EcoVadis assessments are not pass or fail, but rather the gap between a Bronze and a Silver, or a Silver and a Gold, often comes
EcoVadis
By Kaynat Advisory
May 18, 2026
The 5 Most Avoidable Mistakes UAE Companies Make on Their EcoVadis Submission
By Kaynat Advisory
May 18, 2026
After working with UAE suppliers across multiple assessment cycles, these are the five (easily correctable) mistakes we see most often.
1. Answering questions without uploading supporting evidence
This is the single most common reason UAE companies score lower than they should. EcoVadis analysts do not take questionnaire answers at face value. Every significant claim that you have a policy, that you conduct training, that you track your environmental performance needs to be backed by a document you upload as part of your submission.
A company can answer ‘yes’ to every question and still receive a low score if the supporting documents are missing, out of date, or irrelevant to the question being asked. Before you submit, review every yes answer and ask: have I attached something that proves this?
2. Uploading outdated policies
Policies that have not been reviewed or signed in the past two to three years are treated as inactive by EcoVadis analysts. A health and safety policy dated 2019 even if it is a strong document will contribute little to your score if it has not been updated or re-signed since.
Before your submission, check the date on every policy you plan to upload. If it is more than two years old, review and re-date it. This takes less than an hour and can meaningfully improve your score.
3. Ignoring the Sustainable Procurement theme
Many UAE companies focus their preparation on Environment and Labour where the requirements feel more familiar and give little attention to Sustainable Procurement. This is a mistake. Sustainable Procurement typically accounts for 10-15% of the overall score, and the requirements are achievable even for SMEs.
A simple supplier code of conduct, a short email to key suppliers setting out your sustainability expectations, and a basic screening process for new suppliers can be enough to score meaningfully in this theme. These documents do not need to be complex, they need to exist and be evidenced.
4. Treating EcoVadis as a one-time exercise
EcoVadis scores are valid for 12 months. Companies that improve their score at one assessment and then do nothing until the next renewal often find their score drops because the analysts expect to see progress, not just maintenance.
The most effective approach is to treat EcoVadis as an ongoing management system rather than an annual questionnaire. Track your performance data throughout the year, update policies when they are due for review, and build improvement actions into your operational calendar. Companies that do this rarely struggle at renewal.
5. Not reading the scorecard
EcoVadis provides a detailed scorecard after every assessment, identifying specific areas of strength and weakness across all four themes. Most companies glance at the medal level and move on. This is a missed opportunity.
The scorecard tells you exactly where you lost points and what kind of evidence or improvement would change your score. If you have received an EcoVadis assessment in the past and have not read your scorecard in detail, that is the single most valuable thing you can do before your next submission.
The bottom line?
A strong EcoVadis score is not just about having good sustainability practices, it is about being able to demonstrate them clearly and credibly. The five mistakes above are all easily fixable with the right preparation and the right documentation.
Kaynat Advisory helps UAE businesses review their scorecards, close their documentation gaps, and build the systems that lead to better results at every renewal. Contact us at info@kaynatadvisory.com or call +971 50 907 8152.