Our research
Our sustainability research
Our entry into the world of scientifically based research.
Ethius is currently conducting a preliminary study on the development of its own sustainability research with the title "Social-ecological rating method for products and services along the value chain". The project was examined in October 2020 by Innosuisse, the Swiss federal agency for the promotion of innovation, as part of an innovation check and project funding was approved.
What is it all about?
The development and validation of an innovative, scientific and practical rating/assessment method to analyse and evaluate listed companies for social and environmental criteria based solely on their products, services and supply chains.
Using the following criteria, a fundamental analysis of companies should be carried out instead of an analysis of financial and business indicators:
▪ Companies’ supply chains (focus on ecological, social and governance aspects) considering the significant, industry-specific environmental impacts that occur at individual stages of value creation.
▪ Value chains (including the use or disposal phase and the assessment of impacts on the environment and society)
This multi-perspective analysis is intended to provide a basis for assessing the sustainability of companies, so that financial flows can be directed towards companies that operate with sustainable development in mind. To this end, new sustainability parameters must be placed at the heart of an investing decision. This includes risk parameters that have established themselves on the financial market in the context of "ESG strategies" as being synonymous with sustainable investing.
Why is this important?
ESG scores are mainly based on ESG KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) defined by the DVFA (German Association for Financial Analysis and Asset Management). According to the DVFA, such sustainability reporting is the focus of NGOs, the media and society, but their demands have not been explicitly considered in the development of the KPIs. Instead, they are geared towards the interests of investors as a target group*.
*Source: https://www.dvfa.de/fileadmin/downloads/Publikationen/Standards/KPIs_for_ESG_3_0_Final.pdf (Seite 8, Absatz 1)
Interested in collaborating with us?
We look forward to exchanging ideas and would love for you to get in touch!