Together for Sustainability (TfS) Compliance

Customer & Industry Requirements

Together for Sustainability — Chemical Industry Supplier Sustainability Assessment & Audit Program

63 Member Companies Control €800B+ in Chemical Spend. Can Your Sustainability Data Survive Their Assessment?

TfS compliance requires documented evidence across environment, health and safety, labor and human rights, and governance—scored by EcoVadis analysts and verified through on-site audits with 120-point checklists. Assessments are shared across all 63 member companies. Corrective Action Plans demand resolution within 12 months for major findings. Supplier scores below the minimum threshold risk disqualification from procurement shortlists representing over €500 billion in annual spend.

Certivo automates supplier sustainability data collection from evidence gathering to audit-ready documentation.

Regulation Overview

Jurisdiction

Global (chemical industry supply chains; originated in EU, applied worldwide)

Regulatory Body

Together for Sustainability AISBL (Brussels, Belgium)

Regulation Number

Industry-led supplier sustainability assessment and audit standard

Effective Date

2011 (by BASF, Bayer, Evonik, Henkel, Lanxess, Solvay)

Official Source

tfs-initiative.com

Key Threshold

Minimum assessment score of 60/100 required for TfS membership; supplier scores shared across all members

What Is TfS Compliance?

Together for Sustainability is the chemical industry's dominant supplier sustainability assessment and audit program, representing 63 member companies with a combined annual turnover exceeding €800 billion. For supplier and procurement teams, the primary obligation is demonstrating documented ESG performance across four assessment themes—Environment, Labor and Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement—evaluated through EcoVadis-administered scorecards and independently conducted on-site audits.

The TfS assessment pool contains over 24,000 shared scorecards as of 2025. TfS operates on the principle that "an assessment for one is an assessment for all"—meaning a single supplier evaluation is visible to every member company. Suppliers scoring below acceptable thresholds face Corrective Action Plans, procurement restrictions, or disqualification. The program now extends to Product Carbon Footprint reporting through the TfS PCF Guideline v3.0, adding Scope 3 emissions data obligations to traditional ESG criteria.

TfS compliance requires structured evidence—policies, certifications, KPIs, and third-party audit reports—covering every assessment category. When member companies update their procurement criteria, your entire evidence portfolio requires reassessment.

Key Components / Sub-Frameworks

Key Compliance Requirements

Who Must Comply

• Direct suppliers to any of the 63 TfS member companies globally
• Sub-tier suppliers invited through TfS Multi-Tier Initiative cascading programs
• Chemical manufacturers, distributors, and specialty chemical producers
• Raw material suppliers including mining operations (subject to enhanced eTfS audits)
• Logistics and service providers in chemical supply chains
• Companies seeking to maintain or win procurement contracts with TfS buyers

Key Thresholds

60/100

Minimum assessment score required for TfS membership eligibility

Score below 30 (any theme)

Automatic medal ineligibility regardless of overall score

12 months

Maximum resolution deadline for major audit findings

36 months

Assessment and audit validity period before re-evaluation required

Core Obligations

1. TfS Assessment
Complete EcoVadis questionnaire with supporting documentation across all four themes
DEADLINE
Upon invitation; reassessment every 3 years or as requested
2. TfS Audit
Host on-site audit by TfS-approved auditor against 120-requirement checklist
DEADLINE
Upon member request; re-audit within 36 months
3. Corrective Action Plan
Address all identified deficiencies with defined actions, timelines, and owners
DEADLINE
Major findings within 12 months; critical findings immediately
4. PCF Data Submission
Calculate and share Product Carbon Footprint per TfS PCF Guideline v3.0
DEADLINE
Ongoing; update at least every 3 years or upon 20%+ process change
5. Evidence Maintenance
Maintain current policies, certifications, KPIs, and audit reports for all categories
DEADLINE
Continuous; documents must be current and traceable

TfS Specific Pain Points

The Four-Theme Evidence Scramble

A TfS member requests your EcoVadis assessment. You need documented policies, certifications, KPIs, and third-party evidence across Environment, Labor and Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement—each weighted differently by industry. Your sustainability team spends weeks gathering evidence from HR, operations, procurement, and EHS departments. Half the documents are outdated. A quarter don't reference your specific entity.

The Shared Scorecard Pressure

Your EcoVadis scorecard is visible to all 63 TfS member companies simultaneously. A low score on one theme—even Sustainable Procurement, where most companies score lowest—doesn't just affect one customer relationship. It affects every TfS buyer evaluating your business. Day one after scorecard publication: three procurement teams request improvement plans.

