methodology disclosure document for the public, rating users and rated items, June 2026 (ecovadis.com).
- GHG Protocol, Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard (ghgprotocol.org).
- Submission and review timings as reported by consultancies that work with EcoVadis, including Nexio Projects and Mannaz, 2025 to 2026.
Channel Institute is independent. It is not an EcoVadis partner, accredited consultant or certification body, and nothing here is endorsed by EcoVadis. EcoVadis is a trademark of its owner and is named only to describe its assessment.