How Do I Describe My Company in an ESG Report?

Why this information matters

Every ESG report needs a starting point that explains, in plain terms, what your company actually does. Before a reader gets to emissions figures, employee data, or governance details, they need enough context to understand what your company sells, where it operates, who it serves, and how it creates value.

This is not a formality. Environmental and social data means very little without this context. A logistics company's fuel consumption tells a very different story than a software company's, and a reader can only interpret your numbers correctly if they first understand your business model, products and services, markets, and key business relationships. Getting this section right makes the rest of your ESG report easier to write and easier to read.

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Describe your company, not your marketing

This is the section most companies get wrong on the first attempt, so it is worth addressing directly.

Your ESG report's company description is not a sales pitch. It is tempting to reach for the same language you would use on your website or in a pitch deck, but that language does not belong here. Avoid:

• Marketing language like industry-leading, world-class, or cutting-edge
• Buzzwords like synergies, best-in-class, or innovative solutions
• Exaggerated claims about market position or impact
• Slogans or taglines

Instead, describe:

• What the company actually does, in concrete terms
• What products or services it delivers
• How it creates value for its customers
• How it generates revenue

A plain, factual sentence like "the company designs and sells project management software for construction firms, sold through an annual subscription" is far more useful to a reader, and far more credible, than a paragraph about being a trusted partner in digital transformation. Stakeholders reading an ESG report are generally looking for accuracy, not enthusiasm.

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Describe your products and services

Once the overall business model is clear, describe what the company actually produces or delivers. This should cover:

• Primary products
• Core services
• Major product or service categories
• The main activities the business is built around

You do not need to list every product variant or service package. Focus on the activities that generate most of the company's revenue, as these are what matter most to a reader trying to understand your business.

Consider these practical examples across different industries:

• A software company might describe itself as providing a subscription-based platform for invoice management, used primarily by accounting teams.
• A manufacturer might describe producing steel components for the automotive industry, sold directly to original equipment manufacturers.
• A construction company might describe delivering commercial building projects, from design through to handover, for private developers.
• A retail business might describe selling home goods through both physical stores and an online shop.
• A consulting firm might describe providing strategic advisory services to mid-sized companies undergoing organisational change.

None of these examples need more than a sentence or two. The goal is clarity about what the business does, not an exhaustive product catalogue.

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Describe your markets

Next, explain where your business actually operates. This section should cover:

• Geographic markets, meaning which countries or regions you serve
• Customer types, such as businesses, consumers, or both
• Industries served, if relevant
• Whether you operate B2B, B2C, or both
• Public sector, private sector, or both
• Domestic versus international reach

The purpose here is to give a reader a clear sense of where the business operates, not to produce an exhaustive list of every country or every customer. A company that sells mainly to Danish manufacturers with a small number of clients in Germany and Sweden can say exactly that in one sentence. There is no need to enumerate every individual account or every city.

If your customer base spans very different segments, for example, both large enterprise clients and small businesses, it is worth mentioning that mix briefly, since it affects how a reader will interpret the rest of your report.

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Describe your business relationships

This section should cover the external relationships that meaningfully support your business. Common categories include:

• Suppliers
• Distributors or wholesalers
• Strategic or technology partners
• Manufacturers you work with
• Logistics providers
• Contractors
• Resellers

The key word here is important. This is not intended to be an exhaustive supplier list or a full map of every vendor relationship. Focus on the handful of relationships that materially affect how your business operates, such as a single manufacturing partner that produces most of your product line, or a distributor that handles the majority of your sales volume.

If your business relies on one or two relationships that would significantly disrupt operations if they ended, those are worth naming specifically, even without commercial detail. Minor or interchangeable vendor relationships do not need individual mention.

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Use the value chain to structure your thinking

If you are not sure where to start, it often helps to think through your business as a simple value chain:

• Inputs: what raw materials, components, or services you rely on to operate
• Operations: what you actually do internally to create your product or service
• Products or services: what you ultimately deliver
• Customers: who receives it, and how
• After-sales activities: support, maintenance, or ongoing service, if relevant

Walking through these five stages in order often makes it much easier to describe your markets and business relationships accurately, because it naturally surfaces the suppliers, partners, and customer segments that matter most. It also helps you notice gaps, such as a company that focuses heavily on its product but forgets to mention who buys it or how.

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Keep it concise

A common misconception is that ESG reports need lengthy business narratives. They do not. In most cases, four short paragraphs are sufficient:

• One paragraph describing the business and how it creates value
• One paragraph describing products and services
• One paragraph describing markets
• One paragraph describing key business relationships

Each paragraph can typically be three to five sentences. Quality matters far more than length here, as a precise, specific paragraph is more useful to a reader, and easier to update next year, than three vague pages that could describe almost any company in your sector.

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Common mistakes to avoid

A few patterns come up repeatedly when companies write this section for the first time:

• Writing marketing copy instead of a factual description. Save the enthusiasm for your website.
• Listing every supplier. Focus on the few that genuinely matter to how the business operates.
• Listing every product. Describe the categories and core activities, not each SKU or service package.
• Being too vague. Stating that you operate globally and serve many industries tells a reader almost nothing, so be specific about which markets and which industries.
• Using internal terminology. Jargon or internal project names that make sense inside your company will confuse an external reader.
• Forgetting to explain who the customers are. It is easy to describe a product in detail and forget to mention who actually buys it, but that is often the most important piece of context for a reader.

Avoiding these mistakes usually takes no extra effort, as it is mostly a matter of writing plainly and specifically rather than defaulting to familiar marketing habits.

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How Wardn helps

Wardn guides companies through these disclosures step by step, prompting for the specific details, such as business model, products and services, markets, and key relationships, that make a company description useful rather than generic. Because the information is structured from the start, companies can reuse and update the same description year after year, adjusting it as the business evolves rather than rewriting it from scratch each reporting period.

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Frequently asked questions

What should I avoid when describing my company in an ESG report?

Avoid marketing language, buzzwords, and slogans. The company description should be a factual account of what your business does, not promotional copy. Stick to concrete details about your products, services, markets, and business model.

Do I need to list every supplier and business relationship?

No. Focus only on the most important relationships that materially support your business, such as a key manufacturing partner or a distributor handling most of your sales. An exhaustive list of every vendor is not necessary and adds little value for the reader.

How long should my company description be in an ESG report?

Usually one paragraph each for your business model, products and services, markets, and business relationships is enough. A short, specific description is more useful and more credible than a long, generic one.

How do I decide what to include when describing my markets?

Cover the geographic regions you operate in, whether you serve businesses or consumers, which industries you serve, and whether you are domestic or international. The goal is to give readers a clear sense of where you operate, not an exhaustive list of every customer or country.

What is the value chain framework, and why is it useful for this section?

The value chain breaks your business into five stages: inputs, operations, products or services, customers, and after-sales activities. Walking through these stages helps you identify the suppliers, partners, and customer segments worth mentioning in your markets and business relationships sections.

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