ESG Investing: ESG Ratings (2024)

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ESG Investing: ESG Ratings

ESG Rating hero banner

Measuring a company’s resilience to long-term, financially relevant ESG risks

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ESG Rating intro para

What is an MSCI ESG Rating?

MSCI ESG Ratings aim to measure a company’s management of financially relevant ESG risks and opportunities. We use a rules-based methodology to identify industry leaders and laggards according to their exposure to ESG risks and how well they manage those risks relative to peers. Our ESG Ratings range from leader (AAA, AA), average (A, BBB, BB) to laggard (B, CCC). We also rate equity and fixed income securities, loans, mutual funds, ETFs and countries.


ESG Ratings video

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ESG Ratings

How do MSCI ESG Ratings work? What are significant ESG risks? What does a poor rating look like? How can you use them?

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ESG ratings

Download brochure(PDF, 1.08 MB)(opens in a new tab)


How does MSCI ESG Ratings work?

ESG risks and opportunities can vary by industry and company. Our MSCI ESG Ratings model identifies the ESG risks, (what we call Key Issues), that are most material to a GICS® sub-industry or sector. With over 13 years of live track history we have been able to examine and refine our model to identify the E, S, and G Key Issues which are most material to an industry.

View our Key Issues framework |ESG Methodologies(opens in a new tab)|What MSCI’s ESG Ratings are and are not

ESG Investing: ESG Ratings (2)


ESG Ratings module

  • LAGGARD

    A company lagging its industry based on its high exposure and failure to manage significant ESG risks

  • AVERAGE

    A company with a mixed or unexceptional track record of managing the most significant ESG risks and opportunities relative to industry peers

  • LEADER

    A company leading its industry in managing the most significant ESG risks and opportunities


Explore our ESG transparency tools

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Explore our ESG transparency tools


Explore our ESG Transparency Tools content - part 1

What goes into an MSCI ESG Rating? Example: Explore the data metrics and sources used to determine the MSCI ESG Rating of a US-based producer of paper products.

Explore our ESG Transparency Tools content - part 2

ESG Fund Ratings Search Tool ESG Fund Ratings aim to measure the resilience of mutual funds and ETFs to long term risks and opportunities.
Index Profile Search Tool Explore ESG and climate metrics for all MSCI equity, fixed income and blended indexes regulated by the EU.

ESG ratings Tabs

Integrating ESG Ratings into the investment process: Key Features

A growing body of client, industry and MSCI research has shown the value of integrating MSCI ESG Ratings to manage and mitigate risks and identify opportunities. We are proud to work with over 1,700 clients worldwide that help inform and improve our ESG Research, including our ESG Ratings methodology and coverage. Investor clients use MSCI ESG Ratings as follows.

Fundamental / quant analyses

  • Fundamental / quant analyses

  • Portfolio construction / risk management

  • Benchmarking / index-based product development

  • Disclosure and reporting for regulators and stakeholders

  • Engagement & thought leadership

  • Stock analysis
  • ESG Ratings used for security selection or within systematic strategies
  • ESG Factor in quant model- identify long term trends and arbitrage opportunities
  • Adjust discounted cashflow models
  • Identify leaders and laggards to support construction
  • Use ratings and underlying scores to inform asset allocation
  • Stress testing, and risk and performance attribution analysis
  • ESG as a Factor in Global Equity Models
  • MSCI ESG Ratings are used in many of MSCI’s 1,500 equity and fixed indexes
  • Select policy or performance benchmark
  • Develop Exchange-Traded-Funds and other index-based products
  • Make regulatory disclosures
  • Report to clients & stakeholders
  • Demonstrate ESG transparency and leadership
  • Engage companies and external stakeholders
  • Provide transparency through client reporting
  • Conduct thematic or industry research

ESG rating Key benefits

Key product features:

We rate over 8,500 companies (14,000 issuers including subsidiaries) and more than 680,000 equity and fixed income securities globally (as of October 2020), collecting thousands of data points for each company.

