Sustainability ratings have surged 167% globally over five years, with China overtaking the U.S. in 2024 activity.
Asia-Pacific leads global progress, surpassing North America in environmental performance and closing gaps in responsible sourcing.
Repeated assessments reduce risk: 86% of companies rated more than once scored above the risk threshold, showing measurable improvement.
Global companies are accelerating efforts to embed sustainability across operations and supply chains, according to EcoVadis’ ninth annual Global Supply Chain Sustainability Risk & Performance Index. Based on analysis of 89,000 companies—nearly 50,000 rated in 2024 alone—the report reveals a 167% increase in sustainability ratings over the past five years.
Asia-Pacific Outpaces North America in Environmental Progress
In 2024, companies in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region saw the greatest year-on-year gains, improving average scores by 3 points across all four EcoVadis sustainability themes: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement.
APAC outperformed North America on environmental metrics and is rapidly narrowing the gap on responsible sourcing, a key indicator of supply chain resilience and long-term return on investment.
However, gaps remain. APAC still trails North America and Europe in Ethics and Labor & Human Rights. To stay competitive, North American and European companies must deepen supplier-level action, particularly in procurement.
“In a noisy political environment, supply chain performance tells a clearer story,” said Sylvain Guyoton, chief rating officer at EcoVadis. “The Index takes that sentiment one step further, offering evidence that supply chain partners are following through. Companies that stay committed to business sustainability efforts are reaping the benefits – risk reduction, resilience, supply chain performance, cost savings and growth – and setting the pace for the rest of the market.”
Global Shift from Risk Identification to Measurable Progress
The Index shows a significant increase in companies transitioning from passive risk assessment to active improvement. In 2024, 27% of companies with multiple EcoVadis ratings ranked as top performers—more than double the 2020 figure.
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Additional findings highlight regional momentum:
China surpassed the U.S. in total ratings activity, driven by a 37% increase in 2024. France remains the top-rated country overall.
Africa & the Middle East led regional growth with a 42% surge in sustainability ratings, followed by Europe at 33%.
First-time assessments exposed critical risk blind spots: 45% of newly rated U.S. companies and 62% in China scored below 45 on the EcoVadis scale, indicating medium to high risk. In contrast, only 12% of first-timers in the UK fell below this threshold.
Companies that undergo consistent assessment show improvement: 86% of firms rated more than once scored above the risk threshold, reinforcing the value of ongoing ESG monitoring.
Responsible Sourcing Still Lags Behind
While Sustainable Procurement saw the greatest improvement in 2024, it remains the weakest performing area. Sixty percent of all companies—and 75% of those rated for the first time—still fall into the higher-risk category.
Overall, the average EcoVadis score rose to 53.4 in 2024, placing the majority of rated companies in the “Good” performance range. The Index supports findings from the EcoVadis Business Sustainability Outlook, which reported that 87% of U.S. executives have maintained or increased sustainability investments in 2025.
As companies face growing investor expectations and regulatory demands, the Index underscores that ESG investment is not only rising—it is beginning to deliver tangible ROI.
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