Since the ERM Sustainability Institute’s last Rate the Raters report in 2023, ESG rating agencies have faced mounting pressure on several fronts – from new regulatory expectations to scrutiny over transparency, consistency, and market relevance.
Watch webinarAgainst this backdrop, the ERM Sustainability Institute conducted the latest Rate the Raters survey of global companies. Key findings based on insights from several hundred respondents include:
- Shift in drivers: Investor demand remains the strongest driver of corporate engagement with ESG rating agencies, though customer expectations are rapidly growing in importance.
- Quality and usefulness leaders: EcoVadis, CDP, and S&P Global ESG top the rankings as the highest quality and most useful.
- Increasing selectivity: The number of ESG ratings that companies typically engage has dropped significantly, suggesting that companies are taking a more selective and strategic approach.
This research is part of a multi‑year initiative designed to understand how companies and investors perceive and engage with ESG rating providers. The Investor edition will be published in 2026. Together, the Corporate and Investor editions will provide a comprehensive view of how ESG ratings are perceived and used across the market.
DOWNLOAD REPORTWebinar
Watch our webinar to explore the full insights from the 2025 Rate the Raters report on the corporate survey results! In this recording, you could hear ESG experts’ perspective on:
- How does corporates use ratings and how has this changed over time
- If companies continue to be equally challenged by the demands of ESG ratings as they were 2-3 years ago
- What impact do EcoVadis and S&P think regulations will have on the evolution of ESG ratings in the next years
- What are they hearing from their customers about their changing data needs and if there are regional variation
