EcoVadis Questionnaire: What to Expect and How to Prepare

Published: July 27, 2026

You have opened your EcoVadis questionnaire and it may look different from examples you have found online. That is normal. EcoVadis customises questionnaires according to company size, industry and location. The length depends on the sustainability criteria activated for your assessment.

The work is understanding the questions, deciding how your company will answer, identifying which colleagues own each answer, and finding the evidence to support it. This guide explains how the questionnaire works, whether an EcoVadis questionnaire PDF or sample can help, and how to prepare your answers and evidence before submission.

What Is the EcoVadis Questionnaire?

The questionnaire is where you make claims about your company's sustainability management system and attach evidence to support them. It is organised into four themes, management indicators, questions and answer options. The questions depend on the sustainability criteria activated for your assessment.

EcoVadis analysts consider the documents attached to the options you select. For each answer, check what you are claiming and whether the attached evidence supports it.

For the scoring logic behind Policies, Actions, Results and the management indicators, use the EcoVadis methodology guide.

Official source: EcoVadis: Understanding my questionnaire.

Why Is Your EcoVadis Questionnaire Different From Another Company's?

EcoVadis customises the questionnaire according to company size, industry (ISIC code) and location. Its length depends mainly on the sustainability criteria activated for your assessment.

A questionnaire from another company may therefore be quite different from yours. A large manufacturer with multiple sites can receive a different set of questions from a 60-person professional-services company.

Company size

EcoVadis currently uses four size categories: XS (1–25 employees), S (26–99), M (100–999) and L (1000+). The questionnaire is adjusted to the size of the assessed scope.

Industry and ISIC classification

EcoVadis uses the UN's ISIC classification system to identify the economic activity in scope and determine which sustainability issues are material. If several activities are involved, EcoVadis may classify the company under the activity with the higher sustainability impacts.

Location and activated criteria

Location also affects customisation. Activated criteria determine much of the questionnaire's content and length. You can see them in the Industry Risk Profile in the platform.

Can You Get an EcoVadis Questionnaire PDF, Sample or Excel File?

Yes. The best source depends on where you are in the assessment process.

1. If your questionnaire is not ready yet, use EcoVadis's official sample

After registration, EcoVadis provides a free platform preview while it verifies your company information and customises the assessment. The preview includes a sample questionnaire. Your final questionnaire may contain different questions.

Use the sample to understand the format, not to predict your exact questions.

Official source: EcoVadis registration and platform preview guidance.

2. If your assessment is in progress, download your own questionnaire

Once your questionnaire is open, use your own company-specific version. From the EcoVadis Dashboard, select Enter Questionnaire. In the questionnaire, use Download Questionnaire in the top-right area to download the questionnaire as an Excel spreadsheet and/or PDF.

The Excel version is useful for assigning questions to colleagues, mapping evidence and recording gaps outside the platform. The PDF is useful when you want a fixed copy to review or share internally.

EcoVadis explains how to access an active questionnaire from the Dashboard in its questionnaire access guidance.

3. If you do not have an account yet, search for public examples

Public questionnaires can show you what a real export looks like before you have access to your own assessment.

"EcoVadis questionnaire" filetype:pdf
"EcoVadis survey" filetype:pdf
"Ecovadis_Survey_Full" filetype:pdf
"Ecovadis_Survey_Full" after:2025-01-01 filetype:pdf
"EcoVadis questionnaire" manufacturing filetype:pdf
"EcoVadis questionnaire" filetype:pdf -scribd

Check the date, industry, company size and assessed scope before using a public example. An old questionnaire from a large manufacturer may tell you little about a current assessment for a small software company.

Use only material that appears intentionally public. Do not republish another company's questionnaire or treat its answers as an answer key.

How Should You Work Through the EcoVadis Questionnaire?

Separate understanding the question from proving the answer. One person can coordinate the assessment, but the evidence usually sits across HR, Procurement, Operations or EHS, Legal and Compliance, Finance, Quality and other functions.

1. Scan the questionnaire before you start answering

Read through the questionnaire first. Note which topics need another owner, where evidence already exists, and where you see gaps. If the questionnaire looks wrong for the business, check the company profile before continuing.

2. Assign the right people to the right topics

EcoVadis allows several users to work on the questionnaire at the same time and distinguishes between Assessment Administrators and Assessment Collaborators. Keep one coordinator responsible for consistency and the deadline.

Official source: EcoVadis: Adding and managing users.

3. Read the question-level Help Content

Use the Help Content attached to the question and answer options. Check the definitions and evidence guidance before selecting an answer.

There is no universal “EcoVadis answer key”. Your answers should reflect what your company does and can support with evidence. See EcoVadis questionnaire help resources.

4. Work evidence-first

For each answer, ask:

• What exactly are we claiming?
• Which document or record supports that claim?
• Where is the relevant information in the document?
• Does it apply to the assessed entity and scope?
• Is it current and credible?
• Does it prove this answer, or is it only related to the topic?

5. Keep a simple evidence map

A simple working sheet is enough:

Use the EcoVadis Required Documents Checklist to decide what to gather. If documents already exist but the proof is weak or unclear, read Finding and Fixing EcoVadis Evidence Gaps.

6. Check that evidence can actually be read

EcoVadis requires machine-readable text for documents to be fully considered and translated. Scans, screenshots, handwriting, encrypted files and text embedded in images can cause problems. Where possible, export documents directly from the source program so the text remains selectable.

See EcoVadis's machine-readable document guidance. For upload or file-format problems, use the guide to EcoVadis documents not accepted.

What If You Cannot Prove Something or It Does Not Apply?

A missing document can mean several different things:

• The evidence exists but you have not found it yet.
• The evidence exists but is too weak, old, generic or out of scope.
• The practice exists but has not been formalised or recorded.
• The policy, action or result does not exist.
• The option does not apply to your business.

Treat these as different problems. Do not select a stronger answer than the underlying management system can support.

EcoVadis says you can leave options undeclared when they do not apply and focus on relevant options supported by evidence. Depending on the question, options such as “other”, “no specific mechanism in place” and “do not know” may also be available. Not answering every question does not necessarily prevent a particular score; the activated criteria are the mandatory focus.

Official source: EcoVadis: Will unanswered questions affect your score?.

If the gap is a missing or weak policy, read 6 Key EcoVadis Policies. Policy, implementation and reporting gaps need different fixes.

What Should You Check Before Submitting the Questionnaire?

Review the questionnaire before anyone clicks Submit.

Once you submit, the questionnaire moves into expert analysis and is locked. You cannot edit answers or add documents during that stage.

Official source: EcoVadis: What happens after I click on Submit?.

Frequently Asked Questions