Sustainability leadership isn't reserved for listed companies.
SYNE applies the same scientific standards and data-quality scrutiny used in our ESG Ratings to unlisted companies, non-profits, educational institutions, government bodies, and individual products or services - proving performance doesn't require a public listing.
If any of these describe you, a rating is worth more than a self-published report.
Sustainability Ratings extend the same independent scrutiny used for listed companies to any organisation, institution, or product that makes a sustainability claim.
Investor-ready without listing
Demonstrate credible sustainability performance to investors, lenders and partners without public-market disclosure obligations.
Accountability to funders
Independent verification of impact and governance claims made to donors, grant-makers and boards.
Benchmarked campus performance
Comparable sustainability performance across campuses - useful for accreditation, rankings, and student and staff expectations.
Public-sector accountability
Independent benchmarking of municipal, regional or national sustainability performance against the same standards used in capital markets.
Rating a single offering
A rating scoped to one product or service line - useful for eco-labelling, green-claim substantiation, and procurement qualification.
Fund-level reporting
Portfolio companies rated to meet fund-level ESG reporting commitments ahead of an eventual listing or trade sale.
60 weighted criteria. Four dimensions. One score.
Sustainability Ratings use a streamlined version of SYNE's full ESG framework - 60 individually weighted criteria spread across Environmental, Social, Governance and Economic & Industry dimensions, right-sized for organisations without listed-company disclosure obligations. SYNE calculates a weighted average across all 60: no single indicator can make or break a rating, but heavily-weighted dimensions like Governance move the overall score faster than isolated gaps elsewhere.
Environmental
Resource use, environmental management, and natural resource stewardship - scaled to the size of the organisation.
- Climate Strategy & Net-Zero Targets
- Environmental Policy & EMS
- Biodiversity Management
- Water Risk & Management
- Eco-efficiency & Resource Use
- Waste & Circular Economy
- Environmental Reporting Quality
Social
Labour and volunteer practices, human capital, and community or beneficiary impact.
- Labour Practices & Standards
- Human Capital Development
- Talent Attraction & Retention
- Whistleblowing & Ethics Culture
- Health & Safety Performance
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Human Rights Due Diligence
Governance
Board or trustee integrity, transparency, and governance of sustainability commitments.
- Anti-Bribery & Anti-Corruption
- Tax Evasion & Transparency
- Board Structure & Composition
- Related Party Transactions
- Compliance & Regulatory Governance
- Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Governance
Economic & Industry
Sustainability embedded in the operating model, funding risk, and value chain.
- Corporate Governance Quality
- Risk & Crisis Management
- Tax Strategy & Transparency
- Innovation & R&D Management
- Supply Chain Management
- Customer Relations & Responsibility
- Business Model Resilience
Six tiers, from exemplary to distressed.
The SYNE Sustainability Rating scale runs from AAA to D - the same scale used across every SYNE rating. Each tier corresponds to a composite score range and a SYNE Index quadrant. Critically, no organisation can reach the top of the scale without also demonstrating adequate data quality and disclosure credibility - a performance claim without verified data cannot be rated AAA or AA.
Front Runner · Highest scientific alignment combined with the highest data quality.
Front Runner or Rising Star · Strong across most criteria, with only minor gaps.
Rising or Emerging Star · Material gaps identified and being actively addressed.
Emerging Star or Back Marker · Significant improvement needed across multiple criteria.
Back Marker · Fundamental gaps in performance, data, or both.
No material evidence or data available for performance measurement.
Sector-relative and absolute
Scores are calibrated against absolute scientific benchmarks and performance relative to comparable organisations, so a non-profit or government body is judged against what's achievable for its type - not a universal standard built for listed companies.
Trajectory matters as much as points
SYNE reports whether an organisation is improving, stable, or declining relative to its previous rating - trajectory is often more informative than a single-point score for funders assessing commitment.
Every rating includes a pathway
Organisations rated below AA receive a prioritised improvement pathway - actions ranked by expected score impact and feasibility. The pathway is confidential to the rated organisation by default.
A rating that pays off for the organisation being rated - and everyone relying on it.
Unlike a self-published sustainability report, a SYNE rating creates value on both sides: for the organisation being assessed, and for everyone making a decision based on that assessment.
For the rated organisation
Funding & capital access
Credible sustainability performance opens doors to green loans, blended finance, and mission-aligned investors - even without public market access.
Board & governance benchmarking
An independent score gives boards and trustees an external, comparable benchmark for governance and oversight quality.
Reputation & stakeholder trust
A verified rating is a credible signal to staff, communities, and partners that goes beyond a self-published sustainability report.
A clear improvement roadmap
Every rating below AA comes with a prioritised improvement pathway, ranked by impact and feasibility - not just a score.
For everyone who relies on the rating
Funders & Donors
Grant-makers and donors can verify impact claims before committing funding, instead of relying on self-reported outcomes.
Regulators & Procurement Bodies
Public procurement and licensing bodies can set consistent sustainability qualification thresholds across bidders.
Communities & Beneficiaries
Local communities and service users get an independent check on the institutions and programmes that affect them.
Students, Staff & Researchers
Prospective students and staff can compare institutions on verified sustainability performance, not marketing copy.
Corporate Supply Chains
Corporate buyers can qualify unlisted suppliers and partners against the same standard used for listed companies.
Trust shouldn't require a stock ticker.
Investor-grade scrutiny has historically stopped at the edge of public markets - leaving non-profits, government bodies, educational institutions and private companies to self-report sustainability claims with little independent check. That gap is closing: funders, regulators, and the public increasingly expect the same evidence-based standard everywhere a sustainability claim is made.
