Roles & Permissions
Clear responsibilities. Controlled access. No internal confusion.
ESGdesk™ is built for team-based ESG data management. It allows companies to assign roles, delegate tasks, and control access across locations and reporting years — without sharing credentials or losing oversight.
Why Roles and Permissions Matter
ESG reporting typically involves multiple people across departments and sites. Without clear access rules, this often leads to:
Unclear responsibilities
Accidental data changes
Lack of accountability
Reporting errors
ESGdesk™ solves this by providing simple, predefined roles that reflect real operational needs.
Role Overview
ESGdesk™ uses four roles: Owner, Admin, Contributor, and Auditor. The Owner is the person who created the company account. Admins share most capabilities with the Owner but cannot transfer ownership. Contributors focus on data entry for their assigned locations.
Owner vs Admin
The Owner is the person who originally created the company account. There is always exactly one Owner per company. Admins have full access to manage the workspace, but only the Owner can:
- Transfer ownership to another Admin
- Cannot be removed from the company
For all other purposes, Owner and Admin share the same capabilities.
Owner / Admin
Full Access & Control
The Owner and Admin roles are intended for managers, ESG coordinators, finance leaders, or compliance owners who need full control over the workspace.
Owner / Admin can:
- Manage company users (invite, remove, assign roles)
- Create and manage locations
- Assign Contributors to specific locations
- Send Completion Requests with deadlines to Contributors
- Select and manage Reporting Years
- Close and reopen Reporting Years
- View and edit all ESG data
- Use AI-Assisted Imports to scan utility documents
- Access ESG Data Analysis dashboard with full company insights
- Compare performance across locations (2+ locations)
- Track data input progress across all locations and contributors
- Preview and export ESG reports (subject to subscription)
Responsible for:
- Structuring the workspace
- Delegating tasks internally
- Maintaining data integrity
In short: Owner/Admin controls who can do what, where, and when.
Contributor
Focused Data Entry
The Contributor role is designed for team members responsible for entering ESG data at specific sites or in specific areas.
A Contributor can:
- Access only assigned locations
- Enter and edit ESG data for open Reporting Years
- Use AI-Assisted Imports for assigned locations
- View and respond to Completion Requests
- Access ESG Data Analysis for assigned locations
- Track data input progress for assigned locations
- View data for closed Reporting Years in read-only mode
- Review section-level explanatory notes
A Contributor cannot:
- Manage users or roles
- Access unassigned locations
- Close or reopen Reporting Years
- Export reports
In short: Contributors focus on accurate data input, without access to sensitive controls.
Auditor
External Verifier
Read-only access for external auditors and verifiers. Auditors can review reports, analysis, and progress data but cannot modify any information.
Can view
- Dashboard overview and KPIs
- ESG reports and carbon footprint data
- Analysis and progress charts
- Location comparison
- Evidence file metadata (name, date, hash)
- Methodology data (read-only)
Cannot do
- Enter or modify ESG data
- Manage company settings
- Invite users or manage team
- Access billing or subscription
- Download source evidence files
Time-limited, read-only access for external verification.
Available on PRO plan only
How Access Control Works
Access in ESGdesk™ is both role-based and location-based
Role Assignment
Admin assigns roles to team members during invitation
Location Access
Contributors are granted access to specific locations only
Year Control
Admins control which years are open for editing
Data Protection
Closed years become read-only for Contributors
Location-based Access
This means:
- Contributors see only the locations they are assigned to
- Data from other sites is not visible or editable
- Responsibilities can be clearly split between plants, offices, or regions
Especially important for: multi-site manufacturing, distributed operations, international teams
Reporting Year Control
Roles interact with Reporting Year logic:
- Admins can open or close a Reporting Year
- Once closed, data becomes read-only for Contributors
- Admins can reopen a year if corrections are needed
This supports disciplined internal workflows and prevents accidental changes to finalized data.
Delegation and Accountability
With ESGdesk™, a company manager or ESG owner can:
Assign responsibilities across the team
Control who enters which data
Review progress centrally
Ensure accountability without micromanagement
Every user works within clearly defined boundaries, reducing friction and errors.
Designed for Internal Governance
ESGdesk™ roles and permissions support:
They are not customizable ad-hoc, by design — keeping the system predictable and easy to govern.
Ready to Set Up Your Team?
Create your workspace, assign roles, and start structuring ESG responsibilities with clarity.