Provisional ESG Ratings
Gain insight into a company’s sustainability credentials.

Drive transparency with Provisional ESG Ratings

Our Provisional ESG Ratings provide a preliminary assessment of a company's sustainability performance and practices, including how well it is prepared for the risks and opportunities relevant to its industry. They are designed to help non-rated companies understand how they would be assessed by MSCI ESG Research as part of our standard coverage universe.1

Fortify decision-making

Investors can use the provisional rating to assess the sustainability performance of companies they might invest in.

Manage risk 

Investors can proactively address potential risks related to reputational concerns and supply chain disruptions by measuring a company's sustainability performance.

Benchmark and compare

Non-rated companies can compare their sustainability performance with that of their rated peers to help set targets and develop strategies for improving their sustainability profile.

Engage stakeholders 

Companies can use a provisional rating to facilitate relationships with stakeholders, position themselves as attractive investments, and enhance their reputation.

Prepare for liquidity events

Banks and corporate advisors executing IPOs or private sales can use the provisional rating to become more informed about the role of ESG ratings in investor assessments. 

How our clients are using Provisional ESG Ratings

Our provisional ratings are designed to help not only companies, but a range of other clients seeking to gain insights into the sustainability standing of non-rated companies.

Investors in private companies

Investors in private companies can use our assessments to compare non-rated issuers to rated peers in their portfolio to better understand their strengths and weaknesses related to sustainability risks and opportunities.

Banks and corporate advisors

Banks and corporate advisors can use our provisional ratings to identify potential weaknesses when preparing for liquidity events. They can become more informed about how ESG ratings are used as they prepare to help raise capital during an IPO or a private sale. The provisional ratings can help their clients raise their sustainability profiles and make their decision-making process more transparent to investors.

General Partners

General Partners can use our provisional ratings to compare non-rated companies to public companies in our standard ratings coverage. They can take steps to better position a portfolio company to withstand sustainability-related challenges to protect their investment.

Research and resources

MSCI ESG Ratings and Cost of Capital

ESG Ratings: Measure financially relevant sustainabilty risks

Understanding Institutional Investors’ perspective on ESG Ratings

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Frequently paired products

Second-Party Opinions

Inform investors whether financing aligns with key sustainability standards.

Sustainability-Linked Financing

Use MSCI ESG Ratings to lower financing costs.

Corporate Sustainability Insights

Gain in-depth insight into your company’s MSCI ESG rating.

1 MSCI ESG Provisional Ratings sometimes utilize different data for, and are not indicative of, any subsequent MSCI ESG Rating of the issuer, nor does it have any effect or impact on MSCI’s standard ESG research, ESG ratings, or any MSCI ESG Index. Provisional Ratings are only valid for a contracted period of time and are no longer valid if MSCI publishes an ESG Rating for the issuer as part of its standard coverage.