You’ve completed your EcoVadis assessment and received your scorecard. Now what? Creating an effective EcoVadis sustainability improvement plan requires more than good intentions. It needs structured action, clear priorities, and the right documents to prove you’re making real progress.
This guide breaks down what goes into a strong EcoVadis action plan, how to identify which improvements will boost your rating most, and common problems companies face.
What an Ecovadis sustainability improvement plan actually contains
An EcoVadis sustainability improvement plan is your roadmap from your current score to where you want to be.
This plan needs to address the specific gaps in your scorecard across four key assessment themes:
- Environment – Covers your organisation’s environmental impact, including energy use, emissions, waste management, and resource consumption policies
- Labor & Human Rights – Addresses working conditions, employee welfare, diversity and inclusion, and human rights protections throughout your operations
- Ethics – Examines anti-corruption measures, fair business practices, responsible information management, and ethical conduct standards
- Sustainable Procurement – Evaluates how you assess, monitor, and engage with suppliers on sustainability matters
Each theme carries different weight depending on your industry sector, and your improvement plan must strategically address the gaps identified in your scorecard across all relevant areas.
The plan includes corrective action plans for each area where you scored below expectations. These are concrete, time-bound commitments outlining what you’ll change, who’s responsible, and when you’ll complete it.
The documentation framework is equally important. For every improvement you claim, you’ll need supporting evidence:
- Updated policies – Revised or newly created documents that demonstrate formal commitment to sustainability standards
- Training records – Evidence of employee education programmes and competency assessments related to sustainability topics
- Supplier agreements – Contracts and codes of conduct that extend sustainability requirements through your supply chain
- Verification documents – Third-party assessment findings and compliance certificates that validate your sustainability claims
EcoVadis assesses performance based on what you can prove, not what you say you’re doing. Without this proof-based approach, even genuine improvements may go unrecognised in your rating.
How to prioritise improvements based on your Ecovadis scorecard
Not all improvements are equal. Some will dramatically boost your EcoVadis rating. Others might require massive effort for minimal score gains.
Smart prioritisation starts with understanding your scorecard’s weighted themes. Look at which of the four themes carries the most weight for your industry. A manufacturing company might see Environment weighted heavily. A service provider could find Labor & Human Rights taking priority. Focus your initial efforts where the weighting is highest.
Within each theme, identify the management indicators where you scored lowest. These represent your biggest gaps and often your biggest opportunities:
- Zero or low scores (0-25) – Critical gaps where you lack basic policies, offering the highest potential for score improvement with foundational changes
- Medium scores (50) – Areas where you have some measures in place but lack comprehensive implementation or supporting evidence
- Higher scores (75+) – Indicators where you’re already performing well, meaning substantial effort may not justify the marginal score gains
Moving from 0 to 50 on a heavily weighted indicator will significantly boost your overall theme score, whilst pushing from 75 to 100 on a lightly weighted indicator delivers minimal returns. By targeting your lowest-scoring indicators in the highest-weighted themes, you maximise rating improvement whilst optimising resource allocation.
Balance is key. Some improvements are quick wins. Updating an outdated policy document can be done quickly and shows immediate progress. Other initiatives require substantial time and resources. Your improvement plan should include both types.
Consider your business priorities and resource constraints honestly. An improvement that aligns with existing business initiatives will be easier to secure buy-in for. The most successful EcoVadis improvement plans integrate sustainability into broader business strategy.
Common challenges companies face when implementing improvement plans
Creating an improvement plan on paper is one thing. Actually executing it? That’s where most companies hit obstacles.
Companies typically encounter several recurring challenges when implementing their EcoVadis improvement plans:
- Resource allocation conflicts – Sustainability improvements compete with every other business priority for budget, time, and attention, often losing out without dedicated ownership
- Cross-departmental coordination complexity – Improvement plans require input from procurement, HR, operations, legal, and finance, demanding senior leadership support to align these diverse teams
- Evidence collection difficulties – Even excellent new policies won’t receive credit if you can’t produce documentation in the specific formats EcoVadis accepts
- Momentum maintenance over time – Multi-year improvement cycles test organisational commitment as initial enthusiasm fades and business priorities shift
- Specialised knowledge gaps – Improvement plans may require expertise in emissions reduction, human rights due diligence, or sustainable procurement that internal teams lack
Without sustained momentum and specialised knowledge, companies often treat EcoVadis improvement as a one-off project, finding themselves starting from scratch at each reassessment.
Get expert help to accelerate your Ecovadis improvement
Building and executing an effective EcoVadis sustainability improvement plan is complex. You need to understand assessment requirements, prioritise improvements strategically, gather the right evidence, and coordinate implementation across your organisation.
That’s where we come in. At Dazzle, we connect you with pre-screened sustainability experts who’ve guided companies through successful EcoVadis rating improvements many times before.
You might need someone to help design your corporate sustainability action plan, support evidence gathering, or take on interim leadership of your improvement programme. We can match you with the right specialist for your specific needs.
Our flexible approach means you can bring in expert support exactly when and how you need it. Whether that’s project-based help for specific initiatives or interim management to drive your entire improvement programme.
We can send you expert profiles within 48 hours. Reach out to our team and let’s accelerate your EcoVadis scorecard improvement together.