The Sub-30 Threshold Trap

TfS applies medal eligibility at the individual theme level—not overall score. A company scoring 72 overall but 28 on Sustainable Procurement is ineligible for any medal. Without structured supplier risk scoring and due diligence documentation, one weak theme disqualifies you from preferred supplier status across the entire TfS membership.

The PCF Data Burden

TfS PCF Guideline v3.0 requires cradle-to-gate carbon footprint calculations at the product level, with specific rules on cut-off criteria, data quality ratings, and mass balance accounting. Chemical products with complex reaction chains and multiple energy inputs require facility-level measured data. Manual hazardous substance tracking and carbon accounting at this granularity across hundreds of product lines is unsustainable.

Certivo in Action

Certivo in Action—TfS Workflow

GET EVIDENCE IN
Collect Sustainability Evidence from Every Department and Supplier—Without the Chasing

CORA launches targeted campaigns to collect documented policies, certifications, KPIs, and audit evidence across all four TfS assessment themes, follows up automatically, and accepts responses in any format.

• Launch evidence collection campaigns across internal departments and suppliers with one click
• CORA-powered outreach in suppliers' native languages
• Accept any format: PDFs, Excel, ISO certificates, sustainability reports, audit records
• Track response rates and escalate non-responders automatically

MAKE SENSE OF IT
Know Instantly Where Gaps Exist Across All Four TfS Assessment Themes

CORA extracts every data point from submitted evidence, validates against current TfS assessment criteria, and flags documentation gaps automatically.

• CORA parses policies, certificates, and reports to extract compliance evidence
• Automatic validation against all TfS assessment categories and sub-criteria
• Real-time alerts when documentation expires or falls below scoring thresholds
• Gap analysis at the theme level per EcoVadis scoring methodology

PROVE COMPLIANCE OUT

Respond to TfS Assessment Requests in Hours, Not Weeks

Generate assessment-ready evidence packages and audit documentation instantly from validated supplier data.

• One-click evidence packages organized by TfS assessment theme
• Pre-formatted documentation meeting EcoVadis submission requirements
• Customer-specific response templates with full traceability
• Complete audit trail for every validation and evidence submission

One Evidence Submission. Validation Across All Four TfS Themes. Audit-Ready in Hours.

Certivo reads supplier documents, extracts sustainability evidence to policy and KPI precision, validates against current TfS assessment criteria, and generates member-ready documentation automatically. When TfS updates scoring methodology or PCF requirements, Certivo reassesses your evidence portfolio and alerts you—before member companies ask.

AI Document Parsing

Four-Theme Validation

CAP Tracking

PCF Support

Assessment Alerts

Features Tabs

Evidence Collection

Certivo's automated campaigns achieve 95% response rates vs. 20–30% with manual outreach.

• Targeted campaigns by assessment theme, supplier tier, or risk category
• Multi-language outreach in suppliers' native languages
• Intelligent follow-up sequences adapting to supplier behavior
• Format-agnostic: PDFs, Excel, ISO certificates, sustainability reports, freeform responses

AI Extraction

Every document parsed to policy, certification, and KPI level automatically—no manual data entry.

• Deep extraction of policy commitments, certification scopes, performance metrics, and coverage data
• Parses ISO 14001, ISO 45001, SA8000, sustainability reports, and proprietary templates
• Multi-language document processing
• Anomaly detection for inconsistent or expired documentation

Continuous Monitoring

Always validated against current TfS assessment methodology—not your last evaluation cycle.

• Automatic sync with TfS assessment criteria and scoring updates
• Theme-level gap monitoring against EcoVadis scoring benchmarks
• Proactive alerts when certifications expire or evidence falls below thresholds
• Historical tracking of assessment score progression and CAP resolution

Audit Readiness

Generate TfS audit evidence packages in hours instead of 4–6 weeks.

• One-click evidence packages covering all 120 audit checklist requirements
• Documentation organized by Management, Environment, H&S, Labor & Human Rights, Governance
• Supplier evidence chain with complete traceability
• CAP tracking with deadline monitoring and resolution documentation

PCF Reporting

Pre-validated PCF data turns Scope 3 reporting from burden to streamlined workflow.

• Pre-formatted exports compatible with TfS PCF Guideline v3.0 methodology
• Cradle-to-gate carbon footprint calculations with data quality ratings
• Mass balance and CCU accounting support for complex chemical products
• Alignment with WBCSD PACT framework and Catena-X data exchange standards

Related Regulations

EU CSRD

CSRD mandates supply chain sustainability disclosure; TfS assessments provide supplier-level ESG data

REACH

TfS Environment theme evaluates chemical substance management; REACH governs SVHC obligations

EU RoHS

RoHS restricts hazardous substances; TfS evaluates environmental compliance policies

PFAS Regulations

TfS Environment theme covers chemical risk management; PFAS bans are tightening globally

ISO 14001 / ISO 45001

ISO certifications are key evidence inputs for TfS assessment scoring

EU CSDDD

Corporate sustainability due diligence overlaps with TfS Labor & Human Rights theme

Managing TfS compliance alongside related regulatory frameworks eliminates duplicate supplier requests. Certivo validates one submission against multiple frameworks.

