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ImproveĀ Your EcoVadis EthicsĀ Score

Updated: July 12, 2026

Ā 

A low Ethics score usually means EcoVadis did not see enough evidence that business integrity, anti-corruption, fair competition or responsible information management are handled systematically. A Code of Conduct is useful, but it is only the starting point.

EcoVadis also looks for how ethics commitments are translated into policies, training, reporting channels, controls, case handling, coverage, KPIs and reporting. This page explains how to diagnose the Ethics theme and prepare stronger evidence for your next assessment.

Quick answer: how to improve your EcoVadis Ethics score

  • Use Policies, Actions and Results as the structure for your improvement plan.
  • Start with credible ethics commitments, such as a Code of Conduct, Anti-Corruption Policy, Speak-Up Policy and responsible information management rules where relevant.
  • Show how those commitments are implemented through training, reporting channels, conflict of interest controls, gifts and hospitality rules, case handling, audits or corrective actions.
  • Track results with Ethics KPIs, such as training completion, speak-up cases, case closure, conflict declarations, information security incidents and corrective action closure.
  • Make sure the evidence applies to the assessed scope, is current, and clearly supports the questionnaire answers you select.

Are you in the right place?

1. What the Ethics Theme Covers

The EcoVadis Ethics theme looks at how your company manages integrity, compliance and responsible business conduct. The exact questions and activated criteria depend on your industry, size and operating locations.

In practice, the Ethics theme can include evidence around:

  • Code of Conduct or Code of Ethics
  • anti-corruption and anti-bribery policy
  • conflict of interest controls
  • gifts, hospitality and donations rules
  • whistleblower, speak-up or grievance channels
  • anti-competitive practices and fair competition controls
  • responsible information management
  • data protection or information security where relevant
  • ethics, anti-corruption or data protection training
  • incident reporting, case handling, corrective actions, KPIs and reporting

The practical question

Can you show that ethics risks are identified, communicated, controlled, reported and followed up across the assessed scope?

2. Why Companies Lose Points in Ethics

Many companies lose points in this theme because the evidence is incomplete or too generic. The company may have a Code of Conduct, but the submission does not prove that ethics risks are managed in practice.

Common gap Why it weakens the evidence
Code of Conduct is broad A general code may not show specific controls for corruption, conflicts of interest, fair competition or information management.
Anti-corruption rules are not implemented EcoVadis may not see training, approval controls, due diligence, registers, audits or case handling that prove implementation.
Speak-up channel is unclear A policy promise is weaker when there is no evidence of reporting routes, non-retaliation, investigation process or case tracking.
Training coverage is missing Without training records, it is hard to show that employees understand the ethics rules.
Information security evidence is out of scope A certificate or policy only helps when it applies to the assessed entity, systems or process being assessed.
KPIs or case summaries are missing Without reporting, it is hard to show whether ethics controls are monitored or improved.

A useful first diagnosis is to ask whether the gap is about policy, action, coverage, results or evidence quality. The answer tells you what to fix.

3. Policies: Code of Conduct, Anti-Corruption and Information Rules

Policy evidence sets the foundation. It shows what your company expects, who is responsible and which ethics risks are managed.

A stronger Ethics policy stack can include:

  • Code of Conduct or Code of Ethics
  • Anti-Corruption or Anti-Bribery Policy
  • conflict of interest policy or declaration process
  • gifts, hospitality and donations rules
  • whistleblower, speak-up or non-retaliation policy
  • fair competition or anti-trust policy where relevant
  • data protection, information security or responsible information management policy
  • document owner, scope, review date and management approval

Policy evidence rule of thumb

A credible Ethics policy set does not only say "we act with integrity." It explains the rules, the owner, the reporting route, the escalation process, and how employees are trained or expected to follow the controls.

For a broader policy foundation, read Essential EcoVadis Policies. That page explains how policy evidence fits into the wider EcoVadis management-system logic.

Need ethics policy foundations?

The EcoVadis Starter Kit includes practical policy templates and guidance you can adapt to your own scope, responsibilities and evidence base. Use templates as a starting point, then customise them to your company.

Review the EcoVadis Starter Kit

4. Actions: Training, Reporting Channels, Controls and Follow-Up

Actions show how ethics commitments are implemented. This is where the theme becomes practical: training, reporting channels, registers, approvals, investigation procedures and corrective actions.

  • ethics or anti-corruption training records
  • Code of Conduct acknowledgement records
  • conflict of interest declaration process
  • gifts and hospitality register
  • third-party due diligence process where relevant
  • whistleblower or speak-up reporting process
  • case investigation procedure
  • anti-competitive practice controls where relevant
  • data protection or information security training records
  • internal audit or compliance review records
  • corrective action tracker
  • incident or case-handling log summary

Good action evidence is practical

A dated training record, gifts register, case-handling procedure or conflict of interest declaration process can be more useful than a polished statement that does not show implementation.

5. Results: Ethics KPIs, Cases and Reporting

Results evidence shows whether ethics and compliance performance is tracked. This does not need to expose confidential case details, but it should be measurable enough to show monitoring, follow-up or coverage.

