
Sustainalytics ESG Ratings provide a comprehensive evaluation of a company's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. This rating is based on a thorough analysis of publicly available data and a proprietary scoring system.
Sustainalytics assesses over 13,000 companies worldwide, covering more than 75% of the market capitalization of the S&P Global Broad Market Index. This extensive coverage helps investors make informed decisions about their investments.
Investors can use Sustainalytics ESG Ratings to identify companies that are leaders in ESG performance and those that are at risk of negative impacts. By considering ESG factors, investors can mitigate potential risks and capitalize on opportunities for long-term growth.
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What Are Sustainalytics ESG Ratings?
Sustainalytics ESG Ratings provide a comprehensive assessment of ESG risks for large and mid-cap companies, covering both equity and fixed income strategies.
They meticulously assess significant Environmental, Social, and Governance risks.
This assessment serves a wide array of purposes for asset managers, asset owners, and banks.
Their research is used to strengthen ESG processes and make informed investment decisions.
By offering extensive coverage, Sustainalytics ESG Ratings help investors understand the potential ESG risks associated with their investments.
Their ratings can help investors identify companies with strong ESG practices and those with significant ESG risks.
Strengthening ESG Processes

To strengthen your ESG processes, consider using ESG Risk Ratings, which meticulously assess significant Environmental, Social, and Governance risks.
These ratings offer extensive coverage of large and mid-cap companies across equity and fixed income strategies, serving a wide array of purposes for asset managers, asset owners, and banks.
The ESG Risk Ratings measure a company's exposure to industry-specific material ESG risks and how well a company is managing those risks, providing valuable insights to inform your decision-making.
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Integrating Biodiversity Data
Integrating biodiversity data into your ESG processes is crucial for a holistic view of a company's environmental impact. This can be achieved by using the Nature Data Package to uncover additional nature-related risks and opportunities.
The Nature Data Package helps users identify business activities that have a negative impact on nature or face regulatory risks. It also provides operational metrics related to biodiversity loss drivers.
By integrating biodiversity data, you can gain a better understanding of a company's exposure to industry-specific material ESG risks. This includes risks related to climate change, which is a major driver of biodiversity loss.

In addition to identifying risks, the Nature Data Package also highlights opportunities for business activities that have a positive impact on nature. This can help companies to capitalize on these opportunities and improve their overall ESG performance.
Here are some key benefits of integrating biodiversity data:
- Additional management indicators on climate change to better account for the third major biodiversity loss driver
- Opportunities, in the form of business activities that have a positive impact on nature
By incorporating these indicators and opportunities into your ESG processes, you can get a more comprehensive view of a company's environmental impact and make more informed decisions.
Our Approach
Our Approach to ESG Risk Ratings involves meticulously assessing significant Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risks.
We use Morningstar Sustainalytics research, which serves a wide array of purposes for asset managers, asset owners, and banks.
The ESG Risk Ratings measure a company's exposure to industry-specific material ESG risks.
They also assess how well a company is managing those risks, providing a comprehensive view of a company's ESG performance.
ESG Risk Ratings offer extensive coverage of large and mid-cap companies across equity and fixed income strategies.
Investment Selection and Construction

Investment Selection and Construction involves integrating ESG criteria into asset allocation, considering impact and governance.
To do this, you can construct portfolios with strong ESG performers, using ratings or specific ESG issues.
This means incorporating multi-dimensional ESG risk scores into valuation models to get a comprehensive picture.
Maintaining sector weights through best-in-class tilting is also a key strategy.
To prioritize engagement, identify ESG leaders and laggards for focused efforts.
Historical data can also be used for back testing support to refine your approach.
Here are some key strategies for integrating ESG into your investment selection and construction:
- Construct portfolios with strong ESG performers
- Incorporate multi-dimensional ESG risk scores into valuation models
- Maintain sector weights through best-in-class tilting
- Identify ESG leaders and laggards for engagement prioritization
- Utilize historical data for back testing support
Understanding Sustainalytics
Sustainalytics is a company that provides ESG Risk Ratings to help organizations assess and manage environmental, social, and governance risks.
Their research serves a wide array of purposes for asset managers, asset owners, and banks, offering extensive coverage of large and mid-cap companies across equity and fixed income strategies.
Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings are used by clients to understand and promote their corporate ESG performance with internal and external stakeholders, and can be a part of a broader analysis of clients or used for innovative product solutions.
Here are some ways Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings can be used:
- Establish a clear ESG policy for organization-wide integration.
- Gain key insights for manager selection and evaluation.
- Align investments with client values for sustainable portfolios.
- Integrate ESG into decision-making to manage risks effectively.
- Access insights for thought leadership on material ESG issues.
What Are ESG Issues?

