The Complete Supplier Sustainability Assessment Checklist

Large buyers are sending sustainability questionnaires to their entire supply base. Whether it's EcoVadis, CDP Supply Chain, Sedex, IntegrityNext, or a custom form, they're all asking similar questions. Instead of scrambling every time a new assessment arrives, use this definitive checklist to prepare once and respond quickly to any customer request.

This checklist covers the three ESG pillars: Environment, Social, and Governance. Use it to gather data, prepare documents, and ensure you have evidence ready when buyers come calling.

Environment: Data and Documentation

Energy and Emissions

Data to Track:

[ ] Annual electricity consumption (kWh)
[ ] Natural gas or heating fuel consumption (m³, therms, or kWh)
[ ] Fleet fuel consumption (litres of diesel, petrol, or alternative fuels)
[ ] Total Scope 1 emissions (direct, from fuel combustion) in tonnes CO₂e
[ ] Total Scope 2 emissions (indirect, from purchased electricity) in tonnes CO₂e
[ ] Emissions intensity (e.g., tonnes CO₂e per unit of production or per revenue)

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] 12 months of utility bills (electricity, gas, fuel)
[ ] Carbon footprint calculation methodology (if you've calculated emissions)
[ ] Evidence of renewable energy use (if applicable): PPA contracts, renewable energy certificates (RECs), or on-site solar installation records

Water

Data to Track:

[ ] Annual water consumption (cubic meters)
[ ] Whether operations are in water-stressed regions (use WRI Aqueduct tool)
[ ] Wastewater discharge volume and treatment method (if applicable)

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] Water bills or meter readings
[ ] Wastewater discharge permits (if required in your region)

Waste

Data to Track:

[ ] Total waste generated per year (tonnes)
[ ] Waste diversion rate (% recycled, reused, or recovered vs. landfilled)
[ ] Hazardous waste volume (if applicable)

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] Waste hauler contracts or invoices showing tonnage and disposal methods
[ ] Recycling or waste transfer certificates
[ ] Hazardous waste manifests (if applicable)

Compliance and Certifications

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) certificate (if certified)
[ ] Environmental permits (air emissions, water discharge, waste handling)
[ ] Records of environmental inspections or audits
[ ] Evidence of compliance with local environmental regulations

Environmental Policies

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] Environmental policy statement (even a one-page document is fine)
[ ] Energy management or reduction plan
[ ] Waste management procedures
[ ] Chemical or materials management policy (if applicable)

Social: Workforce and Labor Practices

Workforce Metrics

Data to Track:

[ ] Total number of employees (headcount)
[ ] Employee breakdown by gender, age group, and employment type (full-time, part-time, contractors)
[ ] Employee turnover rate (%)
[ ] Average tenure
[ ] Percentage of workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements (if applicable)

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] Organizational chart showing reporting lines
[ ] Employee handbook or HR policies

Health and Safety

Data to Track:

[ ] Number of recordable workplace injuries (RIDDOR, OSHA, or local equivalent)
[ ] Lost-time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) or total recordable incident rate (TRIR)
[ ] Fatalities (thankfully rare, but must be reported if they occur)
[ ] Near-miss incidents recorded

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety) certificate (if certified)
[ ] Health and safety policy
[ ] Safety training records (who attended, when, topics covered)
[ ] Incident investigation reports and corrective actions
[ ] PPE (personal protective equipment) requirements and provision records
[ ] Emergency response procedures

Training and Development

Data to Track:

[ ] Average training hours per employee per year
[ ] Percentage of employees receiving performance reviews

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] Training logs or certificates (safety, technical skills, compliance)
[ ] Evidence of induction or onboarding training for new hires

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Data to Track:

[ ] Gender breakdown at management level
[ ] Wage gap data (if tracked)
[ ] Diversity in recruitment and promotion

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] Equal opportunities or non-discrimination policy
[ ] Evidence of diversity initiatives (if any)

Labor Rights and Human Rights

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] Code of conduct or labor policy covering forced labor, child labor, freedom of association, and fair wages
[ ] Evidence of compliance with local labor laws (contracts, payroll records)
[ ] Working hours policy (maximum hours, overtime limits)
[ ] Whistleblowing or grievance mechanism description

Governance: Policies and Ethical Practices

Corporate Governance

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] Organizational structure and ownership information
[ ] Code of business conduct or ethics policy
[ ] Anti-corruption and anti-bribery policy
[ ] Conflict of interest policy
[ ] Gift and hospitality policy

Data Protection and Cybersecurity

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] Data protection or privacy policy (GDPR compliance if applicable)
[ ] ISO 27001 (Information Security) certificate (if certified)
[ ] Cybersecurity incident response plan (if formal procedures exist)

Supply Chain Management

Data to Track:

[ ] Number of direct suppliers
[ ] Percentage of suppliers assessed for ESG risks
[ ] Countries or regions where suppliers are located

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] Supplier code of conduct or sustainable procurement policy
[ ] Evidence of supplier assessments, audits, or questionnaires
[ ] Due diligence process for high-risk suppliers (conflict minerals, modern slavery, etc.)

Certifications and Standards

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] ISO 9001 (Quality Management) certificate
[ ] Industry-specific certifications: SA8000 (social accountability), FSC (forestry), GOTS (organic textiles), B Corp, Fair Trade, etc.
[ ] Customer audit reports (if non-confidential and favorable)

Legal Compliance

Documents to Have Ready:

[ ] Evidence of compliance with applicable laws (environmental, labor, health & safety)
[ ] Records of fines, penalties, or legal violations (if any, including corrective actions taken)
[ ] Business licenses and operating permits

How to Use This Checklist

Step 1: Conduct a Gap Analysis

Go through this checklist and identify what you have, what you can easily get, and what's missing.

Step 2: Prioritize Data Collection

Focus first on the items most commonly requested:

Energy consumption and carbon emissions
Health and safety metrics (injury rates)
Workforce numbers and diversity
Core policies (environment, ethics, labor rights)

Step 3: Organize and Store Documents Centrally

Create a "Sustainability Documentation" folder (physical or digital) with subfolders:

Environment
Social
Governance
Certifications
Policies

Tools like ESG Passport let you store all this in one place and auto-populate questionnaires, saving hours of work every time a new assessment arrives.

Step 4: Assign Ownership

Designate someone responsible for maintaining this data. It might be an operations manager, HR lead, finance team member, or sustainability coordinator. Ensure they update the information at least annually.

Step 5: Keep It Current

Review and update annually:

Energy and water data (after fiscal year close)
Safety incident records (ongoing, reviewed quarterly)
Policies (reviewed every 1-2 years)
Certifications (ensure they're renewed and current)

What If You Don't Have Everything?

No supplier has 100% of this checklist ready on day one. Prioritize based on:

What customers are asking for right now: If three customers asked for carbon emissions, prioritize that.
What's easiest to gather: Start with data you already collect (utility bills, payroll records).
What's material to your industry: A manufacturer should prioritize energy and safety; a service company might prioritize workforce and data protection.

Be honest in assessments. If you don't track something, say so and explain your plan to start tracking it. Transparency beats vague non-answers.

Conclusion

The suppliers who excel at sustainability assessments aren't necessarily the most sustainable. They're the most organized. They have data readily available, documents stored centrally, and someone responsible for keeping it current.

Use this checklist to prepare once, then respond quickly and confidently when customers send assessments. The investment in organization pays off in faster responses, higher scores, and fewer last-minute scrambles.