Companies that are active in countries and territories where grave human rights violations often take place run a heightened risk of complicity in these violations even as a matter of their normal course of business. Sustainalytics’ research enables investors to identify these companies, understand the nature of their activities and how those activities pose risks for human rights incidents.
Investors can use Human Rights Radar to gain a deeper view into potential human rights-related portfolio risks and ensure compliance with client-specific investment mandates, investment policies and international norms and treaties.
Latest Insights
SFDR: Raising the bar for sustainability disclosures
EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation: An Update
A Political Pivot for Climate Change and the American Coal Industry
Key Benefits

Identify public companies complicit in human rights violations.

Learn about campaigns that have been initiated against the company.

Understand the role and nature of the company’s involvement as part of the final integrated human rights risk assessment.

Receive country reports with background information on international treaties and human rights concerns.

Take a rights-first approach with alignment to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Access up-to-date and high quality research from collection and processing of thousands of news sources on a daily basis.
Research Overview:
Sustainalytics analyzes a company’s involvement based on...
Nature of Involvement
Uses the following criteria to classify the severity and accountability of involvement:
- Direct violation of human rights
- Provision of tailored products and services
- Benefits perpetrators or exacerbates grievances
- Minor economic activities or sales
Impact of Involvement
Assesses whether a business activity normalizes, facilitates, expands or enforces human rights violations in a country, based on the country context.
Extent of Involvement
Looks at the number of high-risk countries a company is involved in to determine the overall impact a company might have on human rights globally.
Company Management
Assesses a company’s preparedness to prevent and/or mitigate adverse human rights impacts in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the local context in which it operates.
Coverage in 15 Countries and Disputed Territories

Countries
Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Disputed Territories
Palestine, Western Sahara and Tibet
Why Sustainalytics?

A Single Market Standard
Consistent approach to ESG assessments across the investment spectrum.

Award-Winning Research and Data
Firm recognized as Best ESG Research and Data Provider by Environmental Finance and Investment Week.

End-to-End ESG Solutions
ESG products and services that serve the entire investment value chain.

25+ Years ESG Expertise
350+ ESG research analysts across our global offices.

Largest Second-Party Opinion Provider
As recognized by Environmental Finance and the Climate Bonds Initiative.
Related Insights and Resources
EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation: An Update
Update - 3 March, 2021: To help investors comply with the new requirements of the SFDR, Sustainalytics launched the PAI Data Solution that maps our research to the 60 indicators defined by the regulator. This new dataset will enable investors to consider the PAIs in their investment decisions as well as supporting disclosure requirements. Visit our website to learn how we can help with you SFDR compliance journey.
A Political Pivot for Climate Change and the American Coal Industry
As the Biden administration moves into the White House this week, the world is waiting to see if a promising focus on climate change along with a Democratic Congress will present plausible opportunities to cut carbon emissions. While the outgoing administration backed initiatives supporting coal energy[1], it doesn’t appear to have slowed industry decline.
Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation: An Industry Game-changer
In recent months, the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) has been sparking almost as much debate as the EU Taxonomy – both cornerstone regulations of the EU Sustainable Finance Action Plan. With the SFDR set to redefine ESG disclosures and make a significant impact on financial market participants in Europe, the short timeline and ambiguity on several vital details are creating confusion and concern in the industry. The risk of organizations not being able to comply in time is still present, despite the announced delay in timelines for the technical standards, as is the risk of high financial and operational costs for the industry.
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