RobecoSAM Makes Corporate Sustainability Rankings Public on Bloomberg Professional Service
September 20, 2016 /3BL Media/ - RobecoSAM, the investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing (SI), and Bloomberg, the leading data provider for business and financial information, news and analytics, published the percentile rankings of almost 2000 companies on the Bloomberg Professional service today. These percentile rankings come from RobecoSAM’s 2016 Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), the research backbone for the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. The data will be available across a number of the Bloomberg Professional service’s investment tools, supporting company, industry and portfolio analysis, including ESG <GO> - the new company ESG analysis page.
RobecoSAM becomes the first company to offer a complete ESG company ranking dataset to mainstream investors through the Bloomberg Professional service. This move supports RobecoSAM’s mission to drive sustainable thinking in financial markets and to increase non-financial disclosure amongst corporates. The information provides investors with an overview of the ESG performance of a company compared to its industry peers while safeguarding the confidentiality of information between RobecoSAM and the assessed companies.
RobecoSAM will also publish a selection of blank versions of some industry-specific questionnaires in order to provide Bloomberg Professional service users a deeper understanding of the methodology used to collect the information. Additional research, such as methodology research and guidance, will also be published on a separate page (RSAM <GO>) to ensure that Bloomberg Professional service customers understand the context in which the percentile ranks are being calculated.
Daniel Wild, PhD, Head of SI Research & Development, Member of the Executive Committee, RobecoSAM: “This is a turning point in the sustainable investment industry and a unique opportunity to share current information from one of the world’s longest running and most comprehensive databases of corporate sustainability information with the wider investor community. It will give investors and companies a basis for engagement and discussion, and will drive improvements in corporate sustainability disclosure and strategy. Companies have one more good reason to participate in our CSA and showcase their ESG performance.”
Barbara Pomfret, ESG Product Manager, Bloomberg: “By integrating the percentile rankings of RobecoSAM's 2016 Corporate Sustainability Assessment, Bloomberg is further increasing the availability of ESG-related (environmental, social and governance) data for its Bloomberg Professional users. RobecoSAM's ranking on the Bloomberg Terminal will help financial professionals consider relevant ESG data into their decision-making. This provides users with greater transparency around a company's ESG performance.”
Companies Support the Transparency
A majority of assessed companies support the decision to publish the sustainability results, according to a RobecoSAM survey conducted last fall. By sharing selected results, RobecoSAM improves transparency in the ESG scoring industry and enables the comparison of its results with other ESG research and among industry peers. The collaboration with Bloomberg provides companies a unique platform to showcase their sustainability performance to the global investment community and demonstrate that they belong to a leading group of companies within their industry, if they perform well.
RobecoSAM’s approach to measuring corporate sustainability
The CSA focuses on long-term value creation, with more than 100 questions on a company’s economic, environmental, social and corporate governance practices in 60 industry-specific questionnaires. Over half of all questions are industry-specific as RobecoSAM is convinced that industry-specific sustainability risks and opportunities play a key role in a firm’s long-term success. The other half includes questions on general sustainability issues such as corporate governance, environmental policy and human capital development.
Participating in the RobecoSAM CSA, the most widely recognized sustainability assessment according to the “Rate the Raters” study, is the first step for companies to be included in iconic indices like the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) or to be considered for inclusion into new products for investors, such as the recently launched S&P 500 ESG, S&P Europe 350 ESG, S&P Topix 150 ESG, S&P Global 1200 ESG and S&P Long-Term Value Creation Index.
Publicly available information on how we assess and rate companies can be found here: http://www.robecosam.com/csa
RobecoSAM’s Information Policy
We welcome media requests and strive to answer all queries quickly and thoroughly. While we are open to answer questions on general methodology and approach, our data protection policy does not allow us to discuss findings about individual companies except with the firm’s own representatives . Additionally and in line with our Use of Information Policy, RobecoSAM does not share underlying data collected in the Corporate Sustainability Assessment with third-parties.
###
For additional information, please contact:
RobecoSAM AG Bloomberg Bloomberg
François Vetri Veronika Henze Anna Schoeffler
Head of Corporate Communications Corporate Communications EMEA Corporate Communications
Josefstrasse 218 731 Lexington Avenue 39-45 Finsbury Square
8005 Zurich / Switzerland New York 10022, United States London EC2A 1PQ, London
T: +41 44 653 10 02 T: +1 646 324 1596 T: +44 20 3525 0776
E: com@robecosam.com E: vhenze@bloomberg.net E: aschoeffler1@bloomberg.net
www.robecosam.com www.bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com
Follow us on LinkedIn und Twitter. Follow us on LinkedIn und Twitter
About RobecoSAM
Founded in 1995, RobecoSAM is an investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing. It offers asset management, indices, impact analysis and investing, engagement, voting, sustainability assessments, and benchmarking services. Asset management capabilities cater to institutional asset owners and financial intermediaries and cover a range of ESG-integrated investments (in public and private equity), featuring a strong track record in resource efficiency themed strategies. Together with S&P Dow Jones Indices, RobecoSAM publishes the globally recognized Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). Based on its Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), an annual ESG analysis of over 3,800 listed companies, RobecoSAM has compiled one of the world’s most comprehensive databases of financially material sustainability information. The data of the CSA is also included in USD 87.3 billion of assets under management by the subsidiaries of the Robeco Group.
RobecoSAM is a sister company of Robeco, the Dutch investment management firm founded in 1929. Both entities are subsidiaries of the Robeco Group, whose majority shareholder is ORIX Corporation. As a reflection of its own commitment to advocating sustainable investment practices, RobecoSAM is a signatory of the UNPRI and a member of Eurosif, ASrIA and Ceres. Approximately 130 professionals work for RobecoSAM, which is headquartered in Zurich. As of June 30, 2016, RobecoSAM had assets under management, advice and/or license in listed and private equity* of approximately USD 10.8 billion. Additionally, RobecoSAM’s Governance & Active Ownership team** had USD 226 billion of assets under engagement and USD 53 billion of assets under voting.
About Bloomberg
Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. The company’s strength – delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology, quickly and accurately – is at the core of the Bloomberg Professional service. Bloomberg’s enterprise solutions build on the company’s core strength: leveraging technology to allow customers to access, integrate, distribute and manage data and information across organizations more efficiently and effectively.
Important legal information: The details given on these pages do not constitute an offer. They are given for information purposes only. No liability is assumed for the correctness and accuracy of the details given. The securities identified and described may or may not be purchased, sold or recommended for advisory clients. It should not be assumed that an investment in these securities was or will be profitable. *RobecoSAM Private Equity is the marketing name of the combined private equity divisions of Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. (“Robeco”) and RobecoSAM. Any funds or services offered by RobecoSAM Private Equity are managed and offered by Robeco, who may have delegated certain investment advisory functions to RobecoSAM. **RobecoSAM’s Governance & Active Ownership team is a brand name of Robeco. RobecoSAM USA Inc. is an investment adviser registered in the US. RobecoSAM USA, 909 Third Avenue, New York, NY. 10022. Contact: Neil Johnson. +1 212-908-9768. Copyright © 2016 RobecoSAM – all rights reserved.
