Answer client ESG questions in 15 minutes, as a business of one

Why are freelancers being asked about ESG?

Because the client’s system does not know you are one person. Large organisations send the same supplier questionnaire to everyone on their books, and their own reporting depends on collecting supplier data. A freelance designer, developer or consultant gets the same questions as a 200-person agency.

The questions usually turn up in one of three places: a supplier onboarding portal before your first invoice, a framework or preferred supplier application, or an annual supplier review. They tend to ask for your carbon footprint, whether you have an environmental policy and a code of conduct, how you handle data under UK GDPR, and whether you have any carbon targets.

Nobody expects a sole trader to have a sustainability team. They do expect an answer. A short, honest report with a real footprint and a couple of sensible policies ticks the box and makes you look organised next to competitors who leave it blank.

What goes into a sole trader’s ESG report?

The same structure as a larger firm’s, just shorter. Your report covers an “at a glance” overview, your carbon footprint, how you work and treat clients, how the business is run, and your commitments. It also includes a private action plan that flags any policies worth adding. If a client wants an environmental policy uploaded, our environmental policy template gives you a starting point to adapt.

For the footprint, the questionnaire adapts to how you work. In a co-working space, it estimates your share of the building’s energy from your desk and the days you use it, so you will not need any bills. Read more on co-working desk emissions. If you work from home, the premises questions skip and the questionnaire estimates your homeworking emissions from the days you work at home. Either way, business flights, train journeys and car mileage are counted using the UK government’s official factors.

What is not included, and why that is fine

Two things often come up for freelancers. Travel in your own car for client visits counts as grey fleet, and the report includes it from your mileage and fuel type. Homeworking energy is included too, as an estimate based on the UK government’s homeworking factor. What is not included is anything downstream, such as the use and disposal of products you sell, and the report states its coverage plainly in the methodology appendix.

For most clients, that is exactly what they want: a clear figure, a clear method, and no overclaiming. If you want to understand or check the car mileage and homeworking figures, our guides to business travel emissions and working-from-home emissions show the methods.

Is it worth it for a business of one?

For 15 minutes of your time, usually yes. You get a document you can reuse every time a client portal asks, and a footprint that will probably be pleasingly small.

Answers save as you go, so you can finish between calls. Your first report is free. Start your report and get that onboarding form submitted today. For a fuller look at the pros and cons, read ESG for sole traders and freelancers.