Customers are asking more questions. ESG is showing up in tenders. Internal targets are being set. On the surface, it looks like real progress is being made.
But when you look a bit closer, many companies are struggling with their ESG strategies before they even get going.
Not because companies lack intent, but because the foundations aren’t there.
The issue isn’t effort. It’s how everything fits together
Most logistics businesses are already doing something.
Fuel efficiency is being monitored. Telematics data is being collected. Routes are being optimised. Some are trialling alternative fuels or electrification. There is usually no shortage of activity.
The problem is that none of it sits in one place.
Each part of the business holds a piece of the picture, but there is rarely a single, consistent view of what’s actually happening across the operation. ESG managers are then expected to report on performance without having a reliable, joined-up dataset to work from.
That’s when reporting starts to break down
At some point, the question comes: what are our emissions?
Answering that sounds straightforward, but in reality it rarely is. Data needs to be pulled from multiple systems, often in different formats, and not always collected in the same way across sites or fleets.
The process becomes manual and time-consuming. It can take weeks to pull something together, and even then, confidence in the numbers isn’t always there.
This is where many ESG strategies start to lose momentum. Not because the work isn’t happening, but because it can’t be clearly evidenced.
Scope 3 is where things get harder
For most operators, fuel use and fleet data provide a reasonable starting point. That covers Scope 1 emissions, which are within direct control.
Scope 3 is a different challenge altogether.
It brings in subcontractors, suppliers, and wider supply chain activity. This is where visibility drops off because data requests are external, and where many organisations either rely on broad estimates or avoid the detail altogether.
At the same time, this is exactly the area customers and frameworks are beginning to focus on more closely. Without a structured approach to Scope 3, ESG reporting remains incomplete.
ESG is now tied to commercial performance
This is no longer just about reporting for the sake of it.
Sustainability is increasingly influencing who wins work and who doesn’t. Procurement teams want clear answers. They want to see emissions data, understand how it’s calculated, and have confidence that it can be backed up.
When that information isn’t available, or doesn’t stand up to scrutiny, it creates risk. Not always visible at first, but it shows up in lost opportunities, longer sales cycles, or additional pressure during supplier reviews.
More activity won’t fix it
A common reaction at this stage is to do more, more initiatives, more tools.
In most cases, that isn’t the issue.
The gap is usually in how everything is structured.
Without a clear framework, even well-intentioned activity becomes difficult to manage. Data is inconsistent. Reporting varies across the business. What’s being done on the ground doesn’t translate into something that can be clearly communicated or verified.
What a stronger foundation looks like
For transport and logistics operators, the starting point is not perfection. It’s consistency and clarity.
That means having a clear understanding of where data comes from, applying the same approach across the business, and being able to explain how emissions are being calculated. It also means taking a structured view of Scope 3, even if it’s not fully complete yet and understanding which scopes are applicable to your company.
Most importantly, it means being able to stand behind the numbers with confidence.
This is what turns ESG from a reporting exercise into something that actually supports the business and allows meaningful change.
Where to start
Before building anything new, it’s worth taking a step back.
What data is already available? Where are the gaps? What would be difficult to explain if a customer or auditor asked for it?
Getting a clear picture of the current position is usually the most useful first step.
It covers data availability, reporting structure, and the areas most likely to be challenged by customers or frameworks.
