EcoVadis Silver Certification: Your Ticket to Global Supply Chains for Printers and Equipment Makers

In recent client meetings, I've noticed a clear shift in what global brands demand from packaging suppliers. In the past, an FSC certificate or carbon label was enough. Now, more Western market leaders list EcoVadis scores as a standard requirement, with some even requiring a Silver rating or higher just to submit a bid

Sustainability reports from major brands like Mars or Mondelēz face intense market scrutiny, forcing them to ensure their entire supply chain complies. EcoVadis is currently the most widely adopted business sustainability rating platform worldwide. With plate suppliers and equipment makers actively pursuing Silver ratings, print shops can no longer sit on the sidelines. If you want to keep winning international orders, you will have to earn this rating sooner or later

EcoVadis assesses companies across four core pillars: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement

The Silver rating earned by German industrial equipment maker Erhardt+Leimer places them in the top 15% of evaluated companies (roughly the 75th percentile). To reach this level, auditors look for concrete management systems and documented proof of execution

In practice, four hard metrics trip up applicants most often:

・Waste management data: Auditors want long-term tracking records and reduction targets. Simply having a recycling system isn't enough

・Energy usage disclosures: You must provide concrete audit reports detailing plant power consumption and carbon emissions

・Employee health and safety systems: Incident logs and occupational safety training implementation are key scoring factors

・Supplier code of conduct: You must require upstream ink and paper suppliers to meet ethical and environmental standards too

From initial submission to final rating, the review period averages 6 to 9 months. It can be a demanding stretch, but it offers a great opportunity to review internal workflows

The first step is auditing current operations. Start by gathering utility bills, waste haul receipts, and safety inspection records. Where data is missing, start logging it right away. Next, build missing procedures. Many small and mid-sized Taiwanese plants manage site work well but leave no written records. Turning routine tasks into documented management procedures requires skill to score high

Do not forget to review equipment and production processes. Looking at packaging flexo printing in recent years, competition has shifted toward process stability. Stable processes mean less waste and fewer reruns, metrics that directly boost your Environment pillar score

For budget-constrained plants, focus on getting established data in place first. Building these basic records sets the threshold for escaping low-price competition

You can start by adopting digital systems to connect order taking, material prep, production, and shipping data. This is also the core pain point MINDS helps clients solve. When production data is transparent and available on demand, dealing with EcoVadis's extensive documentation requirements won't cause panic. Treat certification as an operational tune-up that proves your plant can handle high-value international orders

・Major Western brands now use EcoVadis Silver ratings as a standard supply chain filter

・Evaluation covers Environment, Labor, Ethics, and Procurement, with Silver requiring a top 15% ranking

・The application process takes 6 to 9 months, focusing on converting on-site management into concrete data and documentation

・Stable printing processes cut waste effectively and directly boost Environment pillar scores

When facing rigorous EcoVadis audits, do not rush to hire consultants for a flashy report. Instead, look back at your plant's data flow. Adopting SaaS tools or AI systems to digitize data scattered across spreadsheets and operator experience is the sustainable path forward. When energy and waste metrics can be pulled up for analysis at any moment, earning certification becomes a natural outcome

・Erhardt+Leimer achieve EcoVadis Silver rating