It lands in your inbox on a Tuesday afternoon:
“Please complete an EcoVadis (or CDP) assessment within 30 days so we can keep you on our approved-supplier list.”
No heads-up from sales. No tidy data set. And suddenly, the contract you’ve spent months negotiating is on the line.
If you lead procurement, operations, or sustainability for a manufacturing or supplier company, chances are this scenario feels all too familiar. CDP says companies representing more than two-thirds of global market capitalization now disclose through their platform, and EcoVadis issues scorecards to over 150,000 companies—and counting.
What’s driving the surge? Global brands face investor pressure, tightening EU and U.S. rules, and the complex math of climate accounting. A typical company’s value-chain emissions far outsize its direct footprint, so buyers push the ask downstream. EcoVadis and CDP give procurement teams a quick signal that you’re more than price-competitive, you’re also a low-risk, future-proof partner.
In many situations, clients will ask for records of both reporting frameworks because they focus on different sustainability areas.
EcoVadis generally grades a broader view of ESG performance, targeting issues like environmental impact, labor & human rights, ethics, and sustainable policies and actions. On the other hand, CDP focuses on the financial risks associated with climate change, with topic areas including environmental disclosures, climate governance, risk management, and full Scope 1-3 emissions inventories.
Both platforms expect proof: uploadable policies, utility bills, emissions calculations, and improvement plans. Scores stick, so a rushed, shallow response can haunt your record for years and quietly cost you bids.
So you’ve figured out what EcoVadis and CDP want, now comes the reality check: translating your answers to those neat requirements from potentially messy, real-world data and manual workflows. That’s where even the most seasoned ops managers start to sweat.
Most operations teams lack granular Scope 3 visibility, and few have a formal sustainability reporting process. EcoVadis typically allows 30 business days to submit, while CDP’s portal opens in mid-June and closes by mid-September. Miss the window and you wait a year.
Juggling complex questionnaires under a tight clock while fearing you’ll say too little or too much can turn a simple email into a full-blown fire drill.
Ignore the request, and buyers will remember; copy-paste glossy ESG statements, and the reviewers will flag hollow claims. Instead, gather a small, cross-functional task force and map the documentation you already have, from utility bills to supplier codes of conduct and emissions data. Use accepted greenhouse gas emissions frameworks like the GHG Protocol to guide inventory boundaries and pick reputable emission-factor databases (e.g., EPA or DEFRA) for quick estimates.
Overall, make sure to answer honestly and flag data gaps. This ongoing, company-wide process takes time; Expect to invest weeks, not hours.
Quick Sanity Check
When deadlines loom and data gaps feel insurmountable, many suppliers tap sustainability consultants who spend all day untangling EcoVadis and CDP criteria. This can cut months of trial-and-error into a focused, low-stress sprint and benchmark your program against thousands of peers. A seasoned sustainability consultant also brings digital tools for emissions calculation, templates for evidence gathering, and insider knowledge of how scoring rubrics evolve, ensuring you solve today’s ask without creating next year’s headache.
This is where sustainability consultants like Emerald Built Environments, A Crete United Company, shine. We translate existing SOPs, HR manuals, and audit findings into EcoVadis-ready uploads, break down Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions so your team isn’t drowning in spreadsheets, and align every answer to the platform’s scoring logic.
Our support doesn’t end with the questionnaire. We help you craft phased sustainability actions that fit capital budgets and regulatory milestones because next year’s ask will be tougher, and the year after that, tougher still. And when your largest customer shifts from voluntary disclosure to contractual targets, you’ll already have the data, policies, and improvement track record in place.
EcoVadis and CDP are fast becoming the language of global trade. Brands will keep asking, regulators will keep tightening, and competitors who master disclosure will win faster. A clear, credible response not only positions you as the low-risk partner every buyer wants but also attracts sustainability-minded investors, reassures talent that your company walks the talk, and helps hedge against emerging policies. That’s why many companies work with sustainability consultants to ensure their disclosures meet evolving expectations and support long-term goals.
Better still, measuring what matters often reveals low-cost efficiency wins like energy leaks, logistics overlaps, or excess packaging. Small investments in these areas can turn into real cash savings. In short, robust disclosure is table stakes for tomorrow’s supply chain leadership and a springboard to genuine emissions reduction.
Emerald was recently awarded an EcoVadis Gold rating—proof that with the right strategy and support, meaningful recognition is within reach. If we can do it, so can you.
Caught off guard? Let’s get you back in the game before the next purchase order is on hold. Start the conversation with Emerald today and turn that surprise email into a lasting advantage.