Responsible investment research given improved quality standard

Global research on responsible investment has a new voluntary quality standard, with CSRR-QS today re-launched as ARISTA, complete with more detailed certification available to a wider range of products and services.

The standard recognises organisations that “incorporate the key principles of quality, integrity, transparency and accountability into their research processes” and is currently run by the Association for Responsible Investment Services (ARISE).

Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility Research (CSRR) has been replaced by ARISTA, a standard about accountability and responsible investment research. The improved and updated mark looks at environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) research within the supply chain, along with in-depth study into performance.

EIRIS, EthiFinance and oekom research are just three responsible investment research organisations that have achieved the ARISTA standard so far, along with seven other leading analysis firms.

“There is a growing need for calibrated templates reflecting the content and value of responsible investment products”, said Herwig Peeters, president of ARISE.

“There is a clear demand for efficient check and audit systems by regulatory frameworks on a national and international scale. ARISTA provides an invaluable comparative instrument for professional users and guarantees the quality and integrity of responsible investment ratings.”

The standard was originally devised in 2002 with the help of the European Commission. And ARISE has marked a decade of the certification’s life with a makeover.

Although responsible investment research organisations aren’t currently legally obliged to adhere to ARISTA, it has become an increasingly recognised sign of quality within the industry.

“Responsible investment research and ESG ratings have become an incontrovertible element of the responsible investment value chain”, explained François Passant, executive director of the European Forum for Sustainable Investment (Eurosif).

“The launch of Arista 3.0 is therefore an essential initiative that will further foster quality and transparency in the sector.

“Further building on the previous version, Arista 3.0 enlarges the scope of its certification, which we believe will continue to strengthen the recognition of the standard and provide an even stronger basis for comparability of offerings for users.”

Meanwhile, Peter Webster, executive director at EIRIS, the leading responsible investment research firm in the UK, said, “Quality underpins all of our research here at EIRIS.

“We welcome the newly-launched ARISTA standard which we will use us to demonstrate quality across the broader range of product and services we now offer to responsible investors around the world.”

Further reading:

Investors look to ethical options after banking instability

£11 billion invested ethically in the UK: infographic analysis

The Guide to Sustainable Investment 2012 (NEIW edition)