EcoVadis, the global standard for supply chain sustainability ratings, has released its 2025 Purpose Report, revealing that sustainability intelligence has become a primary lever for corporate resilience. The report highlights that more than $2.5 trillion in global spend is now linked to sustainability insights across the EcoVadis network, signaling a definitive shift from passive monitoring to active risk management.
As businesses grapple with regulatory pressure and supply chain disruptions, the data suggests that sustainability is no longer a peripheral concern but a core driver of long-term operational performance.
“The companies performing best right now are using sustainability to protect revenue, manage supplier risk and make faster decisions,” said Pierre-François Thaler, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of EcoVadis. “Sustainability has moved from the sidelines to the centre of how companies operate.”
Measurable improvements in supplier performance
The 2025 data shows significant scaling across the EcoVadis ecosystem:
- Expansion: 25,852 new companies adopted Sustainability Ratings this year.
- Carbon transparency: 55,838 companies are now reporting at least one greenhouse gas (GHG) metric, a critical step for addressing Scope 3 emissions.
- Social impact: Worker engagement solutions reached over 251,000 active users, integrating human rights data directly into sustainability assessments.
- Continuous growth: Companies returning for repeat assessments saw their scores improve by an average of 15 points, demonstrating that consistent engagement leads to stronger sustainability outcomes.
Strategic priorities and ecosystem growth
The report outlines progress across four key “Purpose Objectives,” overseen by an independent committee of external experts and internal leaders:
- Methodology & integrity: EcoVadis introduced new carbon data reliability checks to ensure the integrity of primary data and updated its documentation to align with emerging global ESG rating standards.
- Living wage initiative: A dedicated Living Wage Working Group was launched to help organisations track and improve supplier performance through a centralised dashboard.
- Educational outreach: The new Campus Programme provides students with free access to sustainability e-learning, while 46 new consulting partners were onboarded to guide procurement organisations.
Ambitious 2030 impact targets
Looking toward the end of the decade, EcoVadis has formalised three long-term ambitions to be achieved by 2030:
- Sustainable procurement: Reaching 300,000 rated companies globally.
- Decarbonisation: Enabling 100,000 companies to report primary GHG metrics to accelerate Scope 3 reductions.
- Human rights: Improving labor conditions through direct engagement with 3 million workers.
The Purpose Committee, which ensures EcoVadis’ strategy remains aligned with measurable impact, will appoint new members in June 2026 to continue providing independent oversight and challenge to the organisation’s goals.