ESG issues are a crucial aspect of a company's overall performance and reputation. Material ESG issues are issues that are considered to be financially material to a given company in a relevant sub-industry.
Understanding what ESG issues are can be a bit tricky, but it's essential to grasp the concept. Material ESG issues are issues that are considered to be financially material to a given company in a relevant sub-industry.
ESG issues can impact a company's bottom line, making it essential to address them.
Using Underlying Data
ESG Risk Ratings meticulously assesses significant Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risks.
Morningstar Sustainalytics research serves a wide array of purposes for asset managers, asset owners, and banks.
Their assessments offer extensive coverage of large and mid-cap companies across equity and fixed income strategies.
This underlying data is crucial for strengthening ESG processes and making informed investment decisions.
Why Sustainalytics
Sustainalytics offers a comprehensive assessment of ESG risks through its ESG Risk Ratings, which provide extensive coverage of large and mid-cap companies across equity and fixed income strategies.

Their research serves a wide array of purposes for asset managers, asset owners, and banks, helping them make informed decisions about ESG risks.
The ESG Risk Ratings are used by clients to understand and promote their corporate ESG performance with internal and external stakeholders.
Banks and lenders can use these ratings as part of a broader analysis of their clients, as well as for innovative product solutions like sustainability linked loans.
Investors can use the ESG Risk Ratings to identify, understand, and manage ESG risks at the security and portfolio level, aiming to improve the long-term performance of their equity and fixed income securities.
Calculating and Ranking Metrics
Sustainalytics ESG ratings calculate a company's exposure to industry-specific material ESG risks.
The ESG Risk Ratings measure how well a company is managing those risks.
These ratings are designed to provide a comprehensive view of a company's ESG performance.
The ESG Risk Ratings are calculated based on a company's exposure to industry-specific material ESG risks.

This approach allows investors to make informed decisions about their investments.
Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings provide a standardized way to compare companies across different industries.
The ratings are based on a company's ability to manage material ESG risks.
This enables investors to identify companies that are taking proactive steps to mitigate ESG risks.
Client Insights and Success
Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings are used by clients to understand and promote their corporate ESG performance with internal and external stakeholders. This helps banks and lenders to use the ratings as part of a broader analysis of their clients, and even for innovative product solutions like sustainability linked loans.
Investors can use the ESG Risk Ratings to identify, understand, and manage ESG risks at the security and portfolio level, with the aim of improving the long-term performance of their equity and fixed income securities.
Some of the key use cases for Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings include:
- Establishing a clear ESG policy for organization-wide integration.
- Gaining key insights for manager selection and evaluation.
- Aligning investments with client values for sustainable portfolios.
- Integrating ESG into decision-making to manage risks effectively.
- Accessing insights for thought leadership on material ESG issues.
Client Success Stories

Our clients have achieved remarkable success by leveraging Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings. They've used these ratings to understand and promote their corporate ESG performance with internal and external stakeholders.
Banks and lenders have successfully integrated ESG Risk Ratings and data into their analysis of clients, even using them for innovative product solutions like sustainability linked loans.
Investors have also benefited from the ESG Risk Ratings, identifying, understanding, and managing ESG risks at the security and portfolio level to improve the long-term performance of their equity and fixed income securities.
Here are some specific use cases where our clients have seen success:
- Establishing a clear ESG policy for organization-wide integration.
- Gaining key insights for manager selection and evaluation.
- Aligning investments with client values for sustainable portfolios.
- Integrating ESG into decision-making to manage risks effectively.
- Accessing insights for thought leadership on material ESG issues.
Client Usage of Ratings
Sustainalytics' clients use the ESG Risk Ratings to understand and promote their corporate ESG performance with internal and external stakeholders.
Banks and lenders leverage the ESG Risk Ratings and data as part of a broader analysis of their clients, and also for innovative product solutions such as sustainability linked loans.

