ESG & Your business.

Build a stronger, lower-risk business with ESG.
We help small and medium enterprises turn environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities into day-to-day practice—so you win tenders, cut costs, attract talent, and stay ahead of customer and regulator expectations.

What we believe: ESG should be simple, data-light, and aligned to your business model. No box-ticking. No jargon. Just sensible actions that move the needle.

What is ESG (in plain English)?

ESG is a practical framework for running a resilient business:

Environmental: how you use energy, water, materials, and manage waste and emissions.
Social: how you look after people—staff, customers, suppliers, and your community.
Governance: how you’re led and managed—policies, ethics, compliance, and controls.

Think of it as better management with clearer data and fewer surprises.

Why ESG matters to SMEs (right now)

Win work: Larger customers increasingly ask suppliers for ESG evidence in pre-quals and tenders.
Control costs: Energy, waste, and material efficiencies pay back—often fast.
Attract & retain talent: People want purposeful, well-run workplaces.
Finance & insurance: Lenders and insurers price risk; good ESG lowers it.
Compliance readiness: Regulations tighten over time—being organised keeps you future-proof.
Reputation: Consistent, credible action beats sporadic “green” claims every time.

How ESG shows up in your business

Operations: energy use, fleet, refrigerants, circularity, waste, water.
People: safety, wellbeing, DEI, training, fair work practices.
Supply chain: purchasing standards, supplier codes, modern slavery checks.
Sales & marketing: claims you can substantiate, customer ESG questionnaires.
Governance: policies, risk registers, data controls, whistleblowing, board reporting.

What we do (services for SMEs)

ESG Baseline & Materiality: Short, sharp assessment to identify what matters most for your sector and size.
Carbon & Resource Essentials: Practical footprints (energy, fuel, waste, water) with a simple reduction plan.
Policy Toolkit: Fit-for-purpose policies (environment, ethics, H&S, data, supplier code) you’ll actually use.
Supplier & Tender Support: Answer ESG sections in RFQs/PQQs and set proportionate supplier requirements.
Training & Culture: Bite-size staff workshops and toolkits to embed new habits.
SME Reporting: One-page ESG summary for customers and lenders; optional web copy or PDF fact sheet.

Packages (pick what fits)

Starter (4–6 weeks)

ESG baseline, risks & opportunities map
Top-10 actions with owners and timelines
Two core policies + a one-page ESG summary

Core (8–10 weeks)

Full baseline + simple carbon footprint (Scopes 1 & 2, key Scope 3 where relevant)
Policy set (environment, ethics, H&S, supplier code)
Staff workshop + tender support pack

Accelerator (12–16 weeks)

Core package plus supplier engagement plan
KPI dashboard and quarterly check-ins
Customer-ready ESG microsite content or PDF report

(We scope work to your size and sector; no one-size-fits-all.)

Our process

Discover – Short interviews, light data request, site or virtual walk-through.
Prioritise – Materiality and risk filter to focus on what matters.
Plan – 12-month action plan with costs, owners, and benefits.
Enable – Policies, training, templates, and tender answers.
Measure – Simple KPIs and a dashboard you can maintain.
Report – Plain-English summary for customers, lenders, and your website.

What you’ll get (deliverables)

Clear ESG action plan with cost/benefit and timelines
Policy pack tailored to your operations
Data templates for energy, waste, travel, suppliers
Staff briefing slides and quick-reference guides
Customer-ready ESG summary (web copy + PDF)

Mini case snapshot (illustrative)

A regional manufacturer cut energy costs by 14% in 12 months, won a new retail contract by meeting supplier ESG criteria, and reduced reporting time from days to hours using our templates.

FAQs

Are we too small for ESG?
No. We right-size everything. You’ll only do what’s material to you.

Do we need a big dataset?
No. We start with the data you already have (bills, mileage, waste notes) and build from there.

Will this help with tenders?
Yes. We map your actions to the typical ESG questions customers ask and prepare clear evidence.

Is this the same as “net zero”?
Net zero is one (important) goal. ESG is the wider system that keeps your business resilient and credible.

How much time will it take?
We design around your capacity. Most SMEs need a few short sessions plus occasional data sharing.

Call to action

Ready to make ESG work for your business?
Book a free 30-minute discovery call and get a two-page, no-nonsense action outline within a week.

Call

David@smartsustainbalebusiness.ie