A bank providing financing to an installation company usually asks about three things: the vehicle fleet and its fuel consumption, the materials that are purchased and processed, and how work is carried out on-site at customer locations. This is no coincidence. Installation companies drive extensively, consume materials that themselves have a carbon footprint, and often work at a location that is not their own — three points that come up in virtually every banking sustainability questionnaire.
The reason is straightforward: banks want to gain an understanding of the emissions associated with the companies they finance. For an installation company, those emissions are not in a factory building, but in the van that drives to the customer and the material that is installed. Understanding this helps you better grasp the bank's questions and answer them more quickly.
The vehicle fleet: the most frequently requested figures
For virtually every installation company, the vehicle fleet is the largest direct source of emissions, and therefore also the first thing a bank asks about. You are typically asked for the number of vehicles, the type of fuel (diesel, petrol, electric or hybrid), and consumption per year. The latter two are usually shown on fuel receipts or invoices from the leasing company.
If there are electric vans in the vehicle fleet, a bank often also wants to know how many of these are charged on the company premises and with what electricity. This distinction — grid electricity or electricity from own solar panels — makes a difference to the calculation, even though it may feel like a minor detail to the entrepreneur.
Materials and procurement
The second category concerns what is purchased: copper, steel, plastic pipework, insulation material. A bank usually does not ask here for the exact CO2 emissions per kilogramme of material — this is typically not feasible for an installation company to calculate themselves — but does ask for volumes, main suppliers, and whether there is a conscious choice for recycled or renewable material. This information is usually already available in the purchasing records or from the main suppliers.
On-site work at the customer's location
Installation work rarely takes place on the company's own premises. A bank therefore often asks how work at customer sites is organised: how much travel time and distance is involved, whether materials are delivered directly to the customer or first via your own warehouse, and what happens to leftover material and packaging waste on-site. For many entrepreneurs, this is the most difficult category, simply because there is no separate administration for it — the schedule and time registration usually provide a good picture.
Staff and the workplace
In addition to emissions, a bank also looks at the social side: number of employees, absence rates, and whether there is certification for safe working, such as VCA. Energy consumption of the workshop or office itself also comes up, usually simply readable from the energy bill. This aligns with what is considered basic information in the VSME standard, although a bank is not required to limit itself to this.
Is the bank bound by the threshold set out in the supply chain obligation?
The supply chain obligation in effect since March 2026 targets the relationship between a reporting company and suppliers in its value chain: it may not demand more from a smaller supplier than the VSME standard permits. Whether and how this also applies to the relationship with a financier providing credit is a separate question, and the answer depends on that financier's precise role. This is not an assessment that can be made in a general article — if in doubt, consult the official text or a legal advisor. Besides, banks often have their own reporting obligations, which can make their questionnaire broader than what an ordinary buyer would be permitted to ask.
What applies to every questionnaire, whether from a bank or a buyer: it is useful to first see which questions may simply be asked and which may not. With a few questions to get a first indication quickly shows approximately where you stand, without requiring you to take a day off for it.
Permanent file, less work with the next questionnaire
The energy bill, fuel receipts and payroll administration printout needed for the bank are the same documents that a buyer, insurer or the next bank will also request. Anyone who has recorded that data in a file once does not need to search again for the next questionnaire. On the page with topics per situation is explained per theme what belongs there and where to find it in the official text. Anyone wanting to know how esgia retrieves and stores data from your own documents can read about it on the page about how it works.
Are you unsure whether a specific question from your bank may or may not be asked, or do you simply want to see first how much of the work is already done in your own administration? Do the free quick-scan, or read on the frequently asked questions page what other entrepreneurs in your situation have already figured out.