How to submit questions and complaints?

To uphold the integrity and quality of our services, EcoVadis provides a formal and transparent mechanism for users to submit questions and complaints regarding our sustainability ratings and business solutions. Our process is designed to be consistent, fair, accurate, and compliant with external commitments, such as those from the EU Regulation 2024/3005 on the transparency and integrity of ESG rating activities.

What is the difference between questions and complaints?

Depending on your relationship with EcoVadis and the nature of your inquiry, you can reach out through the below distinct channels:

Understanding the Communication Channels

Dedicated Channel Who is it for? What does it cover?
Question Rated entities with active subscriptions Products, services, assessment processes, or methodologies.
Complaint Entities with a persistent disagreement with EcoVadis Significant problems or strong disagreements regarding ESG ratings, customer experience, or payments.

When should I use these channels ?

Before reaching out, we recommend consulting our disclosure materials to help resolve your issue immediately. Below we hand-picked for you some key resources: 

EcoVadis Help Center 
Includes guidance on document limits, how to read your scorecard, and methodology updates. We recommend these articles:

EcoVadis Useful Resources

Accessible directly on active user’s platform, these documents explain scoring principles and document guidelines. We recommend these to get started:

If you are rated by EcoVadis or have an active subscription, you can follow these steps to get the answers you need: 

  • Step 1: Ask Lumi, our digital assistant!

  • Step 2 : Ask us a question

  • Step 3: If step 1 & 2 do not work to your satisfaction, raise a complaint*.

*As a first step, we always recommend submitting a question via the dedicated channel through our Help Center or contacting your dedicated Account Manager, if one has been assigned. Your case will be dispatched to our Customer Care team that will coordinate the response depending on the topic you want to address. Finally if the response you get from our teams via a question is unsatisfactory, you can raise a complaint via the dedicated channel through our Help Center. 

To streamline the request handling process and ensure you receive a timely response, it is considered a best practice to consolidate your questions in one submission. 

Please refer to this Scorecard Question Slide Deck for submission guidance.

What qualifies as a complaint?

A "complaint" is the official way for you to tell us when you've encountered a significant problem or persistent disagreement related to the delivery of your EcoVadis ESG rating or associated services.

You can raise a complaint about the following items:

  • Our products or solutions (what we offer).
  • Our assessment processes (how we do things).
  • Our methodologies (why we do things in a certain way).

You are welcome to submit a complaint at any point while your subscription is active.

Prerequisites for submission

EcoVadis will investigate only when a complaint is material, credible, and specific.

To ensure a timely resolution, we recommend that all complainants take the following steps before submitting a formal complaint:

  • Investigate and question: We expect you to have first raised the issue and sought clarification via the dedicated channel through our Help Center or contacting your dedicated Account Manager, if one has been assigned.

  • Verify methodology: Complainants are encouraged to refer to our Help Center for clarification about the EcoVadis methodology to ensure the complaint is fact-based, relevant, and specific.

Complaint submission channel

If you find our public disclosure materials or dedicated responses to your questions insufficient, you can raise a complaint via the Help Center. Your case will be dispatched to our Customer Care team that will coordinate the response depending on the topic you want to address. 

Procedure for complaints handling

The EcoVadis procedural process for handling complaints follows a structured workflow designed to ensure accessibility, transparency and fairness.

  1. Formal Submission: users submit their detailed allegations regarding factual errors, methodology misapplication, or misrepresentation through the dedicated channels.

  2. Acknowledgment: all complete submissions will be acknowledged and verified by EcoVadis within two business days.

  3. Investigation: an independent analyst, who was not part of the original assessment, will conduct a thorough evidence review and consult internal subject matter experts if necessary.

  4. Decision and Communication: a formal response is communicated within 10 business days (or 20 for external stakeholder concerns). Depending on the situation, we will provide an evidence-based explanation for maintaining the original result or a formal revision to the rating.

  5. Escalation: in case of a continued disagreement, unresolved issues will be escalated to the EcoVadis Resolution Center.

  6. Continuous Improvement: improvement areas or constructive feedback are communicated to the relevant internal teams (e.g. Methodology) to help refine processes, analysts training or methodology if applicable.

Code of conduct for all communication

We value all feedback. To maintain a productive and respectful dialogue, we require all communication to adhere to the Third-Party Professional Conduct. It is important to note the following:

  • Be Specific: EcoVadis only investigates complaints that are material, credible, and specific. General dissatisfaction without factual details is considered an incomplete submission and may be redirected, resulting in a delayed resolution. 

  • Professionalism: Disrespectful or abusive communication is not tolerated. Additionally, all complainants must adhere to the official Complaint Policy. 

  • Official Channels Only: It is prohibited to directly contact senior executives or unauthorized personnel regarding these matters.