The first score release for the 2024 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) will occur on Friday, August 16 and thereafter continue daily, on a rolling basis (see CSA timeline).
Companies are shown their target score release period when selecting a participation window, or when adjusting their submission deadline, directly in the CSA Portal. Depending on our capacity, some companies may be able to receive their scores earlier than anticipated. In rare cases, a score release may be delayed due to our internal audit process, or if a company’s submission needs further clarification.
Will my company receive a notification before the score release?
S&P Global will notify companies by email one week in advance to confirm their score release date, with the exception of: (1) Companies that are eligible for any Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), and that submitted in time to have their participation based score considered for the 2024 index rebalancing, will have their participation based 2024 Score published in the CSA Portal by November 8 at the latest (even if we are not able to provide one week’s notice); and (2) instances of corporate controversies where, as a result of the Media and Stakeholder Analysis (MSA), the company’s 2024 score reflecting the MSA case review will be published as soon as the case review is completed. In both cases, S&P Global aims to notify companies that fall under this exception as early as possible.
Once released, scores are available in the "Benchmarking" tab in the CSA Portal. This is our proprietary Benchmarking Database which allows companies to view and understand their sustainability performance in relation to their industry peers. A customized peer group is available if subscribed to a paid version of the Benchmarking Database.
The daily publication of scores reduces the waiting time for companies that submitted their CSA earlier in the year. However, it also means that only a subset of invited companies have their 2024 CSA Scores available in the Benchmarking Database, especially at the beginning of the Score release cycle. The number of companies with a 2024 CSA Score will continue to increase until all scoring is complete in March 2025. In the meantime, for companies that do not yet have an updated 2024 CSA Score the Benchmarking Database will display their 2023 CSA Score by default. This can be adjusted by the user to display only 2024 scores.
The provision of results while only a subset of all invited companies has been assessed is meant to provide companies with timely insights into their performance, which is useful for internal results review (as opposed to external benchmarking).
For the purposes of external benchmarking, we suggest the following key dates:
November 8, 2024: Date by which all DJSI invited companies and most companies invited for other S&P ESG Indices will be assessed.
December 13, 2024: The annual rebalancing of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) (if your company is eligible for inclusion).
Early February 2025: Release of the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook, providing distinctions to top performing companies that received a 2024 CSA Score by the end of December 2024.
How to use the Benchmarking Database.
- How can I benchmark my company’s performance if all scores are not yet updated?
- Why does the Benchmarking Database now contain a mix of 2023 and 2024 CSA Scores?
- How can I communicate my company’s performance with on-going score releases?
- How can I benchmark against the same peer group as in past years?
- When will the 2024 CSA Scores be publicly available?
- Can I infer DJSI membership based on my company’s industry position in the Benchmarking Database before DJSI membership updates are officially announced?
- Why can my company’s percentile rank change without a change to my company’s CSA Score?
How can I benchmark my company’s performance if all scores are not yet updated?
The default view of the “Benchmarking” tab in the CSA Portal contains the CSA Scores overview table for your company for the given participation year. The table provides question-level scores, as well as additional statistics (for example: Percentile Rank, Average Score, Best Score, etc.). These statistics are specific to the CSA-assigned industry or selected peer group (option available with an upgraded version of the Benchmarking Database).
Upgrades to the Basic version of the Benchmarking Database are available. They allow companies to apply additional filters to create their own measures for performance comparison across regions, industries, and investment benchmarks. Visit our dedicated page for more information on the Benchmarking Database functionalities and upgrades.
Companies can easily identify the share of companies with a 2024 CSA Score already available, and those for which the benchmarking statistics still rely on 2023 CSA Scores.
The following screenshots provide details on the functionality that allows companies to understand their benchmarking universe. (The numbered list below corresponds to the numbered points in the screenshots).