Forward-looking industry materiality:

We monitor emerging risks and opportunities and focus on the industry issues that are most relevant to its companies’ core business models

Alternative data & models:

While corporate disclosure is an important input into our model, we also gather alternative data from hundreds of media, academic, NGO, regulatory and government sources to supplement those disclosures and uncover additional insights. Our cutting-edge modelling capabilities transform varied sources of unstructured data into meaningful insights

Tech-enabled human insights:

We use artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies to increase the timeliness and precision of data collection and analysis, and to check and validate data. Our 200+ strong team of analysts review, validate and transform the data into meaningful insights

Client consultations and innovations:

MSCI ESG Research is constantly evaluating new datasets, monitoring emerging ESG issues and exploring new technologies to improve our research process and the value for clients. We review and recalibrate the ESG Ratings model annually, and seek feedback from our clients on potential changes and enhancements via our annual consultation process. Overthe last seven years, MSCI ESG Research has consulted more than 55 of some of the largest investors globally, to refine our ESG Ratings methodology and expand our coverage

MSCI ESG Research Experience and Leadership

MSCI ESG research experience and leadership

  • We have over 40 years2 of experience measuring and modelling ESG performance of companies. We are recognized as a ‘Gold Standard data provider’3 and voted 'Best Firm for SRI research' and ‘Best Firm for Corporate Governance research' for the last four years3
  • We were the first ESG provider to assess companies based on industry materiality, dating back to 1999. Only dataset with live history (13+ years) demonstrating economic relevance
  • Objective rules based ESG ratings, with an average 45% of data,5 coming from alternative data sources, utilizing AI tech to extract and verify unstructured data
  • First ESG ratings provider to measure and embed companies’ ESG risk exposure4

ESG Ratings Related Content


Related content

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Companies with strong ESG profiles may be better positioned for future challenges and experience fewer instances of bribery, corruption, and fraud. Learn how our MSCI ESG Research and solutions can provide insights into ESG risks and opportunities.

Learn more

Climate and Net-Zero Solutions

To empower investors to analyze and report on their portfolios’ exposures to transition and physical climate risk.1.

Read more

Sustainable Finance

ESG and climate regulation and disclosure resource center for institutional investors, managers and advisors.

Learn more

ESG ratings footnotes

MSCI ESG Research LLC. is a Registered Investment Adviser under the Investment Adviser Act of 1940. The most recent SEC Form ADV filing, including Form ADV Part 2A, is available on the U.S. SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov(opens in a new tab).

MIFID2/MIFIR notice: MSCI ESG Research LLC does not distribute or act as an intermediary for financial instruments or structured deposits, nor does it deal on its own account, provide execution services for others or manage client accounts. No MSCI ESG Research product or service supports, promotes or is intended to support or promote any such activity. MSCI ESG Research is an independent provider of ESG data, reports and ratings based on published methodologies and available to clients on a subscription basis.

ESG ADV 2A (PDF, 354 KB)(opens in a new tab)
ESG ADV 2B (brochure supplement) (PDF, 232 KB)(opens in a new tab)

1GICS®, the global industry classification standard jointly developed by MSCI Inc. and S&P Global.

2Through our legacy companies KLD, Innovest, IRRC, and GMI Ratings.

3Deep Data Delivery Standard http://www.deepdata.ai/

4Through our legacy companies KLD, Innovest, IRRC, and GMI Ratings. Origins of MSCI ESG Ratings established in 1999. Produced time series data since 2007.

5Source: MSCI ESG Research 2,434 constituents of the MSCI ACWI Index as of November 30, 2017.


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ESG Investing: ESG Ratings (2024)

FAQs

ESG Investing: ESG Ratings? ›

An ESG rating measures a company's exposure to long-term environmental, social, and governance risks. These risks -- involving issues such as energy efficiency, worker safety, and board independence -- have financial implications.

What is the ESG rating for investors? ›

MSCI ESG Ratings aim to measure a company's management of financially relevant ESG risks and opportunities. We use a rules-based methodology to identify industry leaders and laggards according to their exposure to ESG risks and how well they manage those risks relative to peers.

