ISS launches online ESG portal

The Institutional Shareholder Services Inc.’s (ISS) responsible investing division, ISS ESG, has launched a new online platform, the ISS ESG Gateway, offering public access to a range of corporate and fund ratings delivered by ISS ESG at no charge.

The portal will provide monthly-updated ratings and scores on more than 6,100 global corporations, based in the Americas, EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and the Asia-Pacific, as well as 30,000 funds spread across 45 jurisdictions.

“Against the backdrop of exponential growth and interest in ESG investing, we are pleased to deliver on our commitment to transparency by affording interested stakeholders access to high-level, timely, and relevant information through the ISS ESG Gateway,” Dr. Maximilian Horster, Head of ISS ESG, said.

“The availability of top-level ISS ESG ratings and scores will enable capital market stakeholders and others to gain valuable insight into the array of sustainability and governance challenges and opportunities facing institutional investors and their portfolio companies alike.”

The ISS ESG Corporate Rating incorporates around 100 indicators per industry to assess the performance of companies and applies a twelve-point grading system from A+, meaning excellent performance, to D-, meaning poor performance.

ISS ESG has also ranked the top-performing companies by their ESG Performance Score, determined from their Corporate Rating. This allows for cross-sector comparisons using a standardized threshold and measure for markets including Australia, Canada, France, the UK and the US.

“As a leading ESG research and data provider and trusted partner to the global institutional investor community, we are excited to announce the launch of the ISS ESG Gateway to provide access to our world-class ESG ratings and scores,” Bonnie Saynay, ISS ESG’s Global Head of ESG Investor Research & Data Strategy, said.

“ISS ESG ratings and scores are underpinned by transparent methodologies, credible and verified data, and quality management and assurance by nearly 300 research analysts devoted to helping clients execute on a full range of sustainable investment strategies and objectives.”

The online gateway also provides access to data-driven scoring solution, Governance QualityScore, which reviews companies’ corporate governance across areas including board structure, shareholder rights and risk oversight. ISS’ SDG Impact Rating, which measures a company’s impact on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and ESG Fund Rating, which assesses the global performance of equity and bond funds against ESG factors, are also available on the portal.