Maintaining Excellence: How Fairphone reached its highest ever EcoVadis score.

Fairphone

Already performing at the top, but wanting to ensure your EcoVadis score represents your efforts?

Achieving a Platinum EcoVadis medal puts a company in a special category. But staying there takes more than good sustainability practice. It takes knowing the details of what the assessment is looking for, and making sure your documentation tells the full story. TOSCA helped Fairphone do exactly that.

Client Context
Fairphone is a Dutch consumer electronics company with sustainability woven into its DNA. Built around the principle that electronics can be made more fairly and responsibly, Fairphone has long been a frontrunner in ethical sourcing, circular design, and supply chain transparency. They came to TOSCA already holding a Platinum EcoVadis medal, a distinction awarded to fewer than 1% of assessed companies, and with a goal to maintain the standard that recognition represents.

The Question
Fairphone's EcoVadis reassessment was coming up, and they wanted to approach it with confidence. EcoVadis evaluates companies across four themes: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. Platinum is the highest medal tier, and holding onto it requires strong performance as well as evidence every year.

Fairphone had many impact-related documents, certifications, and reports. The challenge was making sure the right documentation was in front of the right assessors, in the right form to ensure real-world performance translated into a deserving score.

The Approach
We came in at the start of the process and stayed until the submission was complete. The first step was a thorough review of Fairphone's previous submission: every answer on the questionnaire, every document uploaded. We looked at each piece of evidence through the lens of how EcoVadis assessors evaluate it: will this be accepted, and is it the strongest version of this evidence available?

That review surfaced important findings. Fairphone holds an impressive range of certifications, more than most companies, but not all certifications carry equal weight in the EcoVadis framework, and some of the most relevant ones simply hadn't been uploaded. We worked with different teams to submit the most effective certifications for each pillar, with clear explanatory notes to give assessors the context.

Beyond fixing what was at risk, we also identified concrete opportunities for improvement: areas where Fairphone's practices were strong, but the evidence trail could be developed further in future cycles. Even at Platinum level, we made sure Fairphone had a roadmap to go beyond.

The Outcome
Fairphone reached their highest ever EcoVadis score, retaining their Platinum medal. More than the result itself, the process gave Fairphone's team a clearer, more structured view of how their current performance translates to the EcoVadis framework, and the focus areas for pulling ahead of the next assessment cycle.

The hurdles here can challenge even the most advanced sustainability performers: document sprawl across departments, expiry timelines, and the gap between what a company actually does and what an external assessor can see. With the right support, all this information was organized.

“This achievement is in large part due to the professional and dedicated support you have provided us - so thank you very much for that!”

Monique Lempers - Chief Impact Officer at Fairphone

Does This Sound Familiar?
If your company is preparing for an EcoVadis assessment, or any external sustainability rating, and you're not sure whether your documentation reflects your actual performance, you're not alone. This is one of the most common gaps we see, even among top performers.

TOSCA can help you review your existing documentation for gaps and expiry risks, identify the strongest evidence for each assessment category, and coordinate across departments to gather and submit the right materials.

Ready to Take the Next Step?
Ready to take the next step? Reach out to the TOSCA team via info@toscatribe.nl or ulrike@toscatribe.nl