R-Factor™ - A Roadmap to Build Sustainable Companies

State Street Global Advisors’ R-Factor™ ESG score supports the development of more sustainable capital markets. 

Responsible investing requires a tool to measure the performance of a company's business operations and governance as it relates to financially material ESG challenges facing the company's industry. We refer to this scoring mechanism as the Responsibility Factor, or R-Factor™.

R-Factor™ scores draw on multiple data sources and leverage widely accepted, transparent materiality frameworks from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and corporate governance codes to generate a unique ESG score for listed companies.

R-Factor™ is the first ESG scoring system that offers companies a roadmap on how to manage and disclose their ESG practices, allowing them to take the action needed to enhance their scores. It is built to address the current challenges with ESG data by removing opaqueness around ESG materiality in the scoring process. 

Put simply, it takes the guesswork out of ESG reporting, and focuses boards and management teams on the core ESG issues that matter for business and investors. Small, mid-cap, and emerging market companies stand to particularly benefit from R-Factor™ because of its focused approach. 

The world of ESG disclosure may seem complex – but with R-Factor™, companies and investors no longer have to go it alone. Together, we can forge a new standard in ESG investing.

Quick Links

Companies interested in receiving their R-Factor™ scores should submit an email request to myrfactorscore@ssga.com including the following information: 

• Company’s legal name
• Ticker
• ISIN
• Company’s headquarter location
• Contact name
• Contact’s