Resources for issuers - intro copy

MSCI is one of the largest providers of ESG and Climate research that empowers investors to make better investment decisions. We are proud to work with over 2,650 clients1 worldwide including leading pension funds, asset managers, consultants, advisers, banks and insurers. More than $700 billion USD in institutional, retail and exchange-traded funds are benchmarked to MSCI ESG & Climate Equity Indexes.2

This page is designed to support the companies, including both equity and fixed income issuers, that receive an ESG assessment from MSCI ESG Research, and are looking to learn more about the ESG and Climate assessments on their company.

We absorb a significant amount of data as a part of our in-house research process – including company-disclosed data via our dedicated online platforms for issuers: MSCI ONE and our ESG Issuer Communications Portal (ICP), which is now embedded within MSCI ONE. For issuers, we recognize the importance of being able to review the data inputs that flow into our ESG and Climate assessments, which is why we value these feedback exchange opportunities, available to all issuers free of charge.

MSCI ESG Research is committed to transparency, independence, consistency, and traceability with issuers in our coverage universe.

Our Procedures of Engagement with Rated Entities outline how we put these commitments into practice. In order to protect the independence and integrity of our research and maintain a high standard for quality, we operate with an internal firewall to separate any real or perceived commercial interests from our interactions with issuers. As such, our Issuer Communications team, which can be reached at esgissuercomm@msci.com, is our main point of contact for all issuers; client-facing personnel are prohibited from commenting on, or attempting to influence, these processes in any way.


Resources for issuers - commitments

  • Independence

    No advisory or consulting services on how to improve an ESG Rating.

  • Consistency

    Standard data review process for all issuers.

  • Traceability

    Use of publicly available data and information.

  • Transparency

    Issuers can access their data and reports at no cost.

 


Resources for issuers - Expand your knowledge

Expand your knowledge

Leverage the publicly available ESG Ratings and ESG Controversies methodologies – and, for rated corporate issuers in our coverage, the MSCI ESG Issuer Academy – to expand your knowledge of MSCI ESG and Climate assessments and processes.

  • ESG Issuer Academy

    Customize your learning experience and find answers to common questions through our interactive knowledge hub, available at no charge for rated corporate issuers.

  • ESG Ratings Methodology

    Dive into the ESG Ratings Methodology, which covers our processes and the details of the ESG Key Issues relevant to your industry.

  • ESG Controversies & Global Norms Methodology

    Understand how controversies are assessed, how they factor into ESG Ratings, what our analysts investigate and more.

  • Implied Temperature Rise

    Learn more about ITR, a forward-looking metric designed to show the temperature alignment of companies, portfolios and funds with global temperature goals.

 


Resources for issuers - take action

Take action

Rated issuers can review and provide optional feedback on their data at any time throughout the year with support from these resources. We only use publicly available information as part of our independent assessment process. We take seriously our commitment to handling our issuers’ contact information with care, and we make reasonable efforts to source this contact information from publicly available sources. Additionally, issuers can update their contacts via our online issuer portal and by reaching out to esgissuercomm@msci.com. In order to maintain our internal firewall between our issuer and commercial functions, we do not share issuer contacts with other parties.

 


Resources for issuers - explore

Explore the ESG & Climate landscape

Explore our research and insights to learn more about ESG & Climate investing, how material issues are determined, how companies are tackling net-zero target setting, and how it all fits into the broader conversation.

  • The Case for ESG

    Global sustainability challenges are forcing investors to reevaluate investment approaches. We can help you grasp the evolving requirements of ESG investing.

  • ESG Industry Materiality Map

    Dissect the Key Issues our analysts assess for companies across Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS®)4 sectors and sub-industries.

  • ESG Ratings & Climate Search Tool

    Compare the Implied Temperature Rise, Decarbonization Targets, ESG Ratings and Key Issues of over 2,900 companies with our ESG Ratings & Climate Search Tool.

  • Benchmarking and Corporate Solutions

    MSCI ESG Research provides data and insights to companies seeking to understand and manage their ESG and climate exposures and risks.

 


Resources for issuers - additional resources

Additional resources

Request your ESG Ratings Badge, explore MSCI ESG & Climate indexes and read about GICS, green bonds and more.

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How MSCI climate tools can help drive corporate sustainability goals (Case Study)
(PDF, 3.38 MB) (opens in a new tab)

As a firm, we continually seek ways to maximize progress toward our sustainability goals. We relied on our climate data and forward-looking tools like Climate VaR and ITR to set a baseline and chart the steps to achieve our goals.

ESG Ratings Badge

Need to download your ESG Ratings Badge? Simply complete the online form and agree to the Terms & Conditions.

MSCI ESG & Climate Indexes

More than 1,500 equity and fixed income ESG & Climate indexes3 utilize our award-winning ESG data and ratings on thousands of companies worldwide.

Global Industry Classification System (PDF, 173 KB) (opens in a new tab)

Learn more about GICS, the hierarchical industry classification system widely accepted across the financial landscape.

Green Bonds (PDF, 298 KB) (opens in a new tab)

Gain insight into MSCI’s green bond indices with these Green Bond and Green Loan Assessment FAQs.

Request your ESG and Climate index badge

ESG and Climate Index Badge

Apply for your ESG and Climate Index Badge if you are a constituent in our flagship ESG and Climate indexes. Simply complete the online form and agree to the Terms and Conditions.

 


Resources for issuers - related content

Resources for issuers - footnotes

1To calculate the number of clients, we use the shipping address of the ultimate customer utilizing the product, which counts affiliates, user locations or business units within a single organization as separate clients; As of December 2021.

2Data as of 31st March 2022, based on eVestment for Institutional funds, Morningstar for Retail funds and Refinitiv Universe for ETFs .

3ESG data, research and ratings are produced by MSCI ESG Research LLC and are used as an input to the MSCI ESG indexes, calculated by MSCI, Inc.

4GICS is the global industry classification standard jointly developed by MSCI and S&P Global Market Intelligence.