Why performance matters beyond markets
Organisations without shareholders still carry sustainability risk - funding risk, reputational risk, regulatory risk. Performance that isn't independently checked is a claim, not a fact.
What it means for funders & donors
Grant-makers, lenders, and mission-aligned investors need a comparable, verifiable signal to allocate scarce capital responsibly - whether the recipient is a private company or a charity.
What it means for communities
Sustainability ratings for public bodies and institutions give the people they serve an independent check that most self-published reports don't offer.
What a rating actually tells you
A SYNE Rating is a weighted judgement of genuine performance across four dimensions, discounted for how well the underlying data can be trusted - wherever the organisation sits in the economy.
What separates a Sustainability Rating from SYNE.
Four principles run through every rating we publish, whether it's a first-time non-profit or a repeat institutional mandate.
Scientific frameworks
Grounded in CSRD ESRS, the GHG Protocol, SBTi, GRI, TCFD and ISSB - not an internal checklist nobody outside SYNE can open.
Data quality, rated
The only sustainability ratings organisation that independently scores data quality and assurance status as an explicit rating component.
Regulatory-grade independence
Operating under the EU ESG Ratings Regulation (ESMA 2023/2631) and the FCA Code of Conduct - methodology, conflicts and fees published.
The SYNE Index
Every rating includes a SYNE Index classification across two axes - because where an organisation stands matters as much as how it scores.
One score hides the story. Two axes tell it.
Most ratings compress performance and data credibility into a single letter. The SYNE Index keeps them separate - plotting every rated entity across scientific alignment and data quality & assurance to reveal which of four quadrants it actually occupies.
- Front Runners AA – AAA
- Strong adherence to global frameworks, rigorous data validation processes, and comprehensive reporting capabilities.
- Rising Stars AA – A
- Use of established scientific methodologies, but potential issues with data accuracy, consistency, or validation.
- Emerging Stars A – B
- Good data management and validation, but limited in the scope of scientific methodologies or frameworks applied.
- Backmarkers B – C
- Basic adherence to regulations, with minimal emphasis on advanced scientific frameworks or robust data validation.
Our methodology is public. Your rating doesn't have to be.
Under the EU ESG Ratings Regulation and the FCA Code of Conduct, SYNE publishes its methodology, conflict-of-interest policy, and fee structure by default. A Sustainability Rating itself works differently: unlike listed-company ESG Ratings, there's no regulatory mandate to publish it. The rated organisation decides whether it stays private or goes public.
Regulatory-grade independence
SYNE Ratings operates under the EU ESG Ratings Regulation (ESMA 2023/2631) and the FCA Code of Conduct for ESG Ratings Providers. No commercial relationship between SYNE Ratings and a rated organisation influences the outcome.
Scientific standards referenced
Every rating is grounded in internationally recognised, independently verifiable frameworks - not an internal SYNE checklist.
Methodology, conflict of interest policy, and fee structure are published documents - available on request as part of the SYNE Ratings regulatory disclosure pack, and referenced in every ratings report we issue.
Your Sustainability Rating is confidential by default. Many organisations commission a rating privately first - for board reporting or internal benchmarking - and choose to publish only when they're ready. Publication always requires your explicit consent.
The full sustainability lifecycle, under one methodology.
From independent ratings and third-party assurance, to licensed data and intelligence products that inform funding, procurement, and oversight decisions across 71 countries.
Independent Ratings
Organisation-level sustainability ratings scored against CSRD ESRS, GHG Protocol, SBTi, GRI, TCFD and ISSB.
Third-Party Assurance
Independent verification of disclosed data, feeding directly into each rating's data quality score.
Licensed Data
Underlying datasets licensed to funders, insurers, and oversight bodies for internal modelling.
Intelligence Products
Portfolio- and sector-level intelligence informing funding, procurement, and regulatory decisions.
A Sustainability Rating is not a sustainability report.
A report is what an organisation says about itself. A rating is what an independent third party verifies.
Independent, not self-reported
A rating is produced by a regulated ratings organisation, not the entity itself. SYNE cross-references disclosures against primary sources and scores independently - reflecting verified performance, not self-presentation.
8–12 weeks, start to publication
Standard engagements run 8–12 weeks from data submission to final rating. Expedited ratings (5–7 weeks) are available for funding deadlines or accreditation cycles. Scoping and fees within 5 business days.
No pay-for-rating influence
Organisations review the draft rating once for factual accuracy only. The final decision rests with SYNE's analysts. Fees and commercial relationships have no bearing on the outcome.
Private or public, by design
Organisations can commission a rating privately - for internal benchmarking or board reporting - before choosing to publish. Public ratings require explicit consent and remain published once distributed.
Built for thin disclosure history
Non-profits, early-stage institutions and small unlisted entities get a baseline assessment from available data, with clear notation where criteria couldn't be independently cross-verified.
Recognised across markets
Operating under ESMA and FCA codes of conduct. Used by funders, procurement bodies, and institutional partners across our 71 licensed markets, and accepted by major ESG data platforms.
Rated in 71 countries, across every kind of organisation.
Sustainability Ratings are constructed to remain legible across the regulatory regimes our clients operate under - the EU's CSRD, ESRS and SFDR; the UK's FCA-aligned disclosure regime; ISSB-aligned standards adopted across Asia-Pacific; and SEC climate-related disclosure rules where applicable.
View the full country list →Each mark represents active coverage in one jurisdiction
The rest of the SYNE ratings family.
Sustainability Ratings sits alongside a wider set of rating, data and advisory products built on the same methodology.
See how your organisation, institution, or product would rate.
Talk to our team about a Sustainability Rating, or request a walkthrough of the SYNE Index for your sector.