Updated: July 17, 2025

The Answer, is a series that provides no-fluff answers and solutions to your most pressing EcoVadis questions, we tackle one topic head-on. The goal is to give you the clarity you need to move forward. This week's question is: Why Did Our EcoVadis Score Go Down?

Seeing your EcoVadis score drop, especially after you’ve worked hard to maintain or improve it, can be incredibly frustrating. You’re left staring at the new number, wondering what went wrong and how you’ll explain it to your team, the CEO and above all, your customers.

A lower EcoVadis score does not always reflect a decline in sustainability performance. The most common reasons are often external, such as major changes to the EcoVadis methodology, or internal submission gaps, like a failure to provide quantitative performance data.

This post will diagnose the three most likely causes behind a score drop, helping you identify the root cause and plan your next move.

Quick Navigation

• 1. Reason 1: The EcoVadis Goalposts Moved (Methodology & Competition)
• 2. Reason 2: Your EcoVadis Submission Had Critical Gaps
• 3. Reason 3: A Negative Finding Appeared on EcoVadis' 360° Watch
• 4. So, What Should You Do Now?

Reason 1: The EcoVadis Goalposts Moved (Methodology & Competition)

A frequent reason for a score or medal drop has nothing to do with your company's performance, but rather with the evolution of the EcoVadis system itself. We cover this in detail in our complete EcoVadis Methodology Guide, but in short, standing still often means falling behind.

• The Rising Tide: The EcoVadis network has grown to over 150,000 companies, and the average score is steadily increasing. Because medals are awarded based on your percentile rank, as the entire network improves, the score required to earn a specific medal gets higher each year.
• Stricter Rules (2024 Onwards): EcoVadis deliberately made its medal criteria more selective in 2024. Key changes include:
  • Tighter Thresholds: The bar for Silver was raised from the top 25% to the top 15%, and for Bronze from the top 50% to the top 35%.
  • Higher Minimum Scores: A minimum score of 30 is now required in all four themes (Environment, L&HR, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement) to be eligible for any medal. A single theme score of 29 now disqualifies you completely.

EcoVadis Score-drop Example: Orbia’s Gold to Silver Drop

A clear example of external factors at play is the materials company Orbia. In 2024, their score dropped from 70 (Gold) to 67 (Silver). Their performance hadn't changed; rather, EcoVadis had reclassified Mexico (their designated headquarters) as a "high-risk" country. As Orbia transparently explains in their own communication about their EcoVadis results, this single, external methodology change automatically subjected them to stricter scoring, directly causing a score drop in the Environment theme and a loss of their Gold medal status.

Reason 2: Your EcoVadis Submission Had Critical Gaps

While external factors are significant, a score drop is often due to controllable, internal issues with the evidence you submitted. A low score is frequently a data problem before it's a performance problem.

Common gaps include:

• Weak Policies (The Foundation): Submitting policies that are unsigned, undated, or lack specific, quantitative objectives signals a weak commitment to analysts and makes it difficult to score well, as explained in the guide on Essential Policies & How to Create Them.
• Informal Processes (The Action Gap): Many companies have effective day-to-day practices that have never been formalised. If your process for managing waste or conducting safety training isn't documented in an official procedure (SOP) or training record, it is invisible to the analyst, and you receive no points for it.
• The "So What?" Deficit (The Results Gap): This is the single biggest blocker to a high score. You must provide quantitative Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to show the outcome of your actions. Without year-over-year data on topics like GHG emissions, water use, or employee accident rates, you are signalling an immature management system and capping your potential score.
• Technical Errors: Simple mistakes can invalidate your evidence. This includes submitting data that is more than two years old or providing a global sustainability report for a subsidiary-level assessment without proving it applies to that specific entity. (To see more technical errors, read our post on What to Do When Your Documents Are Not Accepted.)

Reason 3: A Negative Finding Appeared on EcoVadis' 360° Watch

Your score isn't just based on the documents you provide. EcoVadis uses a system called the 360° Watch, where AI and human analysts scan over 100,000 public sources (news media, NGOs, government bodies) for findings related to your company.

This feature can act as an ultimate veto on your medal eligibility. If the 360° Watch finds a single "severe" negative case (e.g., a major environmental incident or corruption scandal), your score for that theme drops to 0 and you are rendered ineligible for any medal, regardless of how well you answered the questionnaire. A major violation can also result in a three- to five-year ban on receiving a medal. So it is in your interest to build real, mature management systems that are followed at every level in your operations.

So, What Should You Do Now?

A score drop is a data point, and your first step is diagnosis.

Conduct a forensic analysis of your scorecard, paying close attention to the "Improvement Areas" listed for each theme. This is a custom-made list from the EcoVadis analyst telling you exactly where they found gaps in your evidence.

If you believe the analyst made a clear factual error—for example, by overlooking evidence you know you submitted correctly, you can use the formal Scorecard Inquiry process. This isn't for debating methodology, but for correcting objective errors. As detailed in our guide on what to do when you disagree with your score, success depends on precision. The company Nilfisk did this successfully, engaging in a "collaborative dialogue" with EcoVadis that resulted in a score correction and the restoration of their Gold medal, a story they shared publicly here.

A score drop feels like a setback, but it provides the precise feedback needed to build a stronger, more resilient sustainability management system for the future.

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