The ESG Risk Ratings can help investors identify, understand, and manage ESG risks at the security and portfolio level, aiming to improve the long-term performance of their equity and fixed income securities.
Investors use the ESG Risk Ratings to improve the long-term performance of their equity and fixed income securities.
Banks and lenders can use the ESG Risk Ratings to inform future management decisions that align with their organization's sustainability goals.
Sustainalytics' Peer Performance Insights provide an in-depth analysis of a company's ESG strengths and weaknesses compared to its competitors and industry performance, helping to identify areas of ESG improvement.
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ESG Controversy and Exposure
Sustainalytics ESG Ratings provide a comprehensive view of a company's exposure to material ESG issues. This includes considering subindustry and company-specific factors such as business models.
A company's exposure score can vary greatly, as seen with Netflix, Inc. having a Low exposure score and Shell Plc having a High exposure score.
The Controversy Rating is a key aspect of ESG Risk Ratings, highlighting the highest controversy level that has impacted a company's ESG Risk Rating in the last three years.
Controversy Rating

The Controversy Rating is a crucial aspect of ESG investing. It measures the highest level of controversy that has impacted a company's ESG Risk Rating in the last three years.
Alphabet, Inc. has experienced controversy in the past, with a significant impact on their ESG Risk Rating. Netflix, Inc. has also faced controversy, with a notable impact on their ESG Risk Rating.
Shell Plc and Salesforce, Inc. have also been affected by controversy, with Shell Plc experiencing the highest level of controversy in the last three years. This highlights the importance of considering controversy when evaluating a company's ESG risk.
The Controversy Rating provides valuable insights into a company's exposure to material ESG issues. By understanding the level of controversy a company has faced, investors can make more informed decisions about their investments.
Exposure
Exposure refers to the extent to which a company is exposed to different material ESG issues. Our exposure score takes into consideration subindustry and company-specific factors such as its business model.

Netflix, Inc.'s Exposure is Low, indicating that it has a relatively low risk of being impacted by material ESG issues.
Exposure scores are based on subindustry and company-specific factors, making them a valuable tool for investors and analysts.
Alphabet, Inc.'s Exposure is Medium, suggesting that it has a moderate level of exposure to material ESG issues.
A company's Exposure score can have a significant impact on its ESG Risk Rating, which is used to assess its overall ESG risk.
Shell Plc's Exposure is High, indicating that it has a high level of exposure to material ESG issues, which can be a concern for investors.
Understanding a company's Exposure is crucial for making informed investment decisions and managing ESG risks.
Company Analysis and Insights
Sustainalytics' Company Analysis and Insights provide a comprehensive understanding of a company's exposure to material ESG issues. This in-depth analysis is underpinned by analyst insights and quantitative data.
Qualitative analysis is used to describe the reasons why a company is exposed to specific material ESG issues. This helps investors understand how well a company is managing these issues.

The analysis is based on a 360° review of ESG risk ratings, which provides a detailed assessment of a company's ESG risk profile. This includes a review of the company's ESG risk factors, such as its environmental impact, social responsibility, and governance practices.
Company ESG Risk Ratings are available for every company in the portfolio, giving investors a clear picture of a company's ESG risk profile. These ratings are recognized by Environmental Finance and the Climate Bonds Initiative.
For corporate professionals, Sustainalytics' Peer Performance Insights provide a unique opportunity to compare their company's ESG strengths and weaknesses to those of their competitors and industry peers. This can help identify areas of ESG improvement and inform future management decisions.
These insights can be used to inform future management decisions that align with an organization's sustainability goals. By understanding their company's ESG performance relative to their peers, corporate professionals can make data-driven decisions to drive long-term success.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Sustainalytics and MSCI ESG?
Sustainalytics and MSCI ESG are two separate rating systems, with Sustainalytics using an absolute approach to highlight risk and MSCI using a sector-relative scoring approach
Is Morningstar Sustainalytics reliable?
Morningstar Sustainalytics is a trusted source of ESG research and ratings, providing high-quality data to institutional investors and companies. Their expertise and analytical approach make them a reliable partner for ESG insights and decision-making.
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