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DitchCarbon vs EcoVadis: a Scope 3 data comparison
Updated 2 September 2026. This comparison is for teams working out whether they need supplier emissions data or a supplier sustainability rating, because those are different things and the two platforms here sell one each. It is factual by design: both products are credible, and the right choice depends on the question you need answered.
What is EcoVadis?
EcoVadis is a supplier sustainability ratings provider. Suppliers complete an assessment tailored to their size, industry and location, provide evidence across criteria organised into four themes (Environment, Labour & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement), and receive a score out of 100 with a corresponding medal. The output is a standardised, comparable rating used for supplier qualification, risk screening and benchmarking. If you are evaluating it, EcoVadis's own documentation is the right source for its current methodology.
What is DitchCarbon?
DitchCarbon provides verified emissions data for over 2 million organisations, built on primary emissions data wherever it exists, so procurement, sustainability and finance teams can measure and act on supply chain and portfolio emissions from one source. It is a specialist Scope 3 carbon accounting platform: the output is a figure per counterparty, with a source and change history on every figure and coverage gaps shown, not hidden.
How do the two differ?
A score and a figure answer different questions. A rating tells you whether a supplier manages sustainability well relative to peers, across many topics at once. An emissions figure tells you what that supplier contributes to your Scope 3 inventory, which is what a GHG calculation, a target and an auditor need. One cannot substitute for the other: a strong medal does not produce a tonnes number for your Category 1 line, and a tonnes number says nothing about a supplier's labour practices.
| Feature | DitchCarbon | EcoVadis |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Scope 3 emissions measurement and reduction (especially Categories 1 and 2) | Broad ESG and sustainability ratings across four themes |
| Core output | Emissions figures per counterparty, with a source and change history on every figure | Standardised ESG scorecards (0 to 100) and medals (Bronze to Platinum) |
| Data methodology | Disclosed, supplier-specific figures first, with generic factors visible where nothing is published | Supplier self-assessment questionnaire, document analysis, and 360 degree news monitoring |
| Supplier engagement | Existing disclosures used first; requests prepopulated with what each supplier has already published | A standardised assessment process for suppliers to complete |
| Best for | A Scope 3 inventory an auditor can follow, line by line | Managing holistic ESG risk and compliance across a supply chain |
When is EcoVadis the right choice?
When the question is broad ESG risk rather than emissions arithmetic. If you need to qualify suppliers against a recognised standard, screen for risks from labour practices to ethics, and benchmark on a single comparable score, a ratings framework is built for exactly that, and an emissions dataset is not.
When is DitchCarbon the right choice?
When the question is what goes in the inventory. A published Scope 3 number, a reduction target and an auditor's review all need a figure per supplier with a source behind it, not a medal. DitchCarbon starts from what suppliers have already published, so the disclosed part of a list is matched and scored before anyone is asked anything, and the remaining gap is visible and ranked rather than silent.
Can you use both?
Yes, and this pairing is common: a ratings programme for broad qualification and risk screening across the supply base, with DitchCarbon supplying the emissions figures the inventory and the target are built on. They answer different questions, so they do not compete for the same line in the budget so much as for clarity about which question you are asking.
See the comparison on your own list
The fastest test is your own file: send a sample of your supplier list to the coverage check and see how much of it already carries a matched, scored emissions figure.
Run the test on your own list.
Tell us what you're assessing and we'll show you the coverage we already hold, before you commit to anything.
