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Methodology Disclosure Archive

Overview

Morningstar Sustainalytics’ ESG methodologies are designed to be rigorous, systematic, independent, capable of justification and with focus on ensuring that the methodologies can be applied continuously and in a transparent manner.

We aim to write methodologies in a clear, understandable, and logical fashion, using consistent language (as far as reasonably practicable), and a minimum of industry jargon and acronyms. The ultimate objective is to ensure that methodologies are accessible and understandable to those who rely on them.

ESG Risk Ratings

Morningstar Sustainalytics’ ESG Risk Ratings evaluate the extent to which environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors may pose financial risk to a corporate issuer’s enterprise value. The rating’s primary output reflects the extent of an issuer’s unmanaged ESG risk across key issues, including climate change, human capital, business ethics, and corporate governance.

Historical Methodologies

Historical Disclosure Tables

Controversy Ratings

Morningstar Sustainalytics’ Controversy Ratings evaluate a corporate issuer’s involvement in media-reported controversies that may present varying levels of financial risk and societal impact. The rating’s primary output reflects the severity of an issuer’s involvement in controversies across key environmental, social, and governance topics. 

Historical Methodologies

Historical Disclosure Tables

Global Standards Screening

Morningstar Sustainalytics’ Global Standards Screening (GSS) evaluates a corporate issuer’s compliance with international norms and standards related to human rights, labour rights, the environment and business ethics. The rating’s primary output reflects an issuer’s compliance, non-compliance, or watchlist status across 10 key principles. 

Historical Methodologies

Historical Disclosure Tables

Country Risk Rating

Morningstar Sustainalytics’ Country Risk Ratings evaluate the extent to which environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors pose risks to a government issuer’s long-term prosperity and economic development. The rating’s primary output reflects the extent of an issuer’s ESG risk across three pillars of sovereign wealth: natural and produced capital, human capital and institutional capital. 

Historical Methodologies

Historical Disclosure Tables

Low Carbon Transition Ratings

Morningstar Sustainalytics’ Low Carbon Transition Ratings (LCTR) evaluate how a corporate issuer’s projected Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) compares to its fair-share emissions budget. The rating’s primary output reflects the extent to which the issuer’s emissions trajectory is aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, in line with the Paris Agreement. 

Historical Methodologies

Historical Disclosure Tables

Carbon Risk Ratings

Morningstar Sustainalytics’ Carbon Risk Ratings evaluate the extent to which carbon emissions issues may pose financial risk to a corporate issuer’s enterprise value. The rating’s primary output reflects the extent of the issuer’s unmanaged carbon risk across its operations, products and services, and financing activities. 

Historical Methodologies

Historical Disclosure Tables

ESG Indicators Standards Overview

Morningstar Sustainalytics’ ESG Indicators Standards provide the foundational principles, classifications, taxonomies, and design approaches that support our ESG methodologies and research. They establish the common approaches and definitions that promote consistency across our analytical processes and outputs.

Historical Methodologies

Historical Disclosure Tables

ESG Metrics Standards Overview

Morningstar Sustainalytics’ ESG Metrics Standards provide the foundational principles, classifications, taxonomies, and design approaches that support our ESG methodologies and research. They establish the common approaches and definitions that promote consistency across our analytical processes and outputs.

Historical Methodologies

Portfolio ESG Risk Ratings

Morningstar Sustainalytics' Portfolio ESG Risk Ratings evaluate the level of financially material environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risk embedded in an investment portfolio relative to a peer group of comparable funds. The rating's primary output reflects the extent to which a portfolio's corporate and sovereign holdings are exposed to ESG risks, based on Morningstar Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings for corporate issuers and Country Risk Ratings for sovereign issuers.

Historical Methodologies

Historical Disclosure Tables

Portfolio Low Carbon Transition Ratings

Morningstar Sustainalytics’ Portfolio Low Carbon Transition Ratings assess the degree to which the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a portfolio’s corporate holdings are aligned with a science-based 1.5°C net-zero pathway. The rating's primary output is an Implied Temperature Rise expressed in degrees Celsius, reflecting the projected temperature outcome if all companies managed their emissions in the same way as those held in the portfolio, using underlying GHG emissions data of Morningstar Sustainalytics' Low Carbon Transition Ratings for corporate issuers.

Historical Methodologies

Historical Disclosure Tables

Portfolio Carbon Risk Ratings

Morningstar Sustainalytics' Portfolio Carbon Risk Ratings measure the degree of unmanaged carbon-related financial risk embedded in an investment portfolio. The primary output is the Portfolio Carbon Risk Score, which reflects the extent to which a portfolio's corporate holdings are exposed to financially material carbon risks, based on Morningstar Sustainalytics' Carbon Risk Ratings for corporate issuers.

Historical Methodologies

Historical Disclosure Tables

Portfolio Low Carbon Designation

Morningstar Sustainalytics' Portfolio Low Carbon Designation identifies funds with low carbon-related financial risk and limited exposure to fossil fuel revenues. The designation's primary output is a binary indicator based on two portfolio-level screens: whether a portfolio's Historical Carbon Risk Score falls below 10, and whether its Historical Fossil Fuel Percentage of Covered Portfolio Involved falls below 7%, each derived from Morningstar Sustainalytics' Carbon Risk Ratings and Product Involvement research for corporate issuers.

Historical Methodologies

Historical Disclosure Tables