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5 ESG Data Sources You Need to Know in 2023

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data is increasingly becoming an essential part of investment decision-making. ESG data provides insights into a company's sustainability practices and can help investors evaluate risks that traditional financial metrics may not capture. In this document, we will discuss five different kinds of ESG data sources, followed by a discussion of ESG analytics and the importance of AI-based ESG.

1. Corporate Sustainability Reports

Corporate sustainability reports are voluntary disclosures made by companies to provide information about their sustainability practices. These reports provide valuable information on companies' environmental, social, and governance policies, strategies, and performance. Investors can use this data to evaluate a company's commitment to sustainability and its impact on the environment and society. As a ESG Data source, these are rich with information - but come at a cost of infrequent updates (usually once a year) and lack of standardization)

2. Regulators

Regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) require companies to disclose certain ESG-related information. For instance, the SEC requires companies to disclose climate-related risks, which can help investors assess the impact of climate change on a company's operations and financial performance.

3. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

NGOs such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) collect and provide ESG data on companies. NGOs can provide valuable information on a company's environmental impact and social responsibility, such as labor practices and human rights.

4. Social Media

Social media platforms can provide insights into a company's ESG practices. For instance, a company's social media posts can provide information on its sustainability initiatives, community involvement, and employee engagement. This is part of the new wave of alternative ESG data sources which are providing additional ways of

5. ESG Ratings Providers

ESG ratings providers such as MSCI and Sustainalytics provide comprehensive ESG ratings on companies. These ratings evaluate a company's sustainability practices based on various ESG factors, such as carbon emissions, labor practices, and board diversity. Investors can use these ratings to compare companies and make informed investment decisions.

ESG Analytics

ESG analytics is the use of data and analytics to evaluate a company's ESG performance. AI-based ESG analytics uses machine learning algorithms to analyze large amounts of data and generate insights into a company's ESG practices. AI-based ESG analytics can help investors identify ESG risks and opportunities that may not be apparent through traditional financial analysis.

Importance of AI-Based ESG

AI-based ESG analytics is becoming increasingly important for investors. The volume of ESG data is growing rapidly, and AI-based analytics can help investors make sense of this data and identify material ESG risks and opportunities. AI-based ESG analytics can also help investors evaluate the impact of ESG factors on a company's financial performance, providing a more comprehensive view of a company's long-term prospects.

In conclusion, ESG data sources are diverse, and investors can use a combination of these sources to evaluate a company's sustainability practices. ESG analytics, particularly AI-based ESG analytics, is becoming increasingly important for investors as they seek to make informed investment decisions that align with their values and investment goals.

5 ESG Data Sources You Need to Know in 2023

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data is increasingly becoming an essential part of investment decision-making. ESG data provides insights into a company's sustainability practices and can help investors evaluate risks that traditional financial metrics may not capture. In this document, we will discuss five different kinds of ESG data sources, followed by a discussion of ESG analytics and the importance of AI-based ESG.

1. Corporate Sustainability Reports

Corporate sustainability reports are voluntary disclosures made by companies to provide information about their sustainability practices. These reports provide valuable information on companies' environmental, social, and governance policies, strategies, and performance. Investors can use this data to evaluate a company's commitment to sustainability and its impact on the environment and society. As a ESG Data source, these are rich with information - but come at a cost of infrequent updates (usually once a year) and lack of standardization)

2. Regulators

Regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) require companies to disclose certain ESG-related information. For instance, the SEC requires companies to disclose climate-related risks, which can help investors assess the impact of climate change on a company's operations and financial performance.

3. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

NGOs such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) collect and provide ESG data on companies. NGOs can provide valuable information on a company's environmental impact and social responsibility, such as labor practices and human rights.

4. Social Media

Social media platforms can provide insights into a company's ESG practices. For instance, a company's social media posts can provide information on its sustainability initiatives, community involvement, and employee engagement. This is part of the new wave of alternative ESG data sources which are providing additional ways of

5. ESG Ratings Providers

ESG ratings providers such as MSCI and Sustainalytics provide comprehensive ESG ratings on companies. These ratings evaluate a company's sustainability practices based on various ESG factors, such as carbon emissions, labor practices, and board diversity. Investors can use these ratings to compare companies and make informed investment decisions.

ESG Analytics

ESG analytics is the use of data and analytics to evaluate a company's ESG performance. AI-based ESG analytics uses machine learning algorithms to analyze large amounts of data and generate insights into a company's ESG practices. AI-based ESG analytics can help investors identify ESG risks and opportunities that may not be apparent through traditional financial analysis.

Importance of AI-Based ESG

AI-based ESG analytics is becoming increasingly important for investors. The volume of ESG data is growing rapidly, and AI-based analytics can help investors make sense of this data and identify material ESG risks and opportunities. AI-based ESG analytics can also help investors evaluate the impact of ESG factors on a company's financial performance, providing a more comprehensive view of a company's long-term prospects.

In conclusion, ESG data sources are diverse, and investors can use a combination of these sources to evaluate a company's sustainability practices. ESG analytics, particularly AI-based ESG analytics, is becoming increasingly important for investors as they seek to make informed investment decisions that align with their values and investment goals.

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Why is ESG data expensive?

The costs of collecting, analyzing and storing data are not cheap. And unlike financial data, there is no standardized process for determining ESG scores.The complexity of ESG data and the lack of standardization in the process for assessing environmental, social and governance factors also makes it difficult to compare companies on these metrics. Regulators are trying to make ESG information more transparent by mandating that companies disclose them alongside their financials, but this is still materializing globally. Traditional providers such as MSCI or Refinitiv employ armies of analysts to get this data from corporate disclosures (if it exists) and then normalize that data and provide it back to you. This is a very expenive process, with lots of quality control, and importantly - because this data is not disclosed very frequently (companies typically disclose ESG related data annually), there is less incentive to have a continuous subscription to a ESG data feed, along with risk of information leakage. All of this results in very expensive, and limited annual contracts.

Artificial Intelligence is changing the way we create and consume ESG data, which address many of the issues above - but that is a topic for another day.

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