How EcoVadis Plans to Standardise Carbon Data Evaluation

The growing demand for transparency in corporate sustainability has exposed a fundamental flaw in how emissions are reported: a lack of standardisation. 

While regulatory frameworks such as the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and California’s SB 253 are accelerating disclosure requirements, they do not fully resolve the inconsistencies in how data is collected, verified and interpreted – particularly across complex global supply chains. 

The result is a widening trust deficit in sustainability reporting, where comparable, decision-grade data remains difficult to achieve.

A framework for data integrity

EcoVadis is seeking to address this issue with the launch of its Carbon Data Reliability Level (DRL) framework, a methodology designed to bring consistency, transparency and trust to carbon reporting across supply chains. 

The company is positioning DRL as a shared standard for evaluating emissions data quality and encouraging industry-wide adoption.

At its core, the DRL framework functions as an automated integrity filter, transforming raw supplier data into actionable, assurance-aligned intelligence. It operates through a structured three-gate system designed to progressively assess the reliability of greenhouse gas (GHG) metrics.

The first gate focuses on evidence, verifying whether reported emissions can be traced back to a credible source document. Data that cannot meet this basic requirement is classified as low reliability and excluded from further analysis.

The second gate examines methodological rigour, assessing whether calculations align with recognised standards such as the GHG Protocol and whether they have undergone third-party verification.

Finally, the third gate evaluates plausibility, comparing reported figures against sector-specific benchmarks derived from EcoVadis’ extensive dataset. This step helps identify anomalies and outliers that may indicate errors or inconsistencies.

Together, these gates produce a four-tier classification system: Low, Medium, High, and Third-Party Verified or Compliance-Ready. This structured taxonomy enables companies to distinguish between data that is merely available and data that is truly decision-ready.

"Scope 3 emissions represent the largest share of most companies’ climate footprint, yet this is the category where data quality is weakest and trust is lowest," said Dexter Galvin, SVP Climate at EcoVadis. 

"The DRL framework solves this by moving the market from a focus on mere data availability to validated data reliability.

"We are moving the market toward a standardised, open reliability baseline.

"By making reliability a first-class requirement rather than an optional feature, we empower procurement and finance teams to turn Scope 3 emissions from an unmanaged risk into an opportunity for verifiable impact".

Rating sustainability

EcoVadis is a global provider of business sustainability ratings, widely recognised for its work in evaluating environmental, social and ethical performance across supply chains. Its platform enables companies to assess suppliers, track performance improvements and drive more sustainable procurement practices.

With a strong focus on scalability and standardisation, EcoVadis has built one of the largest sustainability intelligence networks in the world. The introduction of the DRL framework represents a natural evolution of its capabilities, extending its assessment expertise into the critical domain of carbon data quality.

Aligning with global standards

One of the DRL framework’s key strengths is its alignment with emerging regulatory and assurance standards. It directly maps to requirements within the GHG Protocol’s Scope 3 revisions, supports primary data classification under CSRD and ESRS E1, and provides the documentation needed for assurance under ISSA 5000.

This interoperability is critical as organisations seek to streamline compliance across multiple jurisdictions while maintaining confidence in their reported data. By embedding reliability assessment into the data itself, DRL reduces the burden on downstream verification processes and supports more efficient audits.

Scaling trust across supply chains

The effectiveness of the DRL framework is underpinned by the scale of the EcoVadis Carbon Data Network, which includes approximately 60,000 reporting organisations. This breadth allows the system to generate sector-calibrated benchmarks, strengthening the plausibility checks that distinguish credible data from statistical anomalies.

Importantly, EcoVadis is integrating DRL scores across a growing ecosystem of carbon accounting platforms. This means that once a supplier’s data has been assessed, its reliability classification can be recognised across multiple systems, reducing duplication and promoting consistency.