From a tender requirementto an EcoVadis bronze medal
How NARS Polska prepared for its first EcoVadis assessment. Step by step, from a blank page to a result that helps in talks with large customers.
A tender required it, but there was more behind the decision
NARS Polska builds large refrigeration systems for retail and industry. It works with large B2B customers. For them, environmental issues and supplier requirements are part of tenders and purchasing talks.
One tender required an EcoVadis rating. That was a clear trigger, but there was more behind the decision. The company wanted to be ready for what the market expects. It also wanted to match what it offers customers every day: refrigeration that uses CO₂ (R-744), a natural refrigerant.
This case answers the questions that come up during a first EcoVadis assessment. Where do you start? Which documents do you need? How much time and internal effort should you plan? How do you turn the questionnaire into real actions in the company?
It was the first EcoVadis process, and the company had no formal ESG policies.
Its customers, large retail chains and food companies, have their own environmental policies and ask suppliers about their impact.
Consistency: the company offers green refrigeration based on CO₂, so it wants to look at its own environmental impact too.
A small team: the challenge was time and internal resources, not a lack of interest.
From a blank page to a finished questionnaire in five steps
Understanding the requirements
What EcoVadis requires and which areas the company must describe: health and safety, ethics, anti-corruption, environment, sustainable purchasing, and monitoring of energy, water and waste.
Document matrix
A map of what already works in the company, what needs to be written down and what cannot yet be proven with evidence. It fits the size of the organisation.
First policy drafts
NARS wrote the first drafts of documents that describe how the company works in the required areas.
Review and additions
EXERGY reviewed the documents. We showed what to make clearer, what to add and how to present the company’s actions better in the questionnaire.
EcoVadis questionnaire
Collecting evidence and preparing answers to the questionnaire. The result was an EcoVadis bronze medal.
EcoVadis requirements turned into specific documents
The key task was to turn the questionnaire into a set of policies and information. These described how the company works in the required areas.
Fitting the project into daily work
In a small team, it is hard to give one person only this project, because daily tasks keep coming back. The second challenge was writing documents from scratch. The team had to understand which areas EcoVadis assesses and how to document actions in a way that fits the company.
It helped that the company did not have to guess where to start. The matrix and talks with EXERGY turned a general requirement into a specific task.
we guided the process step by step
It is an interesting process. It puts many things in order and lets you look at the company from a bit of a distance.
I would not be afraid of this process. It may cause some worry, especially the first time. But with support from a firm like EXERGY, you can go through it well, quickly and without too many problems.
A starting point for talks with the market
For NARS, the EcoVadis result matters most in relations with the customers it wants to reach. In many cases, it is a must-have to offer services at all.
The result itself was encouraging. The company is small and had not worked on this area in a formal way. For such a firm, it is a good result and a starting point for more work.
First EcoVadis assessment, with no formal ESG policies before.
You do not have to be fully ready for your first EcoVadis assessment. It can show what the company already does and what is not yet written down. It also shows which areas to develop in the next months.
Your customer asks about EcoVadis, and you start from zero?
We will guide you step by step, from the document matrix to a finished EcoVadis questionnaire.