EcoVadis is an online platform that rates a company's sustainability management, and Together for Sustainability (TfS) is an initiative of chemical companies that uses assessments and audits to review suppliers. Both are used by large chemical buyers, and an Indian chemical supplier can take part in either.
If your own customers are asking for these, you need to know which one applies and who pays for it before you approach your supplier.
What is an EcoVadis assessment?
EcoVadis rates a company on its management systems in four areas: environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. The company submits policies, actions and evidence, and EcoVadis analysts produce a scorecard and, above a threshold, a medal level.
The rating covers how well the company manages these issues on paper and in practice. It is not a product certificate and it does not test your chemical. Ask the supplier to share the scorecard through the platform, and check the date, as ratings expire and need renewal.
Be aware that scores are not directly comparable between a very large multinational and a mid-sized Indian plant, because the volume of documents the company can produce differs. Look at the themes where it scores lowest and ask what is being done. A modest score with a credible improvement plan is better than a high score with no explanation. Whichever route your customer uses, confirm the current requirements with the platform or initiative, as processes are updated from time to time.
What is Together for Sustainability?
TfS is an initiative set up by chemical companies to standardise supplier sustainability assessments and audits. Member companies use shared assessments, and results can be shared with other members, so a supplier does not repeat the work for each customer.
TfS audits look at a site on the ground, which makes them closer to a factory audit than an online rating. Whether a supplier needs one depends on whether your customer is a member and requests it. Confirm the current process with TfS directly.
How should you approach an Indian supplier?
Be specific about what you need, by when, and what you will do with it. Many mid-sized Indian makers have no EcoVadis rating yet, and some are willing to obtain one for a committed customer, though it takes time and effort.
Agree who bears the cost, what happens if the score is low, and how long you will wait. Ask for a corrective action plan, not just a pass or fail. A supplier who can show real work on safety, effluent and labour practice is a better partner than one who buys a rating.
What should you still check yourself?
A rating is a useful input, but it does not replace your own checks:
- The consent order or compliance record of the plant with the Gujarat Pollution Control Board, in addition to any rating.
- Whether the plant that makes your product is the one that was assessed.
- Responsible Care membership or equivalent safety practice, as in Responsible Care and Indian chemical companies.
- Your own on-site audit, because ratings are documents and a visit shows the plant, as in what a factory audit should contain.
Next step
For the wider list of credentials, see what certifications a chemical manufacturer should have. We audit chemical plants and check what they hold. Book a free sourcing review with the requirement from your customer.