Environmental, Social & Governance Compliance General and Commercial Documents
Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) includes factors from climate change, environmental conscientiousness and sustainability to social aims and governance responsibilities.
The ESG Information pages provide a very useful introduction and background to the subject, with some suggestions about issues that businesses should be considering and taking on board. You can see those pages here.
ESG is increasingly being seen as a top priority for businesses and as a result they need to have a range of ESG-related compliance documentation in place to help them to tackle ESG corporate and commercial issues relevant to them.
This group of documents comprise some templates to assist with formulating ESG policy, strategy and other corporate and commercial documents that businesses might wish to use.
There are additional ESG document templates, which you can see here, which address a number of other ESG issues.
Environmental, Social & Governance Compliance General and Commercial Documents is part of Corporate. Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Corporate for 1 year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an ESG policy and an ESG strategy, and which do we need first? +
The policy states your commitments; the strategy says how you will deliver them, with priorities, actions and review points. Start with the checklist in this sub-folder to decide which environmental, social and governance issues genuinely apply to your business, then use the template strategy to turn the relevant ones into a working document. A small business often merges the two into one short paper, which is fine, the substance matters more than the label.
What does an ESG compliance clause in a contract actually commit us to? +
Read it as a warranty plus an ongoing obligation: typically that you comply with applicable environmental, social and governance laws, sometimes with the counterparty's policies too, and that you will maintain that compliance during the contract, occasionally with audit or reporting rights attached. Breach can mean termination or claims, so never accept an ESG clause referencing documents you have not read. The template clause here is drafted to be given or received, so you can see both sides.
Should we impose a supplier code of conduct on our own suppliers? +
If your customers hold you to ESG standards, yes, because you answer for your supply chain: your commitments flow down or they break at the first subcontract. A supplier code sets minimum expectations, labour standards, environmental practice, anti-bribery, and the customer version template here is designed for exactly this imposing role. Keep it proportionate to what you can monitor; an unmonitored code is reputational risk dressed as diligence.
Could we get in trouble for what our ESG documents claim about us? +
Yes, and it is the growing risk in this area. Environmental claims to consumers must be accurate and substantiated under the CMA's Green Claims Code, and since April 2025 the CMA can enforce directly against misleading practices with fines of up to 10 percent of global turnover, with supply chain green claims guidance added in January 2026. Contract counterparties can also claim over false ESG warranties. Draft defensively: commit to what you do, date statements, keep evidence and review annually.
