The order customers ask things in

What do customers ask suppliers for, and in what order?

Four things, and almost always in this sequence: your company's emissions figures, a reduction target or a commitment to set one, evidence of action (renewable electricity first), and product-level carbon data if you supply physical goods. The order matters because each step is easier once the one before it is done, and because customers judge you on where you are on the list, not on whether you have finished it.

Step 1: why do they ask for figures first?

Because nothing else can be judged without them. Your figures replace the industry average your customer is currently using for you, and they are the baseline every later step is measured against. Scope 1 is the fuel you burn on site and in your vehicles. Scope 2 is the electricity, heat or steam you buy. Scope 3 is everything else, mostly what you buy and how your products are used, and customers accept that it comes later for a small company.

Your customer will accept: Scope 1 and 2 from last year's energy and fuel bills, calculated with a free tool. The SME Climate Hub calculators take basic inputs and give you a first figure for all three scopes.

Step 2: what kind of target do they want?

A direction they can trust. A target has a base year (the year your figures start from), an end year, and a percentage reduction. The strictest version is one validated by the Science Based Targets initiative, which has a simpler route for small and mid-sized companies, explained in its FAQs for SMEs. Most customers are satisfied at first with a public commitment, such as the SME Climate Commitment, which you can sign before you have a perfect baseline. What they want to see is that you have decided to reduce, and by when.

Step 3: what action are they looking for?

Renewable electricity first, because it is the biggest change most suppliers can make quickly and the easiest to evidence. Customers ask whether you buy renewable electricity, how much of your total it covers, and what proof you have (a tariff, certificates, an on-site installation or a contract). After electricity come heat, efficiency, vehicles and logistics, then the materials and packaging you buy. For a ranked list of actions for a business like yours, ClimateMate builds a free plan from real-world case studies, and the SME Climate Hub action plan does the same from a short questionnaire.

Step 4: when does product data come in?

Only for suppliers of physical goods, and usually only once steps 1 to 3 are in place. A product carbon footprint (PCF) is the emissions of one product from raw material to your factory gate, or to the end of its life, calculated against a standard. Customers in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, automotive, food and electronics are asking for these from their larger suppliers now. If you are asked for one early, it is reasonable to say that company-level figures come first and a PCF follows. The Lead stage of this section covers how to produce one.

Where am I on the list?

Find the first step you cannot yet answer, and that is the one to work on. A supplier with no figures starts at step 1. A supplier with figures and no target starts at step 2. A supplier with renewable electricity but no published figures is further along than it looks and should write the figures up. Customers rarely expect all four from a small company in the first year; they expect you to move along the list and to tell them where you are.

Do this week: write down which of the four steps you can answer today, in one line each. That list is the core of your reply and of every reply you send for the next year.

What should I do next?

Read replying when you have little or no data, which turns your one-line answers into a message you can send. If you are starting at step 1, the Measure stage of this section takes you through a first footprint from your bills.