A customer sent you a sustainability questionnaire. Here's how to answer it
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An email lands from a big customer: "Please complete our supplier sustainability questionnaire." It might be a spreadsheet, an online portal, or a request to sign up to a platform like EcoVadis or CDP.
Don't panic. Large customers send these because they have to report on their own supply chains — they're usually not trying to catch you out. Most questions boil down to a handful of things you can pull together in a day or two.
The short version
- Customers mainly want to know your carbon footprint, your policies, and who's responsible.
- Honest answers with a plan beat blank boxes. "Not yet, but we'll have it by March" is a valid answer.
- Build a reusable pack once and every future questionnaire gets much quicker.
What they're really asking
Questionnaires vary in length, but almost all of them cover the same ground:
| They ask about… | What usually answers it |
|---|---|
| Your carbon emissions (Scope 1 & 2, sometimes 3) | A yearly carbon footprint estimate from your bills |
| Reduction targets or net zero commitments | A target in your policy, even a simple one |
| Environmental policy or management system | A signed, dated sustainability policy |
| Health & safety, labour and human rights | Your health & safety policy, incident log, and pay approach |
| Ethics, anti-bribery, data protection | Short policies — many businesses already have these |
| Who is responsible | A named sustainability lead |
Step by step: answering your first questionnaire
- Check the deadline and the format. Ask your contact if anything is optional. Many customers are happy with partial answers from smaller suppliers.
- Read every question once before answering any. Group them into energy & carbon, waste, people, and policies.
- Get your carbon number. Pull 12 months of electricity, gas and vehicle fuel bills and run them through a free carbon estimator. This answers the most common question.
- Gather what you already have. Health & safety policy, employee handbook, anti-bribery or data protection policies, any certifications.
- Fill the gaps you can fix quickly. A one-page sustainability policy and a named lead take an afternoon.
- Be honest about the rest. Where you don't have something, say so and give a date for when you will.
- Save everything. Keep your answers and documents in one folder — the next questionnaire will ask almost the same things.
What to say when you don't have the data yet
It's completely normal for a small business not to have everything. A good answer has three parts: where you are, what you're doing, and when.
That's far more useful to the customer than an empty box — and it shows you're a supplier who takes it seriously.
If they ask you to use a platform (EcoVadis, CDP and others)
Some customers ask suppliers to complete an assessment on a third-party platform such as EcoVadis or CDP (opens in a new tab). See our plain-English guide to EcoVadis. These can involve a fee and more detailed evidence. Before signing up:
- Ask whether it's required or just preferred, and whether they'll accept your own documents instead.
- Check what it costs for a business your size.
- Prepare your basic pack first (footprint, policy, named lead) — the platform will ask for the same evidence.
If your customer is in the EU, they may point you to the [Voluntary SME Standard (VSME)](/guides/vsme-uk-small-business-eu-customers), a short, recognised reporting format for smaller businesses. EU rules mean large companies in scope shouldn't ask smaller suppliers for more than VSME covers, so it's a reasonable format to answer with.
Build a reusable "sustainability pack"
After the first questionnaire, put these in one shared folder and update them yearly:
- Your carbon footprint estimate (and the bills behind it)
- Your sustainability policy, signed and dated
- Health & safety policy and incident log summary
- Other policies: anti-bribery, data protection, equal opportunities, supplier code
- A short list of actions you've taken and what's planned next
Granular's dashboard builds this list for you based on your answers, tracks your progress, and keeps your carbon estimates year by year.
See exactly what applies to your business
Answer plain-English questions about your business and get the rules that apply, a tailored action plan and a carbon tracker. Free, no account needed.
Take the free check →Frequently asked questions
Do I have to complete a customer's sustainability questionnaire?
It's not usually a legal requirement, but it may be part of your contract or how the customer chooses suppliers. If in doubt, ask your contact which parts are essential.
What if I don't know my carbon footprint?
You can make a reasonable first estimate in under an hour from 12 months of energy and fuel bills using a free tool. If you can't do that before the deadline, say when you will.
Do I have to pay for EcoVadis?
EcoVadis assessments usually involve a fee. Ask the customer whether it's required, or whether they'll accept your own documents instead.
Found this useful? Pass it on to someone who's been asked the same question.
Official sources
- EFRAG — Voluntary SME Standard (VSME) (opens in a new tab)
- GHG Protocol — Corporate Standard (opens in a new tab)
- EcoVadis (opens in a new tab)
- CDP (opens in a new tab)
This guide is educational and not legal advice. Thresholds are simplified and rules change, so always confirm with the official source or an adviser.
Keep reading
- E3 min readHow to calculate your small business's carbon footprint from your billsTurn a year of energy and fuel bills into a Scope 1 & 2 carbon figure, with a worked example.
- G3 min readHow to write a sustainability policy for a small business (free template)What to include, what to avoid, and a free one-page template you can copy and adapt.
- E3 min readScope 1, 2 and 3 emissions explained (with small business examples)The three "scopes" of carbon emissions, with everyday examples from offices, shops, cafés and trades.