Industries Most Impacted

Chemical Manufacturing

Your Pain Point
Direct TfS membership obligations; dual role as both member and assessed supplier

Industrial Machinery & Heavy Equipment

Your Pain Point
Chemical inputs require TfS-grade sustainability documentation from upstream suppliers

Automotive Manufacturing

Your Pain Point
Chemical suppliers assessed via TfS feed into automotive OEM sustainability requirements

Electronics Manufacturing

Your Pain Point
Specialty chemical and coating suppliers increasingly subject to TfS assessments

Medical Devices & Equipment

Your Pain Point
Biocompatibility and chemical purity standards intersect TfS environmental criteria

Consumer Goods

Your Pain Point
Chemical ingredient suppliers must demonstrate TfS compliance across high SKU counts

Building Materials & Construction

Your Pain Point
Chemical additives, coatings, and sealant suppliers face TfS procurement requirements

Energy & Infrastructure

Your Pain Point
Chemical suppliers for battery materials, coatings, and specialty fluids under TfS scrutiny

Return on Investment

80%

Reduction in Evidence Preparation Labor

From Manual Document Gathering to Exception Management

CORA extracts sustainability evidence automatically through AI document parsing and certificate validation. Your team focuses on exceptions that need human judgment—not manual data compilation across four assessment themes.

4 Hours

To Assessment-Ready Package

TfS Response Acceleration

Generate complete, audit-ready evidence packages in hours—not the 4–6 weeks of manual compilation across departments. Continuous compliance monitoring and audit readiness replaces reactive scrambling.

Real-Time

Criteria Sync

Proactive TfS Compliance Monitoring

When TfS updates assessment criteria or PCF methodology, Certivo reassesses your evidence portfolio through regulatory intelligence and horizon scanning. Know which gaps exist before member companies ask.

Key Statistics

63
TfS member companies tracked with automatic criteria sync

99.2%
Evidence extraction accuracy from supplier documentation

95%
Supplier response rate with CORA-powered campaigns

Frequently Asked Questions

What companies and suppliers are subject to TfS compliance requirements?

Any company supplying goods or services to one of the 63 TfS member companies may be invited for assessment or audit. This includes direct chemical suppliers, sub-tier suppliers through the TfS Multi-Tier Initiative, raw material providers, logistics companies, and service providers. The obligation extends globally—TfS assessments are valid across 140 countries, and results are shared with all member companies simultaneously. Certivo's centralized supplier self-service portals enable suppliers to maintain assessment-ready documentation continuously.

What are the consequences of a low TfS assessment score?

TfS assessment scores are visible to all 63 member companies. Scores below 45 make suppliers ineligible for any medal recognition, while any individual theme score below 30 disqualifies medal eligibility entirely. Member companies may restrict procurement, require Corrective Action Plans with defined resolution timelines, or disqualify suppliers from preferred status. CORA identifies theme-level gaps early and generates targeted improvement documentation before scores are published.

How does Certivo track updates to TfS assessment criteria and PCF methodology?

Certivo maintains continuous sync with TfS assessment standards and the PCF Guideline, incorporating methodology changes as they are published. When TfS updates scoring criteria—as occurred with PCF Guideline v3.0 in December 2024—CORA reassesses your evidence portfolio and alerts you to affected documentation, triggering the appropriate evidence collection and remediation workflows automatically.

What evidence formats does Certivo accept from suppliers for TfS compliance?

Certivo accepts any format: PDF policies, Excel data sheets, ISO certificates, sustainability reports, XML files, and freeform responses. CORA extracts sustainability evidence regardless of format or language through AI document parsing and certificate validation, eliminating the need to standardize supplier inputs across your chemical supply chain.

Does Certivo support TfS alongside related sustainability and regulatory frameworks?

Yes. Certivo validates supplier evidence against TfS assessment criteria, EU CSRD due diligence requirements, REACH substance obligations, RoHS restrictions, PFAS regulations, and TSCA simultaneously. The same supplier submission feeds into a centralized compliance data backbone—eliminating duplicate evidence collection campaigns and enabling integrated PLM ERP compliance thread connectivity across frameworks.

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