Our Business Principles

We believe that, and as a global leader in social performance, we have a responsibility to help bridge the gap between economic development and the interests of people and the environment. We are committed to the following key business principles:

Promote Sustainable Development

We consider the social, environmental and financial impacts of all that we do.

Respect & Obey the Law

We commit to comply with all legal requirements in all countries in which we operate.

Respect Human Rights

We respect people, society and different cultures and support the aims of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Respect the Environment

We do all that we can to create and support positive environmental impacts.

Be Accountable

We are accountable, responsible and committed to our stakeholders for all our actions.

Continuous Improvement

We seek to continuously improve all facets of our business.

Our Business Principles provide a framework for the way we conduct our business and execute our day-to-day decision-making. They are the principles that govern our conduct and set the standard by which internal and external stakeholders can judge us.

Our Business Principles also extend to and apply to the type of business we will accept. As a rating agency, we have a fiduciary responsibility to the market that relies on our opinions, analysis and commentary, to make sure our ratings are unbiased, independent and of the highest quality. As such, there are times when we refuse to take on certain rating assignments. The key business principles that guide the decision whether to accept an assignment are outlined as follows:

We shall accept a rating assignment only if:
- We are convinced we will have access to sufficient information to make a quality analysis;
- We have the full cooperation of the rated entity;
- We have sufficient expertise within the analytical team to adequately assess the entity;
- We have a clear methodology and criteria identified to undertake the rating;
- The entity being rated clearly has a social objective and business principles that are compatible with social enterprise and sustainability principles, or that the entity is earnestly trying to change or make a positive social impact.