If you run a small or medium-sized business, you may have recently received an email, a supplier questionnaire, or an investor query asking about your carbon emissions. A few years ago, this would have been unusual. Today, it is becoming routine — and the volume of these requests is only growing.

This guide explains why emissions data requests are increasing, who is sending them, what they typically ask for, and — most importantly — how your business can respond in a way that builds trust and keeps important relationships intact.

Why Are Emissions Data Requests on the Rise?

The push for emissions transparency is being driven by regulation, investor pressure, and shifting market expectations. Larger companies — corporations, listed businesses, and multinationals — are now required under frameworks such as the UK's Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) rules, the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to measure and disclose not just their own emissions, but the emissions embedded in their entire supply chain.

That supply chain very often includes your business.

This means that when a large company reports its Scope 3 emissions — the indirect emissions generated by the businesses it buys from and sells to — they need data from you. If you cannot provide it, you become a liability in their reporting process.

Who Is Asking for Your Emissions Data?

Investors

Institutional investors, private equity firms, and increasingly even angel investors are integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria into their decision-making. They want to understand the climate-related risks in their portfolios. If your business is seeking investment, going through a due diligence process, or already has external shareholders, expect to be asked about:

Your total greenhouse gas emissions (typically measured in tonnes of CO2 equivalent, or tCO2e)

Whether you have a net zero target or decarbonisation plan

How you are measuring and tracking emissions over time

Investors are not necessarily expecting perfection. They are looking for awareness, credibility, and a direction of travel.

Customers

Large corporate customers — particularly those in retail, financial services, construction, logistics, and the public sector — are embedding sustainability requirements into their procurement processes. You may be asked to complete a sustainability questionnaire as part of a tender, onboarding process, or annual supplier review. These questionnaires often include questions about:

Your Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (direct emissions from your operations and purchased energy)

Whether you have a carbon reduction target

Any sustainability certifications you hold (e.g. ISO 14001, PAS 2060, B Corp)

Your plans to reduce emissions in the coming years

In some sectors, failure to provide this information — or providing inadequate responses — can result in losing the contract entirely.

Suppliers and Partners

It is not only those above you in the supply chain who may ask. Larger suppliers may request emissions data as part of their own downstream reporting obligations. Industry bodies and trade associations are also beginning to collect aggregate emissions data from members. Even potential business partners may ask about your environmental credentials before entering a joint venture or collaboration.

What Emissions Data Are They Actually Asking For?

Most requests will be structured around the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, the internationally recognised standard for measuring and reporting emissions. Under this framework, emissions are divided into three scopes:

Scope 1 — Direct emissions from sources your business owns or controls. This includes fuel burned in company vehicles, gas used for heating, or emissions from any manufacturing processes on your premises.

Scope 2 — Indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heat, or steam. If your premises run on electricity from the grid, the emissions associated with generating that electricity count here.

Scope 3 — All other indirect emissions across your value chain. This is the broadest and most complex category, covering business travel, employee commuting, the products and services you buy, and the use and disposal of the products you sell.

For most SMEs, the first priority is to report Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions accurately. Scope 3 reporting is more demanding and is typically introduced in phases.

How Should Your SME Respond?

Step 1: Do not ignore the request

The worst response to an emissions data request is silence. Even if you do not currently have the data, acknowledging the request and communicating your intentions demonstrates good faith and protects the relationship.

Step 2: Understand what is being asked

Read the questionnaire carefully. Some requests are high-level — they simply want to know whether you measure your emissions and whether you have a target. Others are detailed and require specific figures. Identify exactly what is needed before gathering information or bringing in support.

Step 3: Gather your baseline data

If you have not previously measured your emissions, start with what you have. Key data sources include:

Gas and electricity bills (for Scope 1 and 2)

Fuel receipts and mileage logs for company vehicles (Scope 1)

Business travel records — flights, rail, taxis (Scope 3)

Spend data for purchased goods and services (Scope 3)

Even a rough baseline — sometimes called a spend-based or activity-based estimate — is more useful than no data at all. It signals that you are engaged with the issue.

Step 4: Use a recognised methodology

When calculating your emissions, use conversion factors from a credible source. In the UK, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) publishes annual greenhouse gas conversion factors that are widely accepted by investors and customers. Using a recognised methodology ensures your figures are defensible and comparable.

Step 5: Be honest about where you are in the journey

If your emissions measurement is at an early stage, say so. Provide the data you have, explain the methodology you used, acknowledge any gaps, and outline the steps you are taking to improve. Transparency is valued more than perfection. A company that admits it is at the start of its sustainability journey and has a credible plan in place will almost always be viewed more favourably than one that either refuses to engage or makes unsubstantiated claims.

Step 6: Set a target if you have not already

Many requests will ask whether your business has a carbon reduction target. Even a straightforward commitment — for example, reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 30% by 2030 — demonstrates strategic intent. If you want to go further, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) offers an SME pathway that allows you to have your targets formally validated against the latest climate science.

Step 7: Consider getting external support

For many SMEs, the idea of calculating carbon emissions feels daunting. There is a growing ecosystem of consultants, software platforms, and specialist advisors who can help businesses calculate their footprint quickly and at reasonable cost. Some large customers and industry bodies also offer toolkits specifically designed for suppliers.

What Happens If You Cannot Provide the Data?

In the short term, most large customers and investors will make allowances for SMEs that are at an early stage of their sustainability journey, particularly if you engage constructively and set out a clear improvement plan. However, this window of tolerance is closing. As reporting requirements tighten and supply chain transparency becomes a commercial norm, businesses that cannot demonstrate emissions awareness risk being deprioritised or excluded from procurement decisions altogether.

Starting now — even imperfectly — is far better than waiting until the pressure becomes unavoidable.

Key Takeaways

Emissions data requests from investors, customers, and suppliers are becoming a standard part of doing business. For SMEs, the right response is not to feel overwhelmed, but to treat these requests as an opportunity: an opportunity to understand your business's environmental impact, to demonstrate credibility to the people who matter most to your growth, and to get ahead of requirements that are only going to become more demanding over time.

Start with your Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. Use a recognised methodology. Be transparent about where you are. Set a target. And if you need help, get it.

The businesses that will thrive in a net zero economy are not necessarily those with the lowest emissions today — they are those that are moving in the right direction and can prove it.