Methodology | ESG-SCORE.org

One score that says all

How can a multi-facetted issue, the sustainability of a product, be expressed in a simple numeric value? This is the question everyone asks. Here comes the long and detailed answer. Every two weeks, we publish updated leaderboards in which products are sorted by sustainability based on their ESG Score, which is calculated with category-specific scoring criteria applied to product-specific sustainability data.

How we determine the ESG Score

Attribute points to products

Points are attributed by applying the category specific scoring criteria to the products' sustainability data profiles.

Identify the highest point sum

For each category the highest achieved point sum among the products is identified.

Derive the ESG Score

The ESG Score for each product is derived from the percentage of the product's point sum compared to the highest point sum of the category.

The product's point sum equals to 27% of the highest point sum

The product's point sum equals to 56% of the highest point sum

The product's point sum equals to 100% of the highest point sum

Please note: The color code of our labeling shows the top third ESG Scores as green, the middle third as yellow, and the lowest third as red.

Transparent, Independant, Neutral

Both, category-specific scoring criteria and product-specific sustainability data are published on fully transparent scoring profile pages.
ESG Score does not take any money from manufacturers and therefore has no conflict of interest when assessing their products. Our revenue comes from subscription fees paid by buyers and retailers who use our data to support better-informed purchasing decisions.
Our scoring system is open. Manufacturers can register for free at esg-datahub.org to review the data already collected on their products, correct it where necessary, and complete any missing information. The process is product-neutral and non-discriminatory.
To protect the integrity of the scoring system, our terms of use include a dedicated procedure for handling violations and applying proportionate sanctions if manufacturers provide incorrect or misleading data.

ESG Score

ESG Score 100 and rank 1 can result from being the least bad product without being absolutely sustainable. This best-in-class approach has been chosen after intense discussions with independent experts and leading institutes.

HOW WE DERIVE AND MAINTAIN SCORING CRITERIA

Research and Capture Standards

For each new product category, we research and digitally capture category-specific certification requirements from high-standard ecolabels and sustainable procurement guidelines.

Map Criteria to the ESG Score Master Catalog

We break down the captured standards into elementary criteria and map them to the ESG Score master catalog. When a relevant criterion is not yet included, we add it to the catalog.

Select and Weight Criteria Through Materiality Analysis

For each product category, we assess the collected criteria through a materiality analysis to determine which criteria are used in ESG Score calculations and how they are weighted.

Review and Calibrate Criteria with Experts

We invite category experts from governmental and non-governmental organizations to review the criteria selection. Their feedback helps us refine the criteria and calibrate the weighting.

See actual criteria

The science behind ESG Score