ESG GuidesCustomer request

A customer sent me a request

A customer sent you a questionnaire, a deadline, or a data request — and it is not obvious what they actually need or where to begin. Sort the request, answer what you can, and handle the gaps without guessing.

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All guides for this situation

28 more guides covering this situation in depth.

How to Respond When Customer Asks for ESG Data

Customer just sent an ESG data request? Here's exactly what they want, why they're asking, and how to respond—even without a sustainability team.

General

Customer Sustainability Survey for Suppliers: What to Expect

A customer sent a sustainability survey. Here's what they're actually asking for, which questions appear most, and how to prepare a credible response.

General

ESG Questionnaire Deadline: How to Respond Quickly

ESG questionnaire deadline approaching? Here's how to respond quickly with what you have, without sacrificing accuracy or professionalism.

General

ESG Questionnaire for Suppliers: Complete Guide for 2026

Everything suppliers need to know about ESG questionnaires: major platforms, required data, how to manage multiple assessments efficiently.

General

ESG Questionnaire Response Without Sustainability Team

No sustainability team? No problem. Here's how to respond to customer ESG questionnaires with existing staff and resources—without hiring anyone.

General

How Long Does It Take to Respond to a Customer ESG Request?

ESG questionnaire response time ranges from 2 hours to 6 weeks depending on your data readiness. Here's what drives the difference and how to cut it.

General

Missing ESG Data: How to Respond When You Don't Have Everything

Can't provide all the ESG data your customer wants? Here's how to handle gaps professionally with partial data, estimates, and honest communication.

General

Sustainability Data Request from Customer

Got a sustainability data request from a customer? This guide covers exactly what they need, why they're asking, and how to respond efficiently.

General

The Complete Supplier Sustainability Assessment Checklist

Definitive checklist for supplier ESG assessments: environment, social, governance. What data and documents to prepare before your customer asks.

General

What to Do When Customer Sends Scope 3 Questionnaire

Customer wants your Scope 3 data? Here's what they actually need, what you can provide, and how to respond without a carbon accounting degree.

Carbon & emissions

Customer Wants Carbon Footprint: What Suppliers Need to Know

Customer asking for your carbon footprint? Here's exactly what they need, how to calculate it, and what to do if you've never tracked emissions before.

Carbon & emissions

Will I Lose Customers If I Can't Provide ESG Data?

Worried about losing customers over ESG data? Here's the real risk, what customers actually require, and how to protect your business relationships.

Strategy & positioning

Can Small Suppliers Meet Large Company ESG Requirements?

Can your small company meet the ESG requirements of large customers? Yes—here's how to respond professionally without enterprise-level resources.

Strategy & positioning

Why Your Customer Just Sent You a VSME Questionnaire

Got a sustainability questionnaire from your customer mentioning VSME? Here's what it means, why they sent it, and exactly what you need to do.

VSME / CSRD

What Data Customers Actually Need for Scope 3 Reporting

Scope 3 data requirements explained for suppliers. What your customers need, what formats they expect, and how to provide useful data even if you've never tracked.

Carbon & emissions

ESG Requirements by Industry: What Suppliers in Each Sector Face

ESG requirements vary by industry — chemicals face TfS and REACH, textiles face Higg, electronics face RBA and conflict minerals. See what each sector's customers ask for, and the one evidence base that answers all of them.

Industry portals

ESG Questionnaires for Textile & Apparel Suppliers: What to Expect

What ESG questionnaires ask textile and apparel suppliers — chemicals, water, labor, the Higg modules and restricted-substance lists — and how to prepare your evidence.

Industry portals

ESG Requirements for Chemical Suppliers: TfS, REACH & Customer Questionnaires

The ESG requirements chemical suppliers face — TfS assessments, REACH compliance and customer questionnaires — what each asks for, and how to prepare one evidence base.

Industry portals

ESG for Electronics Suppliers: RBA, Conflict Minerals & Customer Audits

What ESG means for electronics suppliers — the RBA Code, conflict-minerals reporting (CMRT), customer audits and carbon data — and how to prepare one evidence base.

Industry portals

ESG Questionnaires for Logistics & Transport Suppliers

What ESG questionnaires ask logistics and transport suppliers — fleet emissions, fuel data, safety and labor — and how to calculate and evidence what customers want.

Carbon & emissions

ESG Requirements for Construction & Building-Materials Suppliers

What ESG questionnaires ask construction and building-materials suppliers — embodied carbon, EPDs, safety and prequalification networks — and how to prepare your evidence.

Industry portals

Product Carbon Footprint (PCF): A Supplier's Guide

What a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) is, why customers ask suppliers for it, how to calculate one, and how it differs from your company-level footprint.

Carbon & emissions

CBAM for Suppliers: What Your EU Customer Needs From You

CBAM's definitive regime started in 2026. What non-EU suppliers need to know: the 50-metric-ton threshold, embedded emissions data, and default vs actual values.

Carbon & emissions

CSDDD for Small Suppliers: What Actually Applies to You

The EU scaled back CSDDD in March 2026. What the due diligence directive now means for small suppliers, what your big customers will ask, and when.

General

EUDR Supplier Requirements: Geolocation, DDS & Deadlines

What the EU Deforestation Regulation asks of suppliers: plot geolocation, legality evidence, who files the due diligence statement, and the new deadlines.

General

LkSG After the Reform: What Suppliers Still Need to Provide

Germany is repealing the LkSG, but due diligence duties remain. What actually stopped, why supplier questionnaires continue, and how to respond well.

General

Your Bank Asked for ESG Data: What Lenders Actually Want From SMEs

Why your bank is asking an SME for ESG data, what lenders actually want (and what they don't), how it affects your financing, and how to respond without over-investing.

General

ESG Requirements in Public Tenders: How Suppliers Meet Them

How ESG and sustainability requirements work in public tenders, what evidence buyers score, common pass/fail criteria, and how SMEs can meet them and win bids.

General

Ready to stop starting from scratch?

ESG Passport turns your data and documents into buyer-ready draft answers you can reuse for every questionnaire. One payment, yours to keep.