• EcoVadis has opened its peer community to all procurement organizations and suppliers, including companies outside its customer base.
• The platform has recorded 20% monthly growth, more than 800 peer discussions and an 86% question resolution rate.
• The expansion aims to help companies address supplier risk, fragmented sustainability data and slow implementation through shared expertise.

EcoVadis has expanded its global peer network beyond assessed companies, opening the platform to procurement teams and suppliers worldwide.

The move gives non-EcoVadis customers access to a forum designed for practical collaboration on sustainability and supply chain resilience. Procurement leaders can compare approaches, seek advice and connect with peers facing similar operational challenges.

EcoVadis said the expansion will turn the platform into a “living network.” Its goal is to reduce the isolation that companies often face when addressing complex environmental, social and governance requirements.

The EcoVadis Community was previously limited to companies that had completed an EcoVadis sustainability assessment. It is now available to all procurement organizations and suppliers, regardless of whether they use the company’s assessment services.

The wider access comes as companies face growing pressure to identify environmental and human rights risks across global value chains. Procurement teams must also respond to new reporting demands, customer expectations and supply disruptions.

However, sustainability knowledge often remains fragmented across companies, industries and regions. Suppliers may also struggle to interpret questionnaires or meet different buyer requirements without sufficient guidance.

The platform seeks to close these gaps through discussion forums, networking tools and a shared resource library.

“True sustainability cannot be forced; it has to be built together,” said Pierre-François Thaler, cofounder and co-CEO of EcoVadis. “By opening our community to all procurement organizations and suppliers anywhere in the world, we are removing the isolation companies often feel. We are making it easier to share practical advice and turn sustainability efforts into a real business advantage.”

Early engagement points to demand

EcoVadis said participation in the community has increased by 20% each month since its initial launch.

Members have generated more than 800 in-depth discussions and insights. The platform has also achieved an 86% question resolution rate, according to the company.

Its most active areas include the Networking Forum, Product Discussion and Sustainability Topics forums.

Engagement is strongest in the United Kingdom, United States, western Europe, India and Brazil. Participants represent industries with complex and often global supply chains.

These include chemicals, plastics and materials, manufacturing, heavy machinery, logistics, transportation, wholesale, retail, food and beverage.

The range of participating sectors could strengthen peer benchmarking. It may also help companies compare how sustainability requirements are managed across different markets and supplier tiers.

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Peer learning targets faster implementation

EcoVadis is positioning collective problem-solving as an alternative to purely top-down sustainability mandates.

The company cited research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences which found that groups can outperform individual experts through collective intelligence. Peer networks can also help organizations adopt new behaviors 30% to 50% faster than traditional mandates, according to the research cited by EcoVadis.

Members can use discussion forums and the resource library to access procurement toolkits and supplier guidance. Advice can also be tested and refined through feedback from other participants.

Universal Search and Smart Recommendations are intended to connect users with relevant discussions and peers. This could help companies identify established responses to industry-specific risks instead of developing solutions in isolation.

For suppliers, the network may provide greater clarity on buyer expectations. For procurement teams, it could improve access to information about due diligence, supplier engagement and sustainability performance.

Supply chain resilience becomes a shared task

For executives, the expansion reflects a wider shift in supply chain governance. Companies are increasingly expected to manage sustainability risks beyond their direct operations, often across thousands of suppliers.

Digital assessment systems provide data, but information alone may not resolve operational problems. Companies must still interpret findings, engage suppliers and decide where to direct resources.

EcoVadis is betting that peer collaboration can accelerate those decisions. Its model creates a feedback loop in which participants share tested solutions, identify emerging risks and build relationships across industries.

The approach may become more valuable as supply chain regulation expands and buyers demand stronger evidence from suppliers. Companies that can learn from peers may respond more quickly while reducing duplicated effort.

By opening the network globally, EcoVadis is seeking to make sustainability expertise more accessible across markets and company sizes. The broader test will be whether collective knowledge can translate into measurable improvements across complex international supply chains.