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“This inaugural ESG corporate rating survey underscores ISS ESG’s commitment to both transparency and engagement with stakeholders.”

September 25, 2023

ISS ESG Launches Inaugural ESG Corporate Rating Survey

NEW YORK, (September 25, 2023) – ISS ESG, the sustainable investment arm of Institutional Shareholder Services, today launched its inaugural ESG Corporate Rating Survey to elicit market feedback as it enhances and aligns its methodology in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. Institutional investors, public companies, academics, professional services firms, and all other interested market constituents are invited to respond to the survey through October 20.

The survey is a structured, formal mechanism to obtain robust feedback from investors and a wide range of market participants, with all interested parties encouraged to share their views by participating in the survey.

“This inaugural ESG corporate rating survey underscores ISS ESG’s commitment to both transparency and engagement with stakeholders,” said Bonnie Saynay, Global Head of Research at ISS ESG. “We believe that this approach enhances the continuing value and relevance of our methodology, processes, and the service we deliver to investor clients, globally.”

The survey starts by eliciting feedback regarding ISS ESG’s global approach and foundation of drawing on international normative frameworks, voluntary disclosure standards, and regulatory regimes informing the methodology. It then moves on to seek feedback on materiality considerations, different use-cases for the ISS ESG Corporate Rating, and the underlying scores and data which make-up the rating.

Thereafter, the survey drills down by individual sectors and topics, seeking views on the relevance of existing and emerging ESG issues expected to shape the ESG management, research, investment and stewardship landscape over the months and years ahead. These include established environmental areas in the focus of many investors, such as climate change, freshwater use, and biodiversity loss, as well as related emerging issues and concepts, including regenerative agriculture and the circular economy. The survey then draws out views on established social topics such as labor and human rights, customer health and safety, and data protection.

Finally, the survey provides participants with an opportunity to comment on the process by which company dialogue and interaction can add the greatest value to the rating process and the reliability of the results. The roughly 20 minute survey concludes by seeking feedback on governance risks and assessments in the ESG Corporate Rating methodology.

The ESG Corporate Rating Survey, which is slated to close on October 20, 2023, at 5pm ET, can be accessed here.  

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About ISS ESG

ISS ESG solutions enable investors to develop and integrate sustainable investing policies and practices, engage on responsible investment issues, and monitor portfolio company practices through screening solutions. ISS ESG also provides climate data, analytics, and advisory services to help financial market participants understand, measure, and act on climate-related risks across all asset classes. In addition, ESG solutions cover corporate and country ESG research and ratings enabling its clients to identify material social and environmental risks and opportunities. For more information, please visit us at: www.iss-esg.com

Media Contact:
Sarah Ball
Executive Director, Communications
Institutional Shareholder Services Inc.
press@issgovernance.com

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