What we do

Standard Ethics Europe is the Agency responsible for issuing the Standard Ethics Rating (SER) in Europe: an independent ESG opinion assessing an entity’s level of compliance with the voluntary sustainability guidelines established by the United Nations, the OECD and the European Union.

Standard Ethics operates exclusively under an Applicant‑Pay model: its only source of revenue is the fee paid by applicants for the issuance of the solicited Corporate Standard Ethics Rating (SER). The term Applicant‑Pay is used instead of Issuer‑Pay because clients may not necessarily be issuers of financial instruments.

The unsolicited rating activity, on the other hand, does not generate revenue and is fully funded internally by the Agency. The Agency’s entire turnover comes from the Applicant‑Pay model.

Fees are set in line with the principles of fairness, reasonableness, transparency and non‑discrimination outlined in Article 27 of Regulation (EU) 2024/3005. Each fee is agreed before the analytical process begins and does not change based on the rating outcome.

The Agency does not offer any services other than ESG rating activities.

To request a rating or obtain commercial information, please refer to the Talk to Us section. In the subject line of your message, please select Rating request.

The Standard Ethics Rating (SER), which has been tried and tested since 2004 is:

• Solicited — because the rating is issued exclusively at the request of an Applicant, who is also its recipient.

• Standard — because every rating is fully comparable to others, as all algorithms follow the same set of guidelines. For this reason, neither clients nor third parties can influence the Agency’s evaluation principles or alter the procedures used to issue ratings.

• Independent — because the rating process is incompatible with any additional services, research, or consultancy related to the data collected. Moreover, no shared financial or economic interests exist between the Agency and the Applicant.

In summary, the Standard Ethics Rating (SER) provides an ESG Opinion on the level of compliance in the fields of Sustainability and corporate governance, based on documents and guidelines issued by the following major international institutions:

• the United Nations (UN);
• the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD);
• the European Union (EU).

The Agency enables companies and organisations to engage its stakeholders and the market with a shared, trusted language grounded in recognised international guidelines.

For details on the Standard Ethics Rating solutions and methodology, please see the Ratings page.

Why choose Standard Ethics?  

Institutional Recognition: Standard Ethics is a brand and ESG rating agency that has been in operation since 2004 and its ESG ratings have been used for years by large companies (both listed and unlisted).

No questionnaires, no additional burden: The rating process is conducted entirely by our analysts through the use of public sources.  We do not ask you to complete questionnaires or provide additional documentation.  The operational burden on your company is minimal.

A publishable and usable document: The Final Report is a document that you are free to publish, share with investors, banks, regulators and include in your sustainability reporting. It is an independent, verified source, with data confirmed by your company itself.

A genuine Gap Analysis: The Guidelines show you, with precision, where you stand in relation to international standards and what you should do to improve.  It is not a generic document; t is specific to your company and takes into account all its particularities; it is not a sector comparison.

Stability and predictability: The annual renewal fee is set for five years from the official offer.  No surprises in the budget.  And once issued, the rating is monitored continuously: we will come to you if anything significant happens.

Impartiality: Standard Ethics has a governance model that has been designed to: a) suit a modern ratings agency; b) prevent conflicts of interest; c) be in line with recent European Parliament requirements; and d) ensure incompatibility between ratings and other economic activities.