ESG Data

ESG Data for Better Decision-Making

AlphaSense allows you to extract ESG insights from qualitative documents for over 11,000 companies globally, with documents dating back from 2017. These reports are available to all clients and touch on various environmental, social, and governance considerations.

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FAQs

ESG Data Overview

ESG data encompasses a broad range of environmental, social, and corporate governance considerations. Companies voluntarily release ESG reports to highlight their performance on various issues, or adherence to specific sustainability reporting guidelines and benchmarks, such as the GRI (Global Reporting Index) Standards or the UNGC (United Nations Global Compact).

ESG reports increase accountability and transparency for companies, which helps with attracting and retaining customers and investors, as well as helps companies mitigate risk, identify new opportunities, and take actionable steps toward a more sustainable and equitable future.

What’s in ESG Data?

ESG reports and presentations are voluntary, so data within may vary from company to company.

Topics included in ESG reports include:

Environmental – Includes information on environmental risk and opportunities, i.e. carbon emissions, natural resources, waste and toxicity, pollution, unsustainable practices, resource depletion, energy resources, supply chain, product sustainability, and actions that promote or combat climate change.

Social – Includes information on human rights and equity practices, i.e. labor policies, health and safety policies, community relations, product safety, data security, social cohesion and stability, employment levels, diversity, child or slave labor, and infrastructure.

Governance – Includes information on decision-making and board oversight practices, i.e. board structure, compensation or remuneration, stakeholder rights and takeover defenses, audit and risk oversight, tax practices, institutional strength, rule of law, chairman and CEO roles, bribery and corruption, accounting practices, and business ethics.

Types of ESG Reports

Sustainability / Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reports

This is known as a company’s annual sustainability report, or Integrated Annual Report, and is sometimes bundled with EHS, Social, and GRI reports.

These reports may contain:

Disclosures and initiatives related to performance and economic impact
Impact on the local community and environment
Awards and recognitions
Climate change strategy
Sustainable development goals
Sustainability partnerships
Sustainability scorecard
Climate reports
Green bonds

Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Reports

These are topic-specific reports or web pages focused on workforce EHS, and they include:

Standards for and recaps of operating procedures
Workplace safety
Number of workplace incidents
Employee training
Materials safety
Emergency response

Social Reports

These are topic-specific reports or web pages focused on social contribution initiatives that could include:

Volunteer work
Donations
Community development projects

GRI Reports

These reports detail a company’s commitment to Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) Standards, which is a sustainability frameworks many companies use to report their ESG disclosures.

CDP Reports

These are reports put out by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which scores companies based on their environmental impacts and produces a framework for environmental disclosures.

Putting ESG Data to Use

Making Better Investment Decisions

In today’s world, adding ESG stock to an investment portfolio is a surefire way to ensure returns on investment. ESG data is instrumental in screening companies for impact investing and developing a winning ESG investing strategy.

AlphaSense helps financial services professionals evaluate ESG investing opportunities more effectively and efficiently through our vast content universe and advanced AI search technology.

Check out our interactive tour to see how our platform does this in real time.

Identify ESG Risk

ESG data allows investors and companies to assess risks related to environmental impacts, social issues, and governance practices that could affect financial performance and reputation.

Continuous monitoring of ESG indicators can provide early warnings of potential issues, such as environmental violations, labor disputes, or governance scandals, enabling timely intervention. For companies, understanding ESG risks helps ensure compliance with current and upcoming regulations, thereby avoiding fines and legal challenges.

Applying ESG Data for Better Reporting

Companies can use ESG data to enhance transparency and demonstrate accountability to stakeholders by disclosing their ESG performance. Improved ESG reporting fosters better engagement with stakeholders, including investors, customers, and employees, by showcasing the company’s commitment to sustainability and responsible practices.

ESG data can be aligned with reporting frameworks like GRI, SASB, or TCFD, providing standardized and comparable information to investors and regulators.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ESG data?

ESG data refers to information related to a company’s environmental, social, and governance practices, which can impact its performance, reputation, and long-term sustainability.

What are ESG reports and presentations?

ESG reports are documents that companies use to communicate their ESG performance and initiatives to stakeholders, including investors, regulators, and the public. ESG presentations are slide decks, infographics, or general handouts published by public companies’ Investor Relations teams on ESG strategies and initiatives.

What are the benefits of using ESG data?

Benefits of using ESG data include:

Improved investment decision-making
Enhanced risk management
Better regulatory compliance
Increased transparency and stakeholder trust
Identification of sustainable growth opportunities

What is an ESG score?

An ESG score is a numerical representation of a company’s ESG performance, provided by various rating agencies, which helps investors assess the company’s sustainability practices.

What are the best sources for ESG data?

The best sources for ESG data include:

Company disclosures and annual reports
ESG rating agencies (such as MSCI, Sustainalytics)
Regulatory filings
Third-party data providers (such as AlphaSense, Refinitiv, Factset)

How is ESG data used in investment decision-making?

Investors use ESG data to identify companies with sustainable practices, assess potential risks, and evaluate long-term value creation. ESG integration into investment strategies helps in selecting companies that are likely to perform well and manage risks effectively over time.

How does AlphaSense help companies make the most of ESG data?

AlphaSense allows you to spend less time on fruitless research and more time on strategy and analysis. First, we eliminate the need to toggle between multiple websites and sources by aggregating content across the four key perspectives of research into one single platform. These include:

Company documents – includes ESG disclosures and documentations covering 26,000 companies, as well as company filings, press releases, and presentations
Industry analyst reports – includes insights from top Wall Street analyst firms including Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and more
Expert transcripts – includes tens of thousands first-hand perspectives from industry leaders, competitors, former employees, and customers on companies’ ESG strategy and key ESG metrics to consider
Journalist/regulatory news – includes updates from reporting groups such as GRI and 145+ ESG-focused news and trade journals like Climate Wire, ESG Today, and ESG Investor

AlphaSense also provides exclusive insights you won’t find anywhere else by giving access to all the proprietary and premium content you need to effectively conduct your ESG research. With these exclusive sources, you can validate your findings, and back your ESG strategy with crucial Wall Street and industry expert perspectives.

We have two proprietary and premium offerings:

Wall Street Insights® – premier collection of aftermarket research from 1,000+ top global, regional, and boutique contributors, including Goldman Sachs (never before seen in an aftermarket research collection)
Expert Insights – provides instant access to 45,000+ interviews with thought leaders, former executives, partners, customers, and other experts

Finally, our proprietary AI search technology speeds up your time to insight—effectively surfacing the most meaningful information from our vast universe content for your research.

When you search any keyword in the platform, our Smart Synonyms™ technology immediately surfaces all relevant documents, as well as any synonyms of your search term. This feature automatically recognizes variations in language, so you never miss critical information in your search. For instance, searching “ESG” will also yield results for “governance”, “sustainability”, and “environmental”—all of which are pertinent to ESG evaluation.

Try AlphaSense for Free

Whether you are an investor looking to validate your ESG investing strategy, or a company looking to benchmark your ESG performance against your peers, AlphaSense provides you with everything you need to maximize value from ESG data. Combining a vast content universe that contains the four perspectives of research and includes a wealth of critical ESG information with advanced AI search technology, AlphaSense takes your strategy to the next level and helps you get the competitive edge.