EcoVadis Silver Rating in Action: A Ticket to Global Supply Chains for Printing and Equipment Manufacturers

In recent meetings with clients, I have noticed a clear shift in how international brands assess packaging suppliers. While having an FSC certification or carbon label used to be enough, an EcoVadis rating is now a standard requirement on the procurement lists of more and more major European and American companies. Some clients even strictly mandate a Silver rating or higher just to bid

Brands' sustainability reports (such as Mars or Mondelēz) are under close market scrutiny, forcing them to ensure their entire supply chain is compliant. EcoVadis is currently the world's most comprehensive corporate sustainability assessment platform. With printing plate suppliers and equipment manufacturers actively pursuing Silver ratings, printing plants can no longer afford to stand on the sidelines. If you want to keep winning international orders, obtaining this rating is inevitable

EcoVadis evaluates companies across four dimensions: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement

The Silver rating recently achieved by German industrial equipment manufacturer Erhardt+Leimer places them in the top 15% of assessed companies (around the 75th percentile). To reach this level, assessors look for concrete management systems and documented evidence of implementation

In practice, the four hardest metrics where companies most frequently get stuck are:

・Waste management data: Assessors want to see long-term tracking records and reduction targets; simply having a recycling mechanism is not enough

・Energy use disclosure: You must submit concrete greenhouse gas inventory reports detailing factory electricity consumption and carbon emissions

・Employee health and safety systems: Record of occupational accidents and the implementation level of occupational safety and health training are critical for scoring

・Supplier code of conduct: You must require upstream ink and paper manufacturers to comply with ethical and environmental standards as well

From submitting the application to finally receiving the rating, the audit process takes an average of 6 to 9 months. Although this period can be quite exhausting, it is also a perfect opportunity for companies to re-evaluate and streamline their internal processes

The first step is to assess your current situation. Gather your utility bills, waste disposal receipts, and labor inspection records. Start tracking and archiving data wherever it is currently missing. Next, formalize your systems. Many small and medium-sized manufacturers in Taiwan manage operations well on-site, but lack documented proof. Transforming routine practices into documented management policies is a technical skill key to scoring high

Do not forget to review your equipment and manufacturing processes. Looking at packaging flexo printing in recent years, the competitive focus has shifted to process stability. A stable process translates to less waste and lower reprint rates—data points that will directly boost your score in the Environment dimension

For small and medium-sized plants with limited budgets, focus on establishing the basics before aiming for perfection, starting with building baseline data. This is actually a gateway to breaking free from low-price competition

You can begin by implementing digital systems to seamlessly integrate data from order intake, material preparation, and production to shipping. This is precisely the core pain point that the one-stop integrated services of MINDS Printing solve for clients. When production data is transparent and easily accessible, you will not feel overwhelmed by EcoVadis's extensive documentation requirements. View the certification process as an organizational health check that proves your factory is capable of taking on high-value-added international orders

・Major European and American brands have already made the EcoVadis Silver rating a standard screening requirement for supply chain procurement

・The assessment covers environment, labor, ethics, and procurement; companies must rank in the top 15% to secure a Silver rating

・The application process takes 6 to 9 months, with the main focus on converting on-site management into concrete data and written documentation

・Stable printing processes effectively reduce waste, directly contributing to scores in the Environment dimension

When facing the rigorous auditing of EcoVadis, do not rush to hire consultants to write polished reports. Instead, look back at your factory's information flow. The sustainable path is to adopt SaaS tools or AI-assisted systems to digitalize data that is currently scattered across spreadsheets and inside the heads of your workshop master technicians. Once your energy consumption and waste data can be retrieved and analyzed at any time, getting certified becomes a natural outcome of your everyday practices

・Erhardt+Leimer achieve EcoVadis Silver rating