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Sign up for the next sessionEcoVadis: what's new in 2026? Altopi lists everything changing in the 2026 EcoVadis assessment and how you can prepare for it.
Earning a medal requires following the rules of an EcoVadis assessment that shifts from one year to the next. Criteria get tougher, questionnaires change, and what was enough two years ago no longer guarantees the same result. This is one of the reasons why a company can maintain the same score but lose a medal: your rank is calculated relative to the other companies being assessed.
During our last webinar, our consultants reviewed the year's updates. Here is what you need to know, along with the concrete consequences for your next EcoVadis rating. To review the basics of how it works, our article Everything you need to know about the EcoVadis assessment remains the best starting point.
This is the most recent update, and the one that could cost you points. Previously, an objective had to indicate a target year, for example, "zero workplace accidents by 2027." From now on, you must also specify a base year, meaning the starting year from which progress is measured.
Example: reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 15% in 2027 compared to 2026. This rule applies to all types of objectives, whether they are environmental, social, ethical, or procurement-related. It applies to questionnaires submitted on or after October 14, 2026.
What this changes for you:
An objective without a base year may no longer count toward your policy score. It is better to correct it before submitting your file.
When you receive your assessment, you can view your results for two days before they are published on the EcoVadis network. If one of your clients requested your assessment, you will see the scorecard before they do.
This window allows you to spot a scoring error, such as a document wrongly rejected, and file an appeal before publication. The criteria for appeals are strict and detailed on the EcoVadis website: there must be a genuine scoring issue, not just a disagreement with the grade. And if an error persists, you can also appeal after publication.
Our advice: schedule time to read your scorecard as soon as it arrives with the person who managed the project, rather than discovering it a few days later.
EcoVadis has long used artificial intelligence in its analysis. What is new on some questionnaires is the automatic mapping of your documents. The principle: you upload all your documents to the document library, and then the AI suggests linking them to the relevant questions.
For example, it might suggest linking your single risk assessment document to the risk assessment question. You see the suggestion and either accept or reject it. This feature is still in the testing phase and does not appear on all questionnaires.
Take the time to review each suggestion. An approximate match can lead to a document being rejected, even if it would have been accepted for a different question.
Until now, EcoVadis asked companies about mitigation: how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The new questions focus on adaptation: has the company identified the risks that climate change poses to it? Heatwaves for employees, the risk of flooding for storage areas, disruptions among suppliers. How does it assess them, and what is it putting in place to prevent them?
These questions are not yet factored into the final score. You can see them and answer them, but they are expected to impact the grade in the future. Now is the right time to start mapping your climate risks: you will be ahead of the game when they start counting.
The biggest change announced concerns the ranking. Currently, your medal depends on your rank among all evaluated companies, regardless of their size. EcoVadis plans to award medals by questionnaire size category: XS companies will be ranked against each other, S companies against each other, and so on. This change is scheduled for 2027.
For a small business, this is generally good news: it was becoming difficult to compare yourself to very large groups with far more resources. For a large company, you will need to keep an eye on how the thresholds evolve. In any case, this change will alter the scoring thresholds, and therefore the score required to earn a specific medal.
EcoVadis has also reorganized its reporting questions by adding standardized indicators aligned with reporting frameworks like GRI, ESRS, or the voluntary VSME standard. If you are already tracking these indicators for CSRD or VSME, you can reuse them directly. Our article on the VSME standard explains how to get started, and our "Objectif CSRD" page details the directive's requirements.
A few simple steps can help you avoid any surprises:
Keeping up with methodology changes, translating every new update into action, and choosing the right evidence takes time. At Altopi, our expert EcoVadis consultants follow these developments closely and integrate them into the support provided to every client, from reading the scorecard to submitting the questionnaire.
Are you preparing for your first rating or a re-evaluation? Let's talk about your situation and the best way to approach the new rules.
👉 Discover our EcoVadis support, or book an appointment directly with one of our expert consultants.
