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 and evidence you actually need, and how to answer once and reuse it for every buyer after that.
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Practical orientation for SMEs, not legal advice.
- Whether it is called an ESG or a sustainability questionnaire, most 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-based 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.
What a supplier ESG questionnaire is, and why you received one
A supplier ESG questionnaire — also called a supplier sustainability questionnaire or supplier assessment — is a form a customer sends its suppliers to collect information on environmental, social and governance topics. It is rarely personal. Some buyers need the data for their own sustainability reporting (for EU companies reporting under the CSRD, that includes information from their value chain); others are applying a procurement policy, or answering their own customers, lenders or investors. The form usually does not say which, and asking your contact is fair.
What you are normally asked for
Layouts differ, but the content tends to fall into the same handful of groups. Here is what each usually asks for, what you may need to show, and where a Passport helps:
| Category | Usually asks for | Evidence you may need | A Passport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company information | Legal name, country, sector, size. | Usually none beyond what you state. | Holds it, self-reported. |
| Energy | Electricity, gas and fuel use over a year. | Energy bills or meter readings. | Holds it; a bill can be read by AI to help fill it (2 a month on Free, unlimited on Pro). |
| Emissions | Scope 1 and Scope 2 totals; sometimes Scope 3. | The calculation basis and emission factors used. | Calculates Scope 1 and Scope 2. Scope 3 by category is outside it. |
| Workforce | Headcount, gender split, health and safety, accidents. | HR or safety records. | Holds these figures, self-reported. |
| Policies and certifications | Code of conduct, anti-corruption, environmental policy, ISO 14001 and similar. | Copies of policies; the certificates themselves. | Records that you say you hold them. It does not check the certificate. |
| Supply chain | Whether you have a supplier code of conduct or ask your own suppliers for ESG data. | The code or policy document. | Records the statement, self-declared. |
Some requests a Passport does not answer at all: independently verified or audited figures, Scope 3 broken down by category, product-level footprints, ratings issued by other providers, and information-security certifications. For the buyer's side of the same list, see our supplier ESG data checklist.
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.
For a faster read of the same question, upload the file or paste the questions into Coverage Check (PDF, Excel, Word or CSV; free, no account needed). It groups the questions by topic: what a structured Passport already covers, what comes close but is asked on a different basis and what to write for it and, once you leave an email address, what falls outside a Passport. That last group is usually the part worth raising with your contact early rather than at the deadline. It is an estimate from an automated read; it does not fill anything in or send anything to your customer.
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-based profile — no consultant required.
For evidence, keep the source documents where you can find them: the energy bills your figures came from, any policies you refer to, and the certificates you hold. A questionnaire may ask you to attach these; the Passport records what you tell it, and can read a utility bill to help with the emissions figures (2 a month on Free, unlimited on Pro).
If you do not have all of the data
That is normal for a small business, and it is better to say so than to guess. Answer what you can from real records. Where you only have an estimate, give it and say in your reply that it is one. Where you have nothing, leave it blank rather than guessing; a Passport can show a field you did not fill as not reported, and it marks some figures it derives for you, such as waste, as estimates. Then ask your contact which of the missing items they actually need, and by when. Many are optional in practice even when the form does not say so.
Step 4 — Produce a standards-based 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 (Scope 2 with a dedicated grid factor for your country where one exists, otherwise a labelled EU or global average), and assembles a profile structured for 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 a sourced country grid factor for Scope 2 where one exists and a labelled EU or global average otherwise.
A link and a PDF
Send a permanent public URL or a branded PDF — both carry the same self-reported, standards-based data.
Structured exports
For buyers who need structure, Pro adds a pre-filled VSME Digital Template (Excel), which EFRAG's official converter turns into XBRL, 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-based answer”, not a refusal. Then keep the link: the next customer who asks about the same reporting period 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.
Why keep a reusable record instead of rebuilding each answer
Each customer words the same questions differently, so answers kept inside a one-off spreadsheet have to be reworked every time. Kept once as a structured record, the same data feeds your public Passport, the PDF and any export, and you correct it in one place when a figure changes. That is the difference between answering a questionnaire and being ready for the next one. If you answer requests regularly, the supplier overview shows how the pieces fit.
Where VSME fits
Some questionnaires name the EFRAG VSME standard, or ask for data close to its Basic Module. VSME is voluntary; the Passport is structured for it, and our VSME guide explains the standard. If VSME is the format you expect to be asked for repeatedly, see how EcoDiligence pre-fills EFRAG's VSME template from your Passport.
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, built on the EFRAG VSME Basic Module with optional IFRS S2 climate inputs. Content is not independently assured and does not constitute compliance, certification or an audit.
Turn that questionnaire into a ten-minute task
One standards-based ESG Passport answers most buyer requests — free, no consultant.