Companies are increasingly considering ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors, but the evaluation process can be daunting. While some organizations view this as an essential aspect of their business, some are unsure how to evaluate or track ESG objectives. Others may be new to the concept of ESG entirely.

Below, we’ll explain what exactly ESG is and list some helpful ESG data APIs that businesses can use to help better evaluate and improve ESG factors in their business.

What Is an ESG API?

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. An ESG API, then, allows for the exchange of data related to environmental, social, and governance metrics. These services provide tools and resources that help organizations understand and manage their ESG data, assess their performance, and communicate their results to other organizations.

This data can be used to track and evaluate the impact specific organizations have on society and the environment. The data could also inform investors or support decision-making around sustainability initiatives.

How Do ESG APIs Work?

ESG data is typically collected by research firms, who source it from a company’s public filings, such as its annual report or 10-K. However, some companies choose to make this data available through an API. This allows developers to access the data in a structured format, making it easier to use in applications.

ESG APIs typically use a RESTful interface, meaning that they return data in a format that web applications can easily consume. Developers can access ESG data for a specific company by making a request to the API’s endpoint. The API will then return the data in a JSON format.

ESG Analytics

Image from ESG Analytics

ESG Analytics is an API and web platform offering AI-powered insights to asset managers and investment firms. It’s designed to offer data and analytics to discover opportunities and minimize risks, helping companies to make more informed decisions. Their ESG AI Engine leverages Natural Language Processing to deliver a third-party perspective on company ESG performance.

Features:

• AI-powered ESG engine.
• Aggregation of more than 100.000+ sources and extraction of 1,000,000+ data points to analyse 300,000 signals on a monthly basis.
• Generation of four key scores for 26 ESG categories.
• Portfolio Analysis, Alerts, and Reporting.

ESG Enterprise

The ESG Enterprise data services API offers real-time ESG risk analytics data for over 250,000 companies and 750,000 suppliers worldwide. This data can help organizations make informed decisions about environmental, social, and governance risks. The API is designed to easily integrate into enterprise risk systems, climate models, and websites using REST APIs. ESG Enterprise offers a free plan, but features like Premium Climate Risk Data and Supply Chain HR & Environmental Diligence Data require the Premium package.

Features:

• Research Providers & Corporate Risk Systems.
• Running on edge servers for better performance and speed.
• Support for REST API with JSON data format over a secure network.
• Query by stock symbols, company names, unique IDs, industries, and countries.

MSCI ESG data API

The MSCI ESG data API provides access to over 4,000 ESG data points, including ratings and raw data. With this data, you can make informed decisions about your investments. The API is constantly being updated with new data so that clients always have the most up-to-date information available.

Features:

• ESG Ratings
• Fund Ratings
• Government Ratings
• Business Involvement Screening (BISR)
• Controversies Report
• Accounting and Governance Risk (AGR)
• Carbon & Fossil Fuel

Factset ESG-API

FactSet is a leading provider of financial data and analytical applications for investment professionals. FactSet ESG API is a tool that allows investment professionals to access and analyze environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data. The API provides access to data from various sources, including FactSet’s ESG data products. The FactSet ESG API is a valuable resource for investment professionals interested in incorporating ESG factors into their investment decision-making.

Features:

• Enables users to create customized reports and analyses.
• More than 100,000 data sources in 13 languages.

Sustainalytics ESG Data Services

The Sustainalytics ESG API is a set of web services that enable applications to access Sustainalytics’ ESG data and ratings. The API provides a way to integrate Sustainalytics’ data into third-party applications, such as investment analysis and portfolio management software, using Swagger and OpenAPI. The API is also a platform for developers to create new applications that use Sustainalytics’ data.

Features:

• Automated delivery schedules to develop optimized processes and streamlined data integration.
  *Filtered data points to create custom displays, dashboards, or models to support your end-user experience.
• Secure and stable service with consistent, high-quality data and quality control mechanisms.

Xignite Global ESG-API

The Sustainability Data API offers access to a large set of data for public companies in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. This high-quality dataset is provided and curated by ESG Book and designed to power demanding trading, wealth management, and investment analytics applications. In addition to ESG scores, this API provides Global Compact scores, Involvements data, Temperature scores, and raw Emissions data.

Features:

• More than 9,000 global companies are covered for ESG scores, and over 28,800 are covered for involvement data.
• No human analysts to avoid behavioral biases.
• Transparent score methodology.
• Request many data points of companies with a single API call.
• Supports most of the Security identification by Symbol, CUSIP, ISIN, SEDOL, FIGI, Composite FIGI, CIK, and Valoren.

How You Can Use ESG in Your Business

ESG is not just good for the environment and society — it’s also good for business. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important to consumers, and companies that adopt ESG practices can reap many benefits, including improved reputation, increased customer loyalty, and higher employee engagement. Using ESG in your business can help to make it more sustainable and responsible. This includes reducing your company’s carbon footprint, promoting diversity and inclusion, and adhering to high ethical standards. By doing so, you can improve your business’s bottom line and build trust with your customers and employees.

Final Words

We hope you enjoyed our roundup of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) APIs. Amidst the technological advancements and digital disruptors of today’s business world, ESG has been gaining notoriety for its ability to create more sustainable, responsible, and transparent businesses.