ESG Questionnaire Response Template: What to Include and How to Structure It

Most ESG questionnaires follow the same structure. The wording varies. The format changes. But the categories and intent are remarkably consistent across buyers, sectors, and frameworks.

That means you can build a reusable template — a set of structured answers covering the questions that appear in 80%+ of questionnaires — and adapt it each time instead of starting from scratch.

Here is the framework, with example answers a UK SME can actually use.

The 5-category framework

Virtually every ESG questionnaire maps to five categories:

1. Environment — emissions, energy, waste, water, biodiversity
2. Social — workforce health and safety, diversity, modern slavery, community
3. Governance — ethics, anti-corruption, data protection, board oversight
4. Supply chain — supplier screening, due diligence, incident management
5. Company overview — size, sector, certifications, structure

This is the same structure used in AnswerVault's fact vault, and it aligns with the VSME voluntary reporting standard that large EU companies are increasingly using as the baseline for supplier questionnaires.

Category 1: Environment

Template answers:

Energy and emissions: "We track energy consumption across our [office/warehouse/sites] using monthly utility billing data. In FY2024/25, our total electricity consumption was [X] kWh. We purchase electricity on a 100% renewable tariff from [provider]. Our Scope 1 emissions from [gas heating/company vehicles] were approximately [X] tCO2e. We calculate emissions annually using DEFRA conversion factors."

Waste management: "We operate a segregated waste system across all sites. In the past 12 months, we diverted [X]% of waste from landfill through recycling and composting. Waste transfer notes are available on request. We eliminated single-use plastics from our offices in [year]."

Environmental policy: "Our environmental policy was last reviewed in [month/year]. It covers energy reduction targets, waste minimisation, sustainable procurement, and compliance with relevant environmental legislation. A copy is attached."

Evidence checklist: ISO 14001 certificate (if held), environmental policy PDF, utility bills or energy summary, waste transfer notes, renewable energy contract, carbon footprint report.

Category 2: Social

Template answers:

Health and safety: "We maintain a health and safety management system overseen by [role, e.g. Operations Director]. Our lost-time injury rate for the past 12 months was [X] per 100,000 hours worked. All employees complete H&S induction training on joining and annual refresher training. Risk assessments are reviewed [quarterly/annually]."

Modern slavery: "We published a voluntary modern slavery statement in [year], covering our assessment of modern slavery risk in our operations and supply chain. Our workforce is UK-based, employed directly on standard contracts. We assess key suppliers for modern slavery risk through our supplier onboarding questionnaire."

Diversity and inclusion: "Our workforce of [X] employees comprises [X]% female and [X]% male. [X]% of our senior management team are women. We operate an equal opportunities policy and conduct anonymous recruitment where practicable. We are not currently required to publish gender pay gap data but plan to do so voluntarily from [year]."

Community engagement: "We support [specific activity, e.g. local STEM mentoring programmes, charity partnerships] through [paid volunteer days / matched funding / pro bono work]. In the past 12 months, our team contributed [X] volunteer hours."

Evidence checklist: Health and safety policy, accident log summary (redacted), modern slavery statement, equal opportunities policy, training records, employee handbook extracts.

Category 3: Governance

Template answers:

Anti-bribery and corruption: "We maintain an anti-bribery and corruption policy aligned with the UK Bribery Act 2010. All employees receive training on the policy at induction. Gifts and hospitality above £[X] require director approval and are logged in a central register."

Data protection: "We are registered with the ICO (registration number [X]). Our data protection policy covers data minimisation, retention schedules, breach notification procedures, and subject access requests. Our appointed data protection lead is [role title]. We completed a DPIA for [relevant system] in [year]."

Whistleblowing: "We operate a confidential speak-up procedure allowing employees and contractors to raise concerns about unethical conduct without fear of retaliation. Reports can be made to [role] or via [mechanism, e.g. anonymous email address]. All reports are investigated and outcomes recorded."

