Taking Inventory of the Ratings Universe

kristyReforming Global Finance, SRI/ESG News

RATE THE RATERS, PHASE TWO
Today SustainAbility releases phase two in our four-part research initiative Rate the Raters. For phase two we inventoried over 100 sustainability ratings and their attributes, and surveyed over 1000 sustainability professionals on their perceptions of ratings.

Our analysis identified a number of key findings. For example:

The Only Constant is Change – Of the 108 ratings in the inventory, only 21 existed in 2000, which suggests that, of the ratings most prominent today, the vast majority have emerged within the last ten years.
Responsiveness Trumps Performance – More than 60% of the ratings in the inventory depend wholly or in part on information submitted directly to ratings organizations, thereby rewarding companies with the greatest capacity to respond to ratings requests rather than those with the best performance.
For more detail on these and our other key findings:
Watch our video briefing | Download phase two white paper

The phase one white paper for Rate the Raters – which reviewed the evolution and current state of sustainability ratings – is also available in our Library:
Download phase one white paper

OTHER RECENT THINKING ON RATINGS AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Below are other recent insights on accountability. To keep abreast of what’s next on the road to sustainability and the implications for business, join us on Twitter orFacebook, or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Now Is the Time to Get Ratings Right – Ratings are being taken more seriously. While this is good news, it means it’s more important than ever that we get ratings right. | Read more
Experts Weigh in on Future of Accountability – Highlights from the most recent results in GlobeScan and SustainAbility’s The Sustainability SurveyResearch Program | Read more
Open.com – Why corporate sustainability strategists must usher in a new era of collaborative reporting and open data. | Read more

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