ESG screening

The SIGWATCH data set, based on objectively harvesting the comments and opinions of thousands of NGOs updated in real time, is a uniquely powerful tool for enhancing ESG (environmental and social governance) screening and ensuring it is based on information that is reliable, accurate, and up to date. 

It overcomes one of the biggest weaknesses of current ESG screening, which is the near total reliance on corporate self-reporting or indexes based on this information. NGOs provide the only continuous generator of independent and informed commentary about companies with which investors can counter-balance corporate spin.

Second, as NGOs are often willing to praise companies which take their concerns seriously and reform their behavior, information which we also capture, SIGWATCH can help discerning investors to pick out the ESG winners, as well as screen out the laggards.

• NGO criticism and praise for each corporate entity and parent is calculated for each NGO action as a rating score, using a proprietary scoring system.
• Scores accumulated over time reveal companies attracting more or less criticism or praise than their peers.
• Scores also calculated by issue, so a company can be rated not only on its total score but also on any one of up to 1,000 issues, which can be clustered according to standard categories such as SDGs or the customer’s preferred ESG taxonomy.
• Corporate ESG scores and associated data can be supplied in bulk though FTP or API transfer arrangements.