EcoVadis vs. CDP: How to Respond to Supplier Sustainability Reporting Requests

In today’s global supply chain, customers demand more than just quality products—they expect comprehensive sustainability data. As transparency becomes a non-negotiable requirement, your company will likely need to report sustainability metrics through frameworks like EcoVadis and CDP.

These frameworks are critical for the procurement and supply chain teams of your biggest customers as they help them benchmark their supplier’s performance using consistent scoring systems and mitigate sustainability-related supply chain risks. At Good.Lab, we encourage companies to report to both CDP and EcoVadis, though some customers may only ask them to report to one. As more companies are being asked to report to both, streamlining the process can simplify their work and make their sustainability efforts more efficient.

Read on for actionable insights into fielding reporting requests from EcoVadis and CDP, along with key differences and commonalities and tips on how to best prepare to report to these and other voluntary and mandatory sustainability frameworks.

Understanding EcoVadis: The Leading Sustainability Rating Framework

EcoVadis is a leading sustainability reporting framework and performance rating system trusted by over 140,000 companies worldwide. It is widely used by large organizations to request sustainability data from their suppliers, with more than 1,300 global enterprises seeking data from tens of thousands of suppliers annually to ensure alignment with their overall corporate sustainability goals and meet those goals.

Companies asked to report must complete a comprehensive sustainability questionnaire and provide supporting documentation. Based on this input, they receive an annual score on a scale of 1 to 100. Companies scoring in the top 50% earn bronze, silver, gold, or platinum medals, highlighting their sustainability achievements.

EcoVadis assessments holistically cover environmental, social, and governance (ESG) topics, making it a valuable tool for companies to assess the sustainability performance of their suppliers across a wide range of metrics.

Reporters to EcoVadis receive in-depth guidance based on their submissions to improve their future scores and overall sustainability performance. Working with a third party to evaluate this feedback and integrate it with your sustainability strategy can ensure you achieve improved scores year over year.

How GM and Nestlé Aligns Supply Chain & Procurement Goals with EcoVadis

The scoring system EcoVadis (a rating of 1-100) makes it a preferred choice for procurement and supply chain professionals focused on risk mitigation. Allowing companies to set clear minimum thresholds for supplier eligibility. For example, General Motors encourages its tier 1 suppliers to sign a Supplier Pledge that requires an EcoVadis score of 50 points or higher in Labor and Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement by 2025.

Like GM, other large companies like Nestlé use EcoVadis to engage its supply chain and improve visibility, traceability, and performance in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals. EcoVadis has assessed more than 3,000 Nestlé suppliers, allowing them to ensure their suppliers are compliant with their own strict sustainability rules, foster collaboration, and encourage action and improved scores to help Nestlé meet their sustainability goals.

Slay EcoVadis Submissions Explore the benefits of working with an Approved EcoVadis Partner →

Understanding CDP: The Leading Environmental Disclosure Framework

Much like EcoVadis, CDP is another leading voluntary framework for sustainability reporting, with over 23,000 companies participating in 2023. It is one of the most commonly used frameworks for companies requesting environmental data from their suppliers, with around 75,000 companies expected to receive data requests in 2024.

Companies and investors use CDP to assess the environmental impact of their suppliers and portfolio companies. Companies request CDP data to ensure suppliers align with their environmental goals and to evaluate climate and other environmental risks in their supply chain.

If asked to report to CDP, you’ll typically receive an invitation to complete an annual questionnaire focused on the metrics your customer wants to know, typically climate data. The questionnaire is submitted during a designated annual reporting period. The questionnaire gauges performance in areas such as climate change, water, and deforestation. Some organizations are scored on an A-F scale, reflecting their environmental performance. CDP reporting is highly regarded for its specific focus on environmental factors and alignment with widely recognized standards like ISSB, TCFD, and SBTi and is therefore favored by sustainability, compliance, and supply chain professionals alike

Why Hewlett Packard Uses CDP to Request Supplier Climate Data

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) engages its supply chain through CDP to drive emissions reductions from its largest source of emissions. Through the CDP supply chain, HPE requests their suppliers to report their climate data and set ambitious science-based target initiative (SBTI) aligned goals. Any companies in Hewlett Packard supply chain would have a competitive advantage for reporting and reducing emissions in line with an SBTi, as HPE has committed that 80% of their manufacturing spend will go to SBTi-aligned suppliers by 2025.

Why You Might Be Asked to Report to CDP and EcoVadis

Some large buying organizations, like Walmart, Colgate Palmolive, and Astra Zeneca, use both EcoVadis and CDP to get comprehensive insights into the sustainability practices of companies they do business with. While CDP primarily focuses on environmental impacts, EcoVadis provides a broader assessment across all ESG topics. Another reason you might be asked to complete both is if you have one customer who uses EcoVadis and another who requests data through CDP.

Reporting to both frameworks enables your company to report on sustainability holistically and receive scores from both, meeting the expectations of all stakeholders. Additional benefits of reporting to both CDP & EcoVadis include:

• Regulatory Preparedness: Improves your ability to collect, measure, and report on key sustainability metrics, which are increasingly essential as sustainability reporting regulations accelerate globally.
• Identify Gaps and Improve Sustainability Performance: Reporting to both frameworks allows companies to identify and address gaps in their sustainability practices and drive continuous improvement in areas like emissions reductions.
• Improve Brand Reputation: By reporting to and getting scores in both CDP and EcoVadis, a company can demonstrate leadership in sustainability and set itself apart in a competitive, sustainability-conscious market.

