ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. This describes the three key dimensions of sustainability: the environment, social responsibility and corporate governance. ESG criteria are used to evaluate how sustainably and responsibly a business operates.
Implementation of ESG principles at an early stage makes it possible for businesses to minimise regulatory risks, reinforce their credibility and open up new opportunities for growth and financing.
ESG risks are non-financial factors that might affect the stability and success of an enterprise:
Long-term competitiveness is crucially dependent on the effective management of these risks.
The categories identified in the GHG Protocol help companies to measure their CO₂ footprint:
All three categories are relevant in the attainment of climate goals and net-zero strategies.
The CRIF ESG Score evaluates a company’s sustainability performance on a scale from A (very high) to E (very low). It is worked out annually in accordance with international standards, on the basis of publicly-available information and CRIF’s own data. The ESG Score is calculated in accordance with the methodological guidelines of the European Banking Authority.
Businesses use the score to evaluate suppliers. Banks and insurance companies use it to make sustainable credit and investment decisions.
The ESG score covers more than 500,000 Swiss corporations (including SMEs). International assessments are also available by request.
Synesgy is a platform for ESG evaluation and certification. It supports businesses as they implement sustainability strategies and manage their supply chain, as well as calculating CO₂ emissions in accordance with the GHG protocol. The methodology is based on international standards such as SDG, GRI, VSME and ESRS.
You can register at https://service.synesgy.com/ch. Once that’s done, you’ll receive your login details by e-mail.
You can request a new password via the login page.
Fill out the questionnaire in full and submit it. The certificate will be ready to download once the quality control stage has been successfully completed.
The questionnaire covers five areas: business practice, environment, social issues, corporate governance and sector-specific topics. There are various different types of question: multiple choice, checkboxes, input fields and document upload areas. Mandatory questions are marked with an asterisk(*) and these must be filled out. We also strongly recommend that you should complete the optional questions, because they improve the transparency and control of sustainability.
The evaluation happens automatically, in accordance with the guidelines from CRIF Ratings. You are given an ESG score plus detailed analyses of the individual areas.
The methodology is based on international standards, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), VSME and ESRS.
A low rating is a starting point. Use the recommended actions on the platform to improve your ESG performance step by step. Our CRIF consulting team will also be happy to help you.
Yes, you can invite your suppliers to take part and collect their ESG details via Synesgy. All the data will be displayed centrally and clearly on a dashboard. Please feel free to contact us for a demo at no obligation.
Quality assurance is carried out both automatically and manually. Firstly, a system is used to check the details against local data sources, benchmarks and logic rules. If there are any discrepancies, evidence will be requested. Subsequently, a team of analysts checks the documents and clarifies any unresolved issues directly with the supplier.
It costs CHF 180 net per year to use Synesgy.
Following registration, you’ll receive an invoice. The certificate will be renewed annually and you will automatically receive a follow-up invoice. You can cancel by e-mail at any time.
SynesgyView sets out your ESG performance transparently and attractively in a clearly-structured report. This simplifies your communication with investors, customers and business partners.
