A customer sent me an ESG questionnaire — do I have to answer it?

There is usually no general legal duty on an SME to complete a customer's questionnaire, but it is often a commercial condition of winning or keeping the business. The efficient approach is to answer once with a standards-aligned profile you can reuse, rather than treating every request as a one-off project.

The questionnaire asks for far more than I have — what do I do?

Provide the standard, proportionate disclosures first — general company information, energy and emissions, workforce, and governance basics — and treat anything beyond that as a case-by-case discussion. For requests from large EU buyers in particular, there is guidance on what is proportionate to ask an SME supplier; see our value-chain-cap page for the detail and ready-to-copy replies.

Do I need a consultant to answer it?

Usually not for the core data. The information most questionnaires need — energy use, headcount, a few policies — is already in your business. A guided tool walks you through it and does the emissions calculations for you. A consultant is optional, for depth beyond the basics.

How long does it take?

Most SMEs assemble the core of a standards-aligned ESG Passport in about ten minutes, using recent energy bills and basic company facts, and can share the result the same day.

Can I reuse my answers for the next customer?

Yes — that is the whole point. Instead of re-doing a fresh spreadsheet for every buyer, you produce one ESG Passport with a permanent shareable link and a branded PDF, and hand the same thing to every customer who asks.

Guide · Supplier requests

How to answer a supplier ESG questionnaire

A customer has sent your business an ESG or sustainability questionnaire. This is a calm, practical walkthrough for SMEs — what it usually asks, what data you actually need, and how to reply once and reuse the answer for every buyer after that.

Last updated: June 16, 2026

Answer it with a Passport Request feels too broad?

Practical orientation for SMEs, not legal advice.

The short version

Most questionnaires want the same core: who you are, your energy & emissions, your workforce, and basic governance.
You almost certainly already have the data — energy bills, headcount, a few policies.
Answer once with a standards-aligned profile, then reuse it for every customer.
If a request goes beyond a proportionate scope, offer the standard disclosures first and discuss the rest.
A free ESG Passport does the emissions maths and gives you a link and PDF to send.

Step 1 — Work out what is actually being asked

Questionnaires vary. Some name a framework (for example the EU's VSME standard); some are a large customer's own template gathering Scope 3 data for its own reporting; some are a generic supplier form. Skim it once and ask: is there a named standard, and are they mainly after emissions, or a broader ESG picture? That tells you what a good answer looks like.

Step 2 — Know your proportionate scope

You are an SME, and a well-designed request reflects that. For SMEs supplying large EU companies in particular, guidance points to a proportionate scope — you should not be expected to produce full corporate-level ESG reporting. Knowing this keeps you confident and cooperative rather than overwhelmed. Our value-chain-cap guide explains what buyers can reasonably ask, with ready-to-copy replies for when a form overshoots.

Step 3 — Gather the core data

Before touching the form, pull together a short list of inputs that answers most questions:

Energy — recent electricity bills (kWh) and any fuel or gas use.
Company basics — country of operation, sector, and employee count.
Workforce — headcount and a couple of health-and-safety facts.
Governance — whether you have basic policies such as a code of conduct or anti-corruption stance.

That is usually enough to complete a standards-aligned profile — no consultant required.

Step 4 — Produce a standards-aligned answer once

Rather than filling the customer's spreadsheet by hand, turn your inputs into a reusable ESG Passport. EcoDiligence converts your energy use into Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions with the correct country grid factor, and assembles a profile aligned to recognised frameworks — so your answer stands up whichever buyer receives it.

Guided, not blank

Plain-language questions replace a jargon-heavy form. The standard scope is collected by default.

Emissions done for you

Enter energy use; Scope 1 and Scope 2 are calculated with sourced, country-correct factors.

A link and a PDF

Send a permanent public URL or a branded PDF — both carry the same self-reported, standards-aligned data.

Structured exports

Buyers who need structure get the VSME Digital Template (Excel) or an XBRL feed from the same source.

Step 5 — Reply, redirect, and reuse

Send the Passport link with a short, cooperative note. If the questionnaire asked for items beyond the standard scope, provide what you have and offer to discuss the rest — the tone is “here is a clear, standards-aligned answer”, not a refusal. Then keep the link: the next customer who asks gets the same one, and you are done in seconds instead of days.

Create your free Passport now, or see Pricing if you expect buyers to ask for the deeper, optional disclosures.

Named requests have their own playbook: see how to answer an EcoVadis, CDP, or carbon-footprint request, or weigh a self-service Passport against a third-party rating in our EcoVadis alternative guide.

Frequently asked questions

This page is practical orientation for SMEs and is not legal advice. What a specific customer may require is a commercial matter between you and them. EcoDiligence ESG Passports are self-reported summaries structured for ESG disclosure workflows. Content is not independently assured. Information aligned with EFRAG VSME and IFRS S2 (ISSB) frameworks does not constitute formal compliance or certification.

Turn that questionnaire into a ten-minute task

One standards-aligned ESG Passport answers most buyer requests — free, no consultant.

Create free Passport Read the VSME guide