Who has the highest ESG score? ›

Top 100 ESG Companies
RankCompanyESG Score
1ASML Holdings N.V.73.13
2Check Point Software Technologies72.64
3Hermes International SCA71.71
4Linde71.26
39 more rows

How risky is ESG investing? ›

ESG is a risk-mitigation strategy at its core. It helps the investor evaluate the material risks of a company's future performance based on its environmental, social, and governance practices. For example, a company that doesn't address its employees' grievances may lead to a workers' strike.

What is the ESG score to rating? ›

LSEG ESG Scores
Score rangeDescription
0 to 25First Quartile
> 25 to 50Second Quartile
> 50 to 75Third Quartile
> 75 to 100Fourth Quartile

Is ESG good or bad? ›

Companies with a low ESG score are thought to have the worst environmental, social, and governance impacts. Undesirable ESG scores have also been linked to rising poverty levels in the communities where the firm operates, as well as poor employee mental health.

Who invented ESG? ›

But while the term ESG was first coined in 2004 by the United Nations Global Compact, the concept has been around for much longer. In the 1970s, socially responsible investing (SRI) emerged as a way for investors to align their portfolios with their values.

What does ESG stand for? ›

ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. This is often called sustainability. In a business context, sustainability is about the company's business model, i.e. how its products and services contribute to sustainable development.

What is Tesla's ESG rating? ›

ESG Risk Score for Peers
NameTotal ESG Risk scoreE
BAMXF Bayerische Motoren Werke AG255
TSLA Tesla, Inc.253
SZKMF SUZUKI MOTOR CORP256
DAIN.MX DAIN.MX228
1 more row

What are the top three ESG stocks? ›

10 best ESG stocks right now
RankName and TickerMarket Cap (billions)
1Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA)$1,520
2Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)$2,952
3Best Buy (NYSE:BBY)$15.7
4Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE)$279.2
6 more rows
Feb 1, 2024

Why are people against ESG investing? ›

Critics of ESG — such as a group of Republican states that banned Blackrock and other “ESG friendly” asset managers from their state pension plans — argue that considering environmental and social factors violates the fiduciary duty that asset managers have towards their clients.

What the heck is ESG? ›

If you typically read the list of ingredients on the back of food packages, you already know how to approach ESG investing. “ESG” stands for three factors fundamental to corporate accountability and sustainable performance: environmental, social and governance.

Why is ESG flawed? ›

Unfortunately, ESG data suffers from a multitude of flaws, and in our view, does not focus on the areas that matter. One of the main challenges is that ESG scoring methodologies tend to focus on how well companies manage their internal processes, rather than the real-world impacts of their products and services.

What is Amazon's ESG score? ›

ESG Risk Score for Peers
NameTotal ESG Risk scoreS
AMZN Amazon.com, Inc.3115
JDCMF JD.com, Inc.2510
023530.KS LOTTE SHOPPING2512
EXPE.SW EXPE.SW2411
1 more row

Is Apple an ESG company? ›

Apple has its sights set on achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. Their latest ESG report shows they've successfully avoided 31 million metric tonnes of emissions across all scopes and reduced their carbon footprint by over 55% compared to 2015.

Who controls the ESG score? ›

ESG scores are set by the companies themselves. ESG scores measure the degree to which environmental, social, and governance risks and opportunities are integrated into an organization's strategy and business operations.

What is ESG consideration for investors? ›

ESG investors consider factors like employee turnover rates, employee satisfaction surveys, and diversity statistics to gauge how well a company supports its workforce. Companies that prioritize employee well-being, promote diversity, and provide equal opportunities are seen as having a positive societal impact.

What is the rating of ESG investment grade? ›

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores are an essential tool for investors to assess a company's sustainability and ethical performance. These scores typically range from 0 to 100, with a score of less than 50 considered relatively poor and more than 70 considered good.

What ESG means for investors? ›

ESG stands for environment, social and governance. ESG investors aim to buy the shares of companies that have demonstrated a willingness to improve their performance in these three areas.

What are the ESG criteria for investments? ›

ESG criteria can be used to evaluate governments, companies or financial product providers with regard to the three aspects of environment (e.g. protection of resources and species), social issues (e.g. working conditions and safety) and governance (e.g. protection against exploitation or corruption).

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