Companies in the Asia-Pacific region made the strongest sustainability gains globally in 2024, boosting their average scores by three points across all key themes, according to new data from ratings platform EcoVadis.
The “Global Supply Chain Sustainability Risk & Performance Index,” which analyzed 89,000 companies — including nearly 50,000 assessed last year — found that APAC firms outperformed North American peers on environmental performance and are rapidly narrowing the gap in sustainable procurement, a core driver of resilience and return on investment.
While APAC still trails Europe and North America in ethics and labor rights, its rapid progress marks a significant shift in the global ESG landscape.
Global Ratings Climb as Companies Push Beyond Risk
The report showed a 167 percent surge in sustainability ratings worldwide over the past five years, highlighting increased efforts by companies to move beyond risk assessment toward measurable ESG performance.
“Supply chain performance tells a clearer story,” said Sylvain Guyoton, chief rating officer at EcoVadis in the report. “Companies that stay committed to business sustainability efforts are reaping the benefits — risk reduction, resilience, supply chain performance, cost savings and growth — and setting the pace for the rest of the market.”
EcoVadis found that 27 percent of companies rated more than once are now considered top performers, more than double the number from 2020. Among these, 86 percent scored above the risk threshold, demonstrating the impact of consistent evaluation.
China Overtakes US in Ratings Volume
Sustainability ratings accelerated across every region in 2024, with China registering a 37 percent increase and overtaking the United States as the second most active country, behind France.
Africa and the Middle East led regional growth with a 42 percent rise, followed by Europe at 33 percent.
Yet the rise in assessments also revealed persistent vulnerabilities. Over one-third of first-time rated companies fell into high or medium risk categories, scoring below 45 on the EcoVadis scale.
The figures were more stark outside Europe, with 45 percent of first-time U.S. companies and 62 percent of Chinese firms in these risk ranges, compared to just 12 percent in the U.K.
Procurement Practices Still Lag
Despite being the area of most remarkable year-on-year improvement, sustainable procurement remains the weakest link in global ESG performance.
Sixty percent of all companies — and 75 percent of first-time ratings — were classified as higher risk in how they manage supply chain relationships.
Still, the overall average EcoVadis score rose to 53.4 in 2024, placing the typical rated company in the “Good” range for sustainability.
The report complements EcoVadis’ “Business Sustainability Outlook,” which found that 87 percent of U.S. executives had maintained or increased sustainability investments in 2025, despite ongoing political polarization around ESG issues.