  • ethics training completion
  • anti-corruption training completion
  • Code of Conduct acknowledgement coverage
  • number of speak-up cases received and closed
  • case closure rate or average closure time
  • conflict of interest declarations completed
  • gifts and hospitality register activity
  • information security incidents where relevant
  • data protection training completion where relevant
  • third-party due diligence completion where relevant
  • corrective action closure rate
  • site, employee or function coverage of ethics controls

Simple KPI example

"Code of Conduct acknowledgement reached 98% of employees in 2025. Anti-corruption training covered 94% of sales, procurement and management roles. Six speak-up cases were received, five were closed by year-end, and one remained under review."

6. Ethics Evidence Examples by Management Layer

The table below gives a practical way to organise your evidence before uploading documents or planning a reassessment.

Evidence layer What it should prove Example documents Weak version
Policy Business integrity, anti-corruption, reporting, fair competition and information management commitments. Code of Conduct, Anti-Corruption Policy, Speak-Up Policy, Data Protection Policy, Information Security Policy. A generic code with no owner, scope, reporting route or review date.
Action How commitments are applied through training, controls, reporting channels and follow-up. Training records, gifts register, conflict declarations, case procedure, audit report, corrective action tracker. A claim that employees are trained or cases are handled with no records or process evidence.
Coverage How much of the assessed workforce, locations, functions or relevant third parties are covered. Training coverage report, Code acknowledgement list, certification scope, function coverage statement. One training example with no explanation of coverage across the assessed scope.
Results Whether ethics and compliance processes are tracked and improved over time. Training completion, speak-up case summary, closure rate, audit findings, corrective action closure, incident dashboard. No recent ethics KPIs or case summary, or data without year, scope or owner.

Before uploading, test each document with one question: what exact answer does this prove? If the answer is unclear, the evidence may need context, a better file, or a different question match.

7. Relevant Standards and Frameworks for Ethics

Standards, frameworks and regulations are useful, but they should be used carefully. They are reference points for building stronger ethics, compliance and information management evidence. They are not a substitute for your own documents, implementation records and KPIs.

Standard, framework or regulation Why it is relevant Evidence caution
ISO 37001 Relevant for anti-bribery management systems, anti-corruption controls and compliance governance. Use a valid certificate and make sure the scope, entity and controls match the EcoVadis assessment context.
ISO/IEC 27001 Relevant for responsible information management, information security and data protection controls. A certificate can support information management evidence when it is valid and in scope. It may still need supporting policies, training or incident records.
General Data Protection Regulation Relevant for data protection and privacy governance, especially for companies handling personal data in or connected to the EU. A regulation is not evidence by itself. Upload your own privacy policy, procedures, training, records or controls where relevant.
ISO 26000 Useful as social responsibility guidance, including organisational governance, fair operating practices and consumer issues. ISO 26000 is guidance. It can support the logic of your programme, but you still need company-specific documents and records.
UN Global Compact Ten Principles Useful for commitments across human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. If your company is a participant, keep evidence of the commitment and communication. If you use the principles internally, show how they are implemented.
GRI Standards Useful when ethics, anti-corruption or information management topics are reported publicly through a sustainability report or ESG report. A report can support reporting evidence when it includes recent, relevant ethics data and clear boundaries.
OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct Useful for responsible business conduct, disclosure, anti-bribery, consumer interests and due diligence. Use the guidelines to shape due diligence and ethics processes. Upload evidence of your own process, records and follow-up.

How to use these references in your EcoVadis evidence

Do not upload a standard, regulation or framework as proof by itself. Use it to improve your own policy, controls, training, reporting channels, KPIs and reporting, then upload evidence that shows your company actually uses those practices.

8. What to Do If Ethics Is Your Weakest Theme

If your EcoVadis scorecard shows Ethics as the weakest theme, avoid starting with a long list of random compliance actions. Start with the reason the theme is weak.

Five-step diagnosis

  1. Read the theme score and improvement areas. Note whether the comments point to missing policy, weak action, missing reporting, low coverage, information management gaps, weak training evidence or document quality.
  2. Map existing evidence. List codes, policies, training records, reporting channels, case records, certificates, registers, audits, KPIs and reports.
  3. Find the missing layer. Decide whether you have policy without action, action without reporting, or reporting without clear scope.
  4. Choose three evidence fixes. Focus on documents you can actually create, improve or formalise before the next assessment.
  5. Plan the next review point. Decide when legal, compliance, IT, HR, procurement, sustainability and management will review progress together.

For wider improvement planning, read How to Improve Your EcoVadis Score. If you already have a scorecard and need help diagnosing what held the theme back, a Scorecard Review can help you turn the scorecard into a practical improvement plan.

Unsure whether your ethics evidence is strong enough?

If your assessment is underway, Submission Support can help you check whether your ethics evidence supports the questionnaire and work through priority gaps before submission.

Get Help Preparing Your Submission

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About the Author

Rutger founded Double Your Sustainability to help companies work through EcoVadis assessments with more clarity and less wasted effort. He draws on 15 years of corporate sustainability experience, direct lessons learned from achieving EcoVadis Platinum medals, and practical client work helping companies prepare submissions, review evidence and understand scorecards.

As a certified EcoVadis Solutions Practitioner with an MSc. in Strategic Sustainable Development, his focus is on turning sustainability work into clearer evidence, better decisions and scorecards you can interpret and act on.

Connect with Rutger on LinkedIn.