CDP vs. EcoVadis: Key Differences Between the Leading Two Sustainability Frameworks

Understanding the differences between CDP vs. EcoVadis helps suppliers align their sustainability reporting efforts with what their largest customers are asking of them. The following table summarizes the main differences between these frameworks:

CDP vs. EcoVadis: Commonalities in Sustainability Reporting

EcoVadis has had over 140,000 companies report through its platform, and more than 1,200 enterprise-level companies are expected to request data from tens of thousands of suppliers in 2024. Similarly, in 2023, more than 23,000 companies submitted reports through CDP’s questionnaires, and an estimated 75,000 companies will be requested to report data through CDP in 2024. With these numbers of companies getting requested to report through both, there must be some overlap, meaning some suppliers are getting requests for both. This is the first similarity between the two standards: their focus on the supply chain.

For suppliers that are getting asked to report to both, the good news is there are a lot of other overlaps and similarities between the two frameworks and efficiencies to harness

• Reuse of Environmental Data: Although CDP only provides a framework for environmental disclosures, those environmental disclosures make up a substantial percentage of EcoVadis reporting. So, the climate, water, deforestation, biodiversity, and plastic data used in CDP reporting can be re-used and will give you much of the data you need to report to EcoVadis and vice versa.
• Scores Relating to Improved Performance: In addition to the data reusability part, you can also improve your score with both if you improve sustainability performance over time. Reduce waste, emissions, links to deforestation, and water use, and report that to both, and you will receive an improved score from both.
• CDP and EcoVadis Partnership: CDP and EcoVadis are not competitors. The EcoVadis platform is a global Gold Software Solution Provider for CDP. This means that any data reported through EcoVadis can be quite easily re-used to report to CDP. Both consider their frameworks as mutually beneficial to their shared customers.

These overlapping qualities of both frameworks mean that whenever you report to one, if a customer requests you to report to another, there are efficiencies and parallels, which reduce the difficulties of reporting to both.

CDP and EcoVadis Overlaps and Integration with Other Frameworks

The data collected for EcoVadis and CDP reporting will also help you on the way to reporting with every other mandatory and voluntary reporting framework.

Additionally, CDP integrates or is interoperable with many existing frameworks. This means reporting through CDP makes it easy to report to the environmental parts of other frameworks, like the ISSB and ESRS. The following major reporting frameworks and standards are integrated with CDP:

• TCFD (Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures): In 2018, CDP aligned over 25 of its questions with the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) reporting standard, making it the most TCFD-aligned environmental data reporting framework.
• TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures): In 2024, CDP integrated the guidance of the TNFD into the biodiversity section of its reporting questionnaire.
• ISSB (international Sustainability Standards Board): In 2023, the ISSB released its first two reporting standards and took over the TCFD’s responsibilities. The following year (2024), CDP integrated the ISSB’s climate-related standards IFRS 2 into its questionnaire.
• SBTi (Science Based Targets Initiative): CDP encourages reporters to set their targets through the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi), has questions based on whether they do, and rewards those who do with improved scores.
• GRI (Global Reporting Initiative): CDP works closely with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to align disclosure best practices and avoid duplicative reporting.
• ESRS (European Sustainability Reporting Standards): Companies must use the ESRS to report to the EU’s reporting mandate, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). CDP has worked closely with the European standard setter, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG), to ensure interoperability with their standards. CDP released guidance to map ESRS data points with existing CDP questions.

While these integrations with CDP prepare suppliers to easily report to these other frameworks, reporting to EcoVadis will also contribute toward reporting with them, albeit to a lesser extent.  How Good.Lab Helps Companies Report into CDP & EcoVadis

How Good.Lab Helps Companies Report into CDP & EcoVadis

With the number of suppliers being requested by buyers to report using these frameworks increasing by thousands every year, if you do not receive a request to report to both, you will eventually. Starting today, reporting to one and understanding the differences and overlaps between the two will set you up to efficiently report to both when requested.

Whether you are receiving a request to report to just one or both, working with a partner who understands the differences and similarities between EcoVadis vs. CDP is critical.

For EcoVadis, for example, Good.Lab is an EcoVadis-approved Training Partner, and we have EcoVadis-certified consultants. Here is a simple overview of the process we will follow.

• Project Kickoff (1–2 Weeks): Good.Lab meets with your team to review goals, motivations, and any existing EcoVadis-related work, such as past scorecards.
• Action Plan (6–8 Weeks): We will help collect and manage sustainability metrics, calculate accurate emissions data, and prepare all necessary policies and supporting documentation.
• Submission (1 Week): We will ensure priority improvements are addressed and verify you have everything ready to make your submission.
• Results (6–8 Weeks): We will review your EcoVadis results and provide analysis, targeted actions, and recommendations to enhance your score for the next cycle.

From a CDP perspective, we have helped companies collect, calculate, and compile all of the emissions and any other environmental data you may need to report, even if you are on a tight deadline. Here is our process for CDP submissions:

• CDP Kickoff (1–2 weeks mid-April): Good.Lab meets with your team to discuss motivations, review any existing CDP work, and plan the reporting process ahead.
• Action Plan (6–8 Weeks May): We will support your team by collecting and managing environmental data (e.g., climate, water, and plastics), calculating accurate metrics, and preparing all necessary documentation.
• Submission (1 Week June): We will identify key improvements, ensure your report is polished, and guide you through the CDP submission process.
• Results (October–December): CDP experts analyze your report and provide results. Our team will help you develop a plan to improve scores for the following year with targeted actions.

Good.Lab is here to help you optimize your submissions and ensure you get the most out of your reporting efforts. Our expertise and powerful sustainability platform make reporting to CDP and EcoVadis seem simple. We will help you collect all relevant environmental data for CDP, the broad range of sustainability data for EcoVadis, and any supporting documentation. We will also help you with improving sustainability strategies, target-setting, and governance to improve your performance year over year.