You’ve finished your EcoVadis assessment. Good work! But when do you need to do it again? The answer is not simple. EcoVadis has official timing rules, but smart companies think about their updates strategically. Knowing when to reassess helps you stay ahead and stops you from rushing when your scorecard expires at a bad time.
Understanding EcoVadis assessment cycles and requirements
Let’s start with the basics. Your EcoVadis scorecard is valid for 12 months from the date it’s issued. After 12 months, your scorecard expires. If you want to keep an active rating, you need to reassess.
During those 12 months, EcoVadis monitors public information about your company, including news articles and official documents. If something important happens that could affect your score, EcoVadis might review it.
You need to know two types of updates:
- Mandatory reassessment – This happens when your 12-month validity period ends, and you need it to maintain an active scorecard that customers and stakeholders can view.
- Voluntary update – You choose to reassess before the deadline, typically because you’ve made significant improvements or a key client has requested updated information to support a business relationship.
While EcoVadis allows you to request a reassessment anytime, doing it too often without substantial changes might not improve your score and could waste resources. The better question is not just when you must reassess, but when it makes sense for your business to do so.
When you should update your EcoVadis assessment (beyond the basics)
You could wait until your scorecard expires and reassess on schedule. But that misses valuable opportunities. There are specific situations when updating earlier makes strong business sense:
- Major operational changes – Opening new facilities, changing manufacturing processes, or restructuring your supply chain can significantly impact your sustainability performance, and these improvements deserve recognition rather than waiting months to be reflected in your score.
- New regulatory compliance – When you’ve updated your reporting to meet new requirements like CSRD or EU Taxonomy, an early reassessment demonstrates you’re leading rather than just meeting minimum standards.
- Customer or contract requirements – A major customer might request updated sustainability credentials, or you’re competing for a contract where ESG performance is a deciding factor, making a current scorecard with improved scores a potential deal-winner.
- Substantial sustainability initiatives – Significant emission reductions aligned with SBTI targets, new labour policies, or strengthened ethics programmes represent real progress that can open doors to new partnerships when properly documented and scored.
The common thread is timing. An old scorecard might not reflect where your company stands today, even if it’s still technically valid. In competitive situations, that gap between your actual performance and your documented score can cost you opportunities.
Maintaining your rating between formal assessments
Here’s what catches many companies off guard: treating EcoVadis as an annual event is a mistake. Companies that do well treat sustainability work as ongoing, not a once-a-year task.
What does that look like in practice? It means setting up systems for ongoing data collection rather than scrambling to gather everything at reassessment time. Keep your policy documents updated and organized. When you start a new sustainability initiative, document it from the start. Track your performance regularly to spot trends and fix issues early.
When you complete an audit or achieve a milestone like B Corp certification or CDP disclosure, file it properly. Make it easy to find later. You’ll be grateful when reassessment time comes.
Different parts of this work might need expert help. CSRD experts can help with reporting frameworks. EU Taxonomy specialists can ensure proper alignment with regulatory requirements. Sustainability specialists can help turn your activities into the documentation EcoVadis needs. The key point is this: keeping a strong EcoVadis rating isn’t just about filling in a form once a year. It’s about making sustainability part of your daily operations and capturing that work clearly.
Getting expert support for your EcoVadis journey
Managing EcoVadis assessments takes special knowledge and time. Whether you’re preparing for your next reassessment, responding to monitoring queries, or keeping your documentation up to date, having the right expertise makes a real difference.
That’s why we built Dazzle. We connect you with pre-screened EcoVadis and sustainability experts who can support you at any stage. Need help preparing for an upcoming reassessment? Looking for support to manage your sustainability documentation? Want an expert to review your current practices and find ways to improve? We can match you with the right specialist within 48 hours on a flexible basis that fits your needs and budget.
Your EcoVadis assessment shouldn’t be a once-a-year scramble. With the right strategy and support, it becomes part of continuous improvement that genuinely makes your sustainability performance stronger. Reach out to our team and let’s find the perfect expert to support your EcoVadis journey.
