ESG Data – from CSR reporting to investment
analysis and decision making
Tamara Hardegger, Product Manager ESG – ASSET4
Thomson Reuters
tamara.hardegger@thomsonreuters.com
www.asset4.com
About Me
• Background
– MA, Intl Studies, Geneva.
– CSR Cert of Adv Studies
• Thomson Reuters
– 2008: Account Manager, IM &
Corporates, Geneva
– 2010: ESG Specialist, London
– 2012: Product Manager ESG (for
former ASSET4 company)
Thomson Reuters Corp (TRI.N)
• “Leading source of intelligent information”
– B2B, largely subscription based and via electronic media
– Financial, legal, accounting, IP & sciences news
• Financial & Risk (7.4 bn $, 55%) provides investors
and companies with trading, investment and risk
mgmt data and news.
• In Nov `09, Thomson Reuters aquires ESG
information and analytics provider ASSET4.
Our ESG Data collection
Our 130 analysts scan and filter public information, standardizing it and
filling in over 750 data points, which are calculated into 250 relative KPIs
Annual
Reports
Company
Websites
NGO
Websites
Stock Exchange
Filings
CSR
Reports
News
Sources
Publicly sourced and standardized ESG
Data on 4000 companies
4
Data Framework
Default Data Structure
Overall
Company overview
Pillars
Categories
Economic
Environmental
Social
Corporate Governance
 Client Loyalty
 Resource Reduction
 Employment Quality
 Board Structure
 Performance
 Emission Reduction
 Health & Safety
 Compensation Policy
 Shareholders
Loyalty
 Product Innovation
 Training & Develop.
 Board Functions
 Diversity
 Shareholders Rights
 Human Rights
 Vision and Strategy
 Community
 Product Responsibility
Indicators
Data
Points
250 indicators (calculated from data point values)
> 750 data points
Link to public data sources (Raw Data)
Examples
• Percentage of women managers
• Shareholder Rights Policy compliance
• The total compensation package of the senior executive.
• Total CO2 and CO2 equivalents emission in tonnes
• Total direct and indirect energy consumption in gigajoules.
• Number of full- and part-time employees.
• Percentage of women employees.
• Total salaries and benefit expenses (staff cost).
• Research and development costs.
• Does the company make donations in cash or in kind?
• Total training costs from all the training performed by all employees.
Challenges
• Reporting Standards: No mandatory standards yet,
slowly emerging
• Data availability: Offer & Demand not in line
• Sustainability Ratings: How to measure
sustainability? Which indicators to choose?
My day job: Integrating ESG DATA
How to make ESG data accessible and interesting
for ten-thousands of mainstream Investment
Management users of our financial information
platforms?
My day job: Integrating ESG Data
How to make ESG data accessible and interesting
for ten-thousands of mainstream Investment
Management users of our financial information
platforms?
How is ESG data used and integrated?
Example of typical IM workflow
Research:
Definition of
KPIs based
on customer
demand &
materiality
Creation of
customized
ratings and
models in
our platform
Analysis /
Screening
via direct
data load
into Excel
and
creation of
custom
reports
New „ESG
compliant“
universe of
stocks defined.
Distribution of
rating reports
internally and to
customers (asset
owners)
Viewing, analysing and configuring indicators
and screens (ratings)
Company ESG view (model)
Sector Comparison
13
Sector Comparison
14
Charting
15
Women in the workplace
16
Women in the workplace
• We are starting to have enough data history only now.
• Result: Companies are doing more to track and quantify
the number of women they employ. Progress is slow, but
in the right direction. European companies disclose more
but perform worse than their US counterparts.
• Companies with > 20% women outperform!
• Ebook: http://updates.thomsonreuters.com/ebook/#0