For small businesses and SMEs
A proper ESG report, without the consultant or the jargon
Customers, banks and funders are starting to ask about your ESG. You can answer them properly this afternoon, with a report built from what you already know about your business.
- First report free
- No card needed
- Saves as you go
01 · Overview
2025 to 2026 at a glance
Fernhill Studio Ltd · 12 people · Bristol
Total footprint
3.88 tCO₂e
Per employee
0.32 t
Measured data
74%
- Environmental policyIn place
- Code of conductIn place
- Diversity monitoringDeveloping
- Carbon reduction targetNext step
Sound familiar?
Someone asked and you were not sure what to say
A customer sent over a sustainability questionnaire, or a bank asked about your carbon footprint. You know you do good things, you just have nothing written down.
The quotes you have seen are eye-watering
Consultants talk about materiality workshops and five-figure fees. That makes sense for a big company. It does not make sense for a team of 15.
ESG feels like it was written for someone else
Most guidance assumes a sustainability manager and a board committee. You have a busy week and an inbox that will not empty itself.
You suspect you are already doing a lot of it
Recycling, flexible working, a fair pay policy, a supplier you chose because they were local. Most small firms do more than they give themselves credit for.
ESG for small businesses, in plain terms
ESG stands for environmental, social and governance. For a small business, it boils down to three simple questions. What impact do you have on the planet? How do you treat your people and community? And how is the business run?
You already have answers to all three. An ESG report simply puts them in one place, with numbers where numbers matter, so that anyone who asks can see them quickly.
Why small businesses are being asked about it now
Large companies are increasingly expected to report on the emissions in their supply chains. That means their suppliers, many of them small businesses, are being asked for data. Banks may ask climate questions as part of a lending decision. Grant funders often want to see a carbon baseline. Some tender documents ask for a net zero commitment.
None of this is designed to catch you out. It is mostly people ticking their own boxes. Having a clear report ready turns a stressful request into a two-minute email.
What our report covers
The questionnaire takes you through your business in a sensible order:
- Your business basics, like size, sector and how you work
- Energy and emissions, from electricity, heating fuels, refrigerants and any company vehicles or machinery
- Travel, commuting, deliveries, waste and water, with estimates where you do not have exact figures
- Your people, including pay, training, benefits and health and safety
- How you are run, covering policies, leadership and risk
- Your plans, such as any targets or priorities for the year ahead
It adapts as you go. If you are fully remote, it skips the office questions. If you have no vehicles, the fleet section disappears.
Built to be trusted
A report is only useful if the person reading it believes it. Ours follows the GHG Protocol, uses the UK government’s own conversion factors and shows every calculation in an appendix. Where a figure is estimated, the report says so. That honesty is exactly what investors, funders and buyers want to see.
How long will yours take?
Pick the option that sounds most like your business. You will see a realistic time, what to have nearby and a head start on the questions.
Your estimate
About 20 to 30 minutes
Around 50 questions, most of them multiple choice
Still comfortably under half an hour.
You will add your electricity and gas use, plus a quick estimate of your bins. If you do not have the exact figures, the questionnaire works them out from your floor area instead.
Handy to have nearby
- A recent electricity and gas bill (or your office size in square metres)
- How many general waste and recycling bins you have
- Headcount and a rough idea of business trains and flights
- How your team usually gets to work
Missing something? Estimates are fine, and you can come back to any answer later.
Office-based firms usually have clear, low-cost ways to cut their footprint. Your action plan will list them in order.
Start with this profileFirst report free. No card needed.
What you get at the end
Everything is generated from your answers the moment you finish. Download it, share it, and use it wherever someone asks about your ESG.
A shareable ESG report
A professional report covering environmental, social and governance, written in plain English. Ready for investors, customers, grant funders and tenders.
Your carbon footprint
Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in tCO₂e, calculated with official UK government conversion factors. Every calculation is shown, so anyone can check it.
A private action plan
Where to focus first, prioritised actions and the data gaps worth closing. This one is just for you and your team.
Honest, labelled figures
Every number is marked as measured or estimated, with the method and your answers in the appendix. Readers know exactly what they are looking at.
Helpful guides
- ESG basicsWhat does ESG mean for a small business?ESG is a way of describing how your business affects the planet, treats people and makes decisions. For a small firm it is far simpler than it sounds.Read the guide →
- ESG basicsHow much does an ESG report cost in the UK?Prices range from nothing to a large consultancy bill. Here is what you get at each level, and what a small business genuinely needs.Read the guide →
- ESG basicsESG checklist for SMEs: 20 things to have in placeTwenty practical items covering environment, people and governance. Most small businesses already have half of them and just need to write them down.Read the guide →
- ESG basics15 low-cost ESG quick wins for small businessesFifteen improvements that cost little or nothing, grouped by environment, people and governance. Most can be done in an afternoon.Read the guide →
- Carbon footprintHow to calculate your small business carbon footprintMultiply what you use by the official UK factors and add it up. Here is exactly what to measure, a worked example, and what to do when you are missing a bill.Read the guide →
- ESG basicsDo small businesses need ESG reporting in the UK?Most UK small businesses have no legal duty to publish an ESG report. The pressure comes from customers, buyers, lenders and funders, and it is growing.Read the guide →
Common questions
Do small businesses in the UK have to produce an ESG report?
Not by law, for the vast majority. Mandatory reporting such as SECR only applies to large and listed companies. In practice though, more customers, lenders and grant funders now ask for ESG information, so having a report ready saves you scrambling when the question comes.
How long does it take?
Most small businesses finish in 20 to 30 minutes. If you work from home or in a co-working space, it can be closer to 10 or 15 minutes, because you will skip the questions about bills and premises.
What if I do not know my energy use or waste figures?
That is completely normal. The questionnaire offers an estimate for most things, for example using your office floor area instead of your electricity bill. The report is clear about which figures are measured and which are estimated.
Is my data safe?
Your answers are stored on our servers and saved to your report as you go. Our privacy policy explains how we store and use your data.
Your first report is free.
Get your ESG report done today
Answer plain-English questions about how your business runs. You get your carbon footprint, a shareable ESG report and a clear list of next steps.
- First report free
- No card needed
- Saves as you go