Many companies answer every questionnaire separately, over and over again. If you receive varying questions from different parties each year, that leads to inconsistency and inefficiency. And because the questions keep growing, a system that is just about workable today will no longer suffice in two years.

To prepare strategically for pressure from the supply chain, you don’t need to produce a full CSRD report. A single core infrastructure for customer questions is what makes the difference.

You build this infrastructure in three steps:

1. Take stock of which ESG data your customers request, and where in your organisation that information is available.

2. Link your KPIs to a consistent measurement methodology. For example, if you document once how you calculate your CO₂ emissions, you have a basis to fall back on each year or each quarter.

3. Establish clear internal ownership. Once it is settled who owns which data, you no longer start from scratch with each new questionnaire.

If you also receive questions about your own suppliers’ practices, it pays to pass them down your own supply chain – and to gather information from them in good time.

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Companies that invest in ESG data and processes today are also stronger in other areas:

- with banks and investors, for whom ESG performance is increasingly a criterion;

- in attracting and retaining employees and candidates, for whom sustainability performance plays an ever-greater role;

- when the CSRD thresholds shift again – adapting is easier from an existing foundation.

But the most direct return is commercial. Customers subject to the CSRD prefer suppliers that can answer ESG questions clearly, consistently and quickly.

If you want to avoid time pressure and build a competitive advantage, develop this foundation today. Without a CSRD obligation you have no external deadline, but your customers do – and their preparation will mobilise the entire supply chain.

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