Evidence checklist: Anti-bribery policy, code of conduct, ICO registration confirmation, data protection policy, whistleblowing procedure document, Cyber Essentials certificate.

Category 4: Supply chain

Template answers:

Supplier screening: "We assess new suppliers against quality, environmental, and ethical criteria during onboarding. Our supplier questionnaire covers environmental management, labour practices, anti-corruption, and data security. In the past 12 months, we screened [X]% of suppliers by spend value."

Ongoing monitoring: "Key suppliers (those representing more than [X]% of annual spend or providing critical services) are reviewed annually. Reviews include updated certification checks, performance scoring, and confirmation of policy currency. We require key suppliers to notify us of material ESG incidents."

Incident management: "We have had no reportable supply chain incidents (environmental, labour, or ethical) in the past 3 years. Our incident response procedure requires investigation within [X] working days and corrective action tracking to closure."

Evidence checklist: Supplier code of conduct, supplier onboarding questionnaire template, supplier audit or review records, approved supplier list (summary), incident log.

Category 5: Company overview

Template answers:

Company details: "[Company name], registered in England and Wales, Company No. [X]. Registered address: [address]. [X] employees. Annual turnover: £[X]M (FY2024/25). Core activities: [brief description]. Primary markets: [UK / EU / global]."

Certifications: "We hold the following certifications: [ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 / ISO 27001 / Cyber Essentials / Cyber Essentials Plus / other]. Certification body: [name]. Valid until: [date]. Copies attached."

Evidence checklist: Companies House registration extract, organisational chart, certificate scans with expiry dates, insurance certificates (public liability, professional indemnity).

What makes a strong vs weak response

Weak: "We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and take sustainability seriously across all our operations."

Strong: "In FY2024/25, we reduced Scope 2 emissions by 22% year-on-year by switching to a 100% renewable electricity tariff and replacing halogen lighting with LEDs across our warehouse. Total Scope 2 emissions were 8.1 tCO2e, down from 10.4 tCO2e in FY2023/24."

The difference: specifics. Numbers. Dates. Named actions with measurable outcomes.

Weak: "We have policies in place to address modern slavery risks."

Strong: "We published a voluntary modern slavery statement in March 2025, covering 100% of our direct workforce (38 employees, all UK-based, all on permanent or fixed-term contracts). We assess our top 10 suppliers by spend annually using a modern slavery risk questionnaire. No concerns were identified in the most recent review cycle (November 2025)."

Buyers are reading dozens of these responses. Generic statements blur together. Specific, evidenced answers stand out — and score higher in procurement evaluations.

How to keep your template current

A template that goes stale is worse than no template at all. Outdated figures undermine trust.

Set review dates. Every fact in your library should have a review date. Annual data (emissions, injury rates, diversity stats) needs updating each financial year. Policies should be reviewed at least annually. Certificates have expiry dates — track them.

Version tracking. When you update a fact, note what changed and when. If a buyer asks why your emissions figure differs from last year's response, you want a clear audit trail showing the updated data period, not confusion about which version is current.

Assign ownership. Each category should have a named owner — the person responsible for keeping those facts current. Environment might sit with the operations manager. Social with HR. Governance with the company secretary or finance director.

Quarterly check. Block 30 minutes each quarter to scan your fact library for anything that has expired, changed, or needs refreshing. This is far less painful than discovering stale answers the day a questionnaire lands.

Get started with 40 pre-loaded facts

Building a fact library from scratch takes time. AnswerVault comes pre-loaded with 40 starter facts across all five categories — written for UK SMEs, ready to customise with your own figures and evidence.

Upload your existing policies and certificates, edit the starter facts to match your business, and you have a working response template within an hour. When the next questionnaire arrives, the TF-IDF suggestion engine matches questions to your facts automatically.

Start your free 14-day trial — no credit card required.

For a deeper walkthrough of the full response process, see the step-by-step guide to responding to supplier ESG questionnaires.