ESG Transparency Index
- Methodology
The ESG Transparency Index measures the traceability of sustainability claims — the degree to which claims made in public reports can be linked to publicly available supporting documentation.
This is NOT a sustainability performance rating. We do not assess whether a company is "sustainable" or "unsustainable."
We measure whether their claims are supported by publicly accessible documentation.
The Index is designed to highlight best practices in transparent reporting and to contribute to a constructive national benchmark for sustainability communication in Norway.
The index currently covers major Norwegian companies across multiple sectors. Companies are selected based on:
- Market significance in Norway
- Availability of public sustainability reporting
- Sector diversity
We plan to expand coverage quarterly.
All analysis is based exclusively on publicly available information:
Primary sources (company):
- Annual reports
- Sustainability reports
- Integrated reports
- Company websites
- Press releases
Verification sources (independent):
- Public registries and databases
- Government publications
- Third-party certifications (publicly listed)
- Regulatory filings- Academic and research publications
- News media (for factual verification)
NO internal or confidential company data is used.
Step 1: Claim Extraction
- Sustainability reports are analyzed using AI-assisted extraction
- Claims are identified as statements about sustainability performance, commitments, or practices
- Claims are categorized by topic area (Environmental, Social, Governance)
Step 2: Claim Classification
- Each claim is assessed for "checkworthiness" — whether it contains a verifiable assertion
- General statements without specific claims are excluded
Step 3: Evidence Search
- Each checkworthy claim is searched against public sources
- Both company sources and independent sources are checked
- Evidence is documented with source links
Step 4: Verification Categorization
Claims are classified as:
- PUBLICLY VERIFIED (Green)
Evidence found in independent public sources — government registries, third-party certifications, regulatory filings, or other non-company sources.
- INTERNALLY VERIFIABLE (Blue)
Evidence found only in company's own reporting. The claim is documented, but cannot be independently verified from external sources.
- PENDING (Yellow)
Claim is under review or awaiting additional information/ clarification.
Information appears incomplete or requires clarification based on currently available public sources.
- INCONSISTENT (Red)
Step 5: Scoring
The Transparency Score is calculated as a weighted average based on verification status:
- Publicly verified claims contribute highest weight- Internally verifiable claims contribute moderate weight
- Pending and inconsistent claims contribute lowest weight
Higher score = Greater proportion of claims supported by publicly accessible documentation.
Important limitations of this methodology:
a) Transparency ≠ Performance
A high transparency score does NOT mean a company is more sustainable. It means their claims are more verifiable.
b) Public Data Only
We only use publicly available information. Companies with less public disclosure may score lower, regardless of the quality or impact of their underlying sustainability work.
c) Point-in-Time Analysis
Scores reflect publicly available information at time of analysis. Information may have changed.
d) Language Limitations
Primary analysis conducted on Norwegian and English language reports.
e) Sector Differences
Different sectors have different reporting norms.
Cross-sector comparisons should be interpreted carefully, as reporting norms and regulatory requirements differ significantly between industries.
Before publication, all companies are:
- Notified of their inclusion in the index
- Provided with their preliminary scorecard
- Given the opportunity to:
• Review the analysis
• Provide additional public evidence
• Request corrections for factual errors
• Submit a comment for inclusion
Company responses (or non-responses) are documented.
Companies that do not respond within the review period are published with a note indicating “No response received within the review period.”
We are committed to accuracy. If errors are identified:
- We review all correction requests
- Verified errors are corrected promptly
- Corrections are published transparently
- Correction history is maintained
To request a correction, send an email to: contact@AIZEN-group.com
The ESG Transparency Index is updated quarterly:
- Q1: February
- Q2: May
- Q3: August
- Q4: November
Updates include:
- Score recalculations based on new reports
- Addition of new companies
- Methodology refinements (versioned and documented)
AIZEN AS is an independent company. The ESG Transparency Index is:
The ESG Transparency Index is conducted independently and without commercial influence.
Our assessments are not influenced by commercial relationships, sponsorships, or payments from the companies we analyze.
All scores are based exclusively on publicly available information. Companies cannot pay to be included, excluded, or to influence their score.
AIZEN offers separate commercial services (such as contract compliance verification) to other clients. These commercial relationships do not affect the independence of the Index. Commercial customers are not automatically included in the public Index.
Every company included in the Index is notified before publication and given the opportunity to provide additional public documentation.
Questions about methodology: AY@AIZEN-group.com
Correction requests: contact@AIZEN-group.com
Media inquiries: MT@AIZEN-group.com
AIZEN AS Oslo, Norway