Which ESG Accreditation Is Right for Your Business? A Quick Guide for SMEs

21 Oct

✅ Accreditations — love them or loathe them?

Whether you see them as a tick-box exercise or a valuable framework to measure progress, sustainability accreditations are becoming a powerful way for businesses to evaluate and demonstrate their ESG performance.

As a sustainability consultant, I support clients with their ESG accreditations, and it’s clear that if you’re an SME wanting to work with large corporations, formal certifications are now a requirement rather than a “nice-to-have”.

So, if you’re an SME wondering where to start, here’s a simple breakdown of the three popular sustainability accreditations, and some advice on which might be best for your business.

1. EcoVadis

📊 Best for: Businesses in corporate supply chains

EcoVadis is built to help organisations demonstrate sustainability credibility to clients and supply chain partners. It operates on an annual ESG scorecard system that assesses key areas such as environment, labour, ethics, and sourcing methods.

Key benefits:

Relatively low-cost to implement (especially compared to B Corp)
Offers flexibility, allowing businesses to improve over time
Includes a learning platform (with Pro membership) to help increase your score
Opens doors to large corporate contracts

Good to know: It’s not consumer facing, so isn’t worth having for everyone.

Sustainability consultant tip:
EcoVadis is a great starting point for SMEs looking to build ESG maturity while remaining practical about time and cost.

2. B Corp Certification

🌱 Best for: Purpose-driven brands focused on people, planet, and profit

B Corp is perhaps the most recognised sustainability accreditation for SMEs and larger organisations alike. It takes a holistic look at your business across governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.

Key benefits:

Strong consumer recognition and brand trust
Enhances employer branding and team engagement
Demonstrates genuine commitment to sustainability and purpose

Good to know: B Corp is time and resource intensive, and you have to achieve a minimum score to receive the accreditation. But you can work through this process for free before you get assessed.

Sustainability consultant tip:
I find B Corp certification ideal for companies that want to align sustainability with brand and culture — not just compliance.

If you work in high risk industries it’s not for you though, as it’s not open to businesses that are damaging to the environment or humanity - e.g. oil production or defence industries.

3. ISO 14001

✅ Best for: Businesses focused on compliance, structure, and continuous improvement

ISO 14001 is a globally recognised environmental management standard. It’s widely used by SMEs and corporates alike to demonstrate environmental responsibility and compliance in tenders and audits.

Key benefits:

Rigorous, auditable framework
Recognised internationally
Focuses on environment, safety, and quality systems

Good to know: ISO14001 is narrower in scope than other certifications and less consumer-facing, but it’s got a lot of flexibility built into it, so can be achieved by almost all businesses as long as you follow the right processes & structure.

Sustainability for SMEs takeaway:
ISO certification helps smaller businesses build robust systems and meet supply chain requirements, making it a valuable foundation for sustainability growth.