- Selecting the "Base Year" (e.g. 2024) determines the universe of companies that your company is benchmarked against. It refers to all companies invited to be assessed in a given Methodology Year (April to March).[1]
- Identify the share of companies in the selected industry/peer group for which Base Year CSA Scores will be available, and for those which CSA Scores from the previous year will be included in the analysis. Important: the share of CSA Scores available for the Base Year and Previous Year might not add up to 100% if there are companies that were not invited in prior years and therefore do not yet have a CSA Score.[2] Additionally, some companies may have undergone an industry change after the 2023 CSA, as a result of which their 2024 CSA Scores will only be visible in their new industry category.
- Identify how many companies are in your selected industry/peer group based on the filters applied.
- Select to exclude CSA Scores from previous assessment years to view only those companies in your industry/peer group with Base Year CSA Scores.
Screenshot 1 – Filtering in the Benchmarking Database in the CSA Portal.
- Clicking on any line with a carrot icon in the overview table will open a detailed view of scores for your peer group. Companies for which only scores from the previous year are still available will appear greyed out.
Screenshot 2 – Display of companies with Base Year scores and Previous Year scores in the overview table.
You can visit our dedicated page to find more information about the Benchmarking Database functionalities and upgrades.
Why does the Benchmarking Database now contain a mix of 2023 and 2024 CSA Scores?
To publish the CSA Scores as early as possible and still provide meaningful benchmarking, especially with regards to a company’s Percentile Rank and Average Peer Group Scores, we use a company’s 2023 CSA Score (where available) as the best possible estimate for their 2024 CSA Score, if not yet published.
The temporary mix of 2023 and 2024 CSA Scores allows us to:
- Make the 2024 CSA Scores available sooner to companies that completed the CSA earlier.
- Avoid waiting for all companies in the current CSA methodology year (April to March) to be assessed to publish a functional percentile ranking.
Users need to keep in mind that the CSA methodology is updated every year and CSA Scores from different years are not fully comparable, especially at the total or dimension level.
How can I communicate my company’s performance with ongoing score releases?
We encourage companies to share their CSA results with stakeholders.
Scores are available in the “Benchmarking” tab in the CSA Portal. This is our proprietary Benchmarking Database, which allows companies to view and understand their sustainability performance in relation to their industry and/or a customized peer group (if subscribed to a paid version of the Benchmarking Database).
For the purposes of external benchmarking we suggest the following key dates:
November 8, 2024: Date by which all DJSI invited companies and most companies invited for other S&P ESG Indices will be assessed.
December 13, 2024: The annual rebalancing of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) (if your company is eligible for inclusion).
Early February 2025: Release of the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook, providing distinctions to top performing companies that received a 2024 CSA Score by the end of December 2024.
General Guidance for External Communication
To ensure compliance with S&P Global’s communication standards, please follow these guidelines. Be advised that we do not review or approve press releases or comment on communication plans.
- Score Graphic. Companies whose scores are published will receive a Score Graphic emblem to communicate their S&P Global 2024 CSA Score. Use of the emblem implies that you agree to the S&P Global Logo Guidelines with CSA Score Inclusion.
- Include the score release date in all communication. This is required as your CSA Score might change after its initial publication, for example because of a corporate controversy.
- Statements related to your company’s position should only be communicated when all relevant companies in your selected peer group have their 2024 CSA Scores. See samples in the section titled 'Sample Statements' within this tutorial.
- Do not use comparative rankings or refer to other companies, e.g.: “our company score is X points better than company Y.”
- Do not infer membership in any Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) based on your score or relative position. DJSI Membership is decided by S&P Dow Jones Indices and communicated separately to all eligible companies as applicable.
Communicating Industry Rankings
A company’s industry specific percentile rank is calculated against a Base Year universe of companies in that industry. This universe consists of about 13,000 invited companies across all industries.[3]
For companies that do not yet have an updated 2024 CSA Score, the Benchmarking Database will display their 2023 CSA Score (if available). We use a company’s 2023 CSA Score as the best available estimate[4] for their 2024 CSA Score, if it is not yet available. As additional companies receive a 2024 CSA Score over the course of the year, a company’s percentile rank may change if newly scored companies perform better.
As companies have the flexibility to pick a participation window, S&P Global has no influence over when companies submit their 2024 CSA, and as a result, when the results become available.
The Benchmarking Database provides transparent insight into the percent of companies in each industry that have been scored against the 2024 CSA and for which a 2023 score is still used.
It is at the company’s discretion to determine if its benchmarking universe is sufficiently complete to issue a public statement about it's relative industry position.
Companies are also free to refer to the anchor dates mentioned above for external benchmarking and communication purposes.
S&P Global CSA Score Graphic
Every year, we provide an updated graphic for companies to showcase their CSA achievements in their annual reports and social media. Download your CSA Score graphic to be used in line with the S&P Global Logo Guidelines with CSA Score Inclusion.
Social Media
Follow S&P Global on X (formerly Twitter) and the S&P Global CSA LinkedIn page for all the latest posts and to amplify our campaign across your company’s own social media channels.
Tag S&P Global and the CSA using our respective handles:
LinkedIn: @SPGlobal and @Corporate Sustainability Assessment
X (formerly Twitter): @spglobal
Facebook: @sandpglobal
Instagram: @SP_Global
YouTube: SPGlobal
WeChat: S&P Global (标普全球)
Relevant hashtags:
#CSA2024 #sustainability
Sample Statements
S&P Global CSA Score
Our company scored XX (out of 100) in the 2024 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA Score as of DD/MM/2024)
S&P Global CSA Score (with Reference to Prior Years)
Our company scored XX in the 2024 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment reflecting an improvement of X points over the last Y years. (CSA Score as of DD/MM/2024)
Criteria-level Scores
(Criteria level scores must be referenced in the context of the total CSA Score)
Our company scored XX (out of 100) in the 2024 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, with a score of XX (out of 100) in the criterion X. (CSA Scores as of DD/MM/2024).
Our company scored XX (out of 100) in the 2024 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, with full scores in the following criteria: X, Y, Z. (CSA Scores as of DD/MM/2024).
Industry Ranking
As of DD/MM/2024, our company ranked in the XX percentile in the XYZ industry in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment.
As of DD/MM/2024, our company achieved the highest (second/third highest) CSA score out of XX companies assessed in the XYZ Industry in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (add if applicable: in PEER GROUP DETAIL*).
As of DD/MM/2024, our company performed in the top third/quartile/quintile/decile (as applicable) in the XYZ Industry in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (add if applicable: in PEER GROUP DETAIL*).
|
If your percentile rank is at or
above….
|
Then your company scores in the... |
| 90 | Top Decile |
| 80 | Top Quintile |
| 75 | Top Quartile |
| 66 | Top Third |
*Note: Peer group detail may include: Region, country, or index eligibility (filter will be available in the Benchmarking Database in December after index rebalance).
How can I benchmark against the same peer group as in past years?
For the purposes of external benchmarking, companies may use the following anchor dates:
November 8, 2024: Date by which all DJSI invited companies and most companies invited for other S&P ESG Indices will be assessed.
December 13, 2024: The annual rebalancing of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) (if your company is eligible for inclusion).
Early February 2025: Release of the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook, providing distinctions to top performing companies that received a 2024 CSA Score by the end of December 2024.
Conducting a peer group comparison after the November release of 2024 CSA Scores will ensure that most index-eligible companies (DJSI as well as other S&P ESG indices) would have been assessed against the 2024 CSA methodology at this point. While this universe also changes year over year depending on index eligibility of companies, it is still a key reference point for a comparable performance overview against the previous year's CSA Score releases.
Another milestone date for benchmarking your company is in early February 2025, when we will release the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook. The yearbook provides distinctions for the top 15% of companies in each industry. The eligible universe considered for the Sustainability Yearbook consists of all companies that received a 2024 CSA Score by the end of December 2024.
When will the 2024 CSA Scores be publicly available?
For this year, two important improvements have been implemented to CSA Score availability: First, daily score releases allow us to make CSA Scores available sooner to companies that submitted earlier. Second, we are also improving the time lag between publication of scores on the CSA Portal, and publication on S&P Global platforms, including Capital IQ Pro, Xpressfeed, and our public website to about one to two days.
The S&P Global public website features CSA Scores of companies that actively participated in the CSA, as well as companies that are assessed based on public information and that are eligible for inclusion in either the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) or the S&P Global LargeMidCap Index.
Can I infer DJSI membership based on my company’s industry position in the Benchmarking Database before DJSI membership updates are officially announced?
No. Membership in any Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) is based on the DJSI methodology and cannot be inferred from a ranking in the CSA Portal’s Benchmarking Database.
Membership is limited to eligible companies and will be announced on December 13, 2024 (after 5pm US Eastern Standard Time) with the annual rebalancing of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).
Why can my company’s percentile rank change without a change to my company’s CSA Score?
Your company’s percentile rank can be reduced if newly scored companies score higher than your company. Also, as the CSA Scores for companies (not previously included) are released, it expands the base of our calculations. The addition of companies will bring percentile ranks closer together. Unless the recently added companies have scores higher than yours, this will serve to increase your company’s percentile rank.
While we reserve the option to add more companies to the Base Year universe throughout the assessment year, most companies will have been included with the August CSA Score release (with 2023 or 2024 scores, as available).
Important Legal Information
All information, text, data, reports, images, graphics, graphs, charts, or material, including ratings or scores (all such information, “Content”), contained in this website is the exclusive property of S&P Global Inc. or its relevant subsidiary (S&P Global), or their third-party licensors and may not be copied or reproduced in any form except with the prior written permission of S&P Global. The Content, including the ESG Scores and related materials have been published here solely for informational purposes based upon information generally available to the public and from sources believed to be reliable. S&P Global reserves the right to change a company’s ESG score from time to time, in accordance with its methodologies, policies and procedures.
Unless acting in accordance with the parameters of usage outlined in this document, the Content or any portion thereof may not be (i) modified, reverse engineered, reproduced, or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, (ii) used to create any derivative works; (iii) used as the input value or the constituent for the creation, structuring, development, calculation, maintenance, publication, distribution or any other means to derive or establish a financial index or investment strategy; or (iv) used as a component of or as the basis for corporate financing (including, without limitation, ESG-linked loans, credit facilities) or used for any investment product or financial instrument to be developed, issued, traded, sold, marketed and/or promoted, including, without limitation, a security whose capital and/or income value is calculated based on changes in value of any index or any indexed fund based on the Content in whole or in part or passively managed funds.
S&P Global is committed to providing transparency to the market through high-quality independent opinions on sustainability. Safeguarding the quality, independence and integrity of S&P Global’s ESG Scores, including by identifying and managing potential conflicts of interest, is embedded in its culture and at the core of everything S&P Global does. S&P Global keeps certain activities of its business units separate from each other in order to preserve the independence and objectivity of their respective activities. As a result, certain business units of S&P Global may have information that is not available to other S&P Global units. S&P Global has established policies and procedures to maintain the confidentiality of certain non-public information received in connection with each analytical process.
Need Help?
If you have any further questions, contact the CSA Helpline at csa@spglobal.com.
[1] Note that the invited universe for 2024 might still be expanded.
[2]Companies that have not been scored could be companies that are invited to participate for the first time this year and have not been assessed in the past. If there is a share of “not scored” companies in past assessment years, this share refers to companies that were invited initially but then never assessed (for different reasons, e.g. de-listings).
[3]S&P Global reserves the option to add more companies to the Base Year universe throughout the assessment year, thus expanding the universe of invited companies. This may impact your company’s percentile ranking.
[4]Users need to keep in mind that the CSA methodology is updated every year and CSA Scores from different years are not fully comparable, especially at the total or dimension level.
