Agenturprofil oekom research AG


Research 1. Companies

According to oekom the necessary rating information are enquired from the following sources

from inside the company:

annual, environmental, social reports
interviews

from outside the company:

internet and databank research
media-screening
enquiries at external experts and professional organisations

oekom research generates a preliminary rating based on publicly accessible documents, which is made available to the companies for comment and supplementation. The final evaluation considers furthermore the external research results. oekom research's rating is devided into the areas "environment" and "social and cultural aspects". The company surveys altogether approximately 200 aspects. The area "environment" is analysed through the survey of the company's environmental management, ecological efficiency, ecological aspects of services and products. Concerning "social and cultural aspects" oekom research enquires about the management system, the relationships to employees and external stakeholders.

2. Countries

Working closely with experts from the science and research fields, oekom research selected 150 indicators. With the aid of these indicators, the institutional framework and the performance of a country in the environmental and social area are assessed. About 50 organisations, institutions and NGOs provide oekom research with the comprehensive information for the Country Rating. Some of them are:  amnesty international, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, OECD, Transparency International, UN Development Program, etc.

Criteria 1. Companies

The Corporate Responsibility Rating contains the Social Cultural Rating and the Environmental Rating. Both areas have an equal share in the overall evaluation.

Environmental Rating
The research methodology requires a division into three different areas: environmental management, product and service development, and eco-efficiency. In the area of "environmental management" oekom evaluates aspects like company mission statement and overall company goals, eco-balance, corporate controlling, and reporting. In the area "product and service development" oekom research analyses e.g. measures regarding longevity of products, reduction of emissions and material use, avoidance of materials hazardous to the environment. The "eco-efficiency" is measured through e.g. energy consumption or the amount of waste. It is used to generate environmental key data.

Social Cultural Rating
Besides the Environmental Rating the Social Cultural Rating constitutes the second component of the Corporate Responsibility Rating. The Social Cultural Rating requires a division into a social rating and a cultural rating. According to oekom research the social rating evaluates the responsibility of companies towards people influenced by the company's activities. The cultural rating shall represent the responsibility towards society and culture. The social rating consists of the research fields "employee relations" and "management system". The relations between the employees and the company are measured using criteria like job security, working hours and wage compensation. The field "management system" is measured by the presence of corporate mission, audits, workers participation, and reporting. The field is included in both the social and cultural rating. The relations to external stakeholders are determined through customer relations, state and community, suppliers but also the international activities.


2. Countries

150 indicators assess the institutional framework and the performance of a country in the environmental and social area.

Environmental Rating
· Institutional Capacity & Politics: institutions, political program, international treaties
· Environmental Systems: soil and land use, water, bio diversity
· Environmental Stresses: soil constraints, water constraints, bio diversity, air emissions, energy, waste


Social Rating
· Institutional Capacity & Politics: political system & basic rights, international treaties,  public expenditure, non-governmental institutions, political stability, corruption & money laundering
· Human & Social Conditions: equal rights, health, education, employment & income, personal safety
· Infrastructure: basic infrastructure, medical facilities, educational facilities, access to information flows


Ranking- / Rating-
System		 1. Companies

Environmental Rating
The weighting of the three research fields constituting the Environmental Rating varies depending on the company's area of business. An industry is assessed with the help of experts. The assessment considers on the one hand the environmental impact of the products and services and on the other hand the environmental impact of the production. Both aspects are ranked small, medium or high, resulting in a 3x3 matrix. This matrix is then used to assign the industries to five categories.

The weighting is done on the basis of the industry assessment, depending on whether the environmental burden is caused predominantly by the products or by the production.

The survey of eco-efficiency is done by calculating environmental key data. The reference value is the turnover or other output measures like the number of goods produced. Each key figure is evaluated not according to its absolute value but according to the trend during the last three years. The observation of the key data development allows the assessment whether it is a one-time positive or negative effect or whether it represents the companies long-term efforts to improve the environmental performance.
The result of the Environmental Rating is given by a letter rating the company activities (A+ through D-),and by a roman number indicating the business area (I through V).

Social Cultural Rating
The research areas are evaluated individually. The area management is weighted with 20%, employees and external stakeholders are weighted 40% each. Within these research fields the weighting of the individual criteria can vary. As in the case of the Environmental Rating the social and cultural rating is also completed with an overall rating ranging from A+ to D-.

In both ratings, environmental and social cultural, the actual evaluation of a company's activities is expressed by a twelve-step scale from A+ to D-. Along this rating a ranking is given comparing the companies to their competitors in order to identify industry leaders. For orientation the rank within the industry is given as an Arabic number. oekom research publishes industry reports in order to evaluate complete industries. These reports compare compiled environmental and social cultural company ratings. Industry specific environmental problems are pointed out.


2. Countries

The 150 single criteria of the Country Rating lead to an overall result that amounts to a maximum of 100%. The following weightings are applied:

Environmental Rating
· Institutional Capacity & Politics: 10%
· Environmental Systems: 20%
· Environmental Stresses: 70%

Social Rating
· Institutional Capacity & Politics: 40%
· Human & Social Conditions: 40%
· Infrastructure: 20%

Quality Management oekom performs the following activities to assure the quality of information accumulation and the evaluation process:

Industry specific rating-handbooks have been compiled. These determine the evaluation of each criteria by the analysts based on evaluation guidelines.
In cooperation with the project group "ethical ecological rating" of the University of Frankfurt. oekom research has developed a comprehensive quality standard for sustainability ratings which is further defined in cooperation with "Rating Cert". This standard follows the principles for company ratings by "Rating Cert". oekom research is committed to comply with these standards and will be tested in this regard by an independent agency.
 


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