A Practical Guide to the World of ESG Investor Data and Ratings Providers

ESG raters and rankers have become central to how investors, stakeholders, and index providers evaluate corporate sustainability performance. Data providers such as MSCI, Morningstar Sustainalytics, FTSE Russell, ISS STOXX, S&P Global, Bloomberg, and LSEG each apply their own methodologies, scoring scales, and assessment timelines, resulting in a landscape that can be difficult for companies to navigate. This is especially tricky because raters don’t just weigh the same disclosures differently – they don’t all read the same inputs.  Some only accept public information, some collect private questionnaire responses, and some supplement company reporting with third-party datasets and their own estimates.

To help sustainability, investor relations, and reporting teams make sense of the rater/ranker world, G&A has developed a practical guide to the major providers. We break down how each one sources its data, scores companies, and links ratings to index inclusion. We also explain how companies can review and respond to their assessments if corrections are needed.