How should I submit third-party documents?

• What are third-party documents?
• How do I submit third-party documents?

What are third-party documents?

EcoVadis defines third-party documentation as documentation created or issued by a third-party entity not affiliated with the assessment scope. Documentation from sister companies, subsidiaries, and parent companies is not third-party.

Typical third-party documentation can include the following:

• Collective Bargaining Agreements
• Invoices on purchased equipment (such as energy efficiency upgrades) or service contracts (for example, recycling services)
• Legally mandated documents (EHS Reports, Manpower reports, pay gap reports, environmental testing or risk management reports, etc.)
• Outsourced training material and certificates

How do I submit third-party documents?

Like all other document types, each third-party document must meet the document eligibility standards outlined in the EcoVadis Document Guide:

Relevant

• Relevant to the corresponding assessment scope, include the company name.
• Related to one or more of the EcoVadis assessment criteria.
  

Up-to-date

• At most eight years in the case of documents related to policies and actions.
• Results/KPI reporting documents (applicable to current and previous assessment documents) must be no older than two years.
  

Credible

• Formal and fully integrated into the company’s management system.
• Authentic, preexisting, and complete. We do not accept documents created solely for the EcoVadis assessment.

Since third-party documents are not issued by your company, they may not have your company name or logo. You can meet the document eligibility criteria by following the below guidance to ensure that there is supplementary information identifying a third-party document with the assessed scope:

1. A third-party training attendance certificate can be attached to an internal employee training plan or sent as an email invitation to the course.
   
2. If your company uses the services of an external recycling provider, you can attach the contract or agreement with the service provider to their brochure (the brochure outlines the services).
   
3. If your company purchased new, more energy-efficient equipment, you can attach the purchase invoice to the product’s brochure with your company name. 

Please refer to How To Meet the Document Limit and Avoid Submitting Combined Documents for more information on combined documents and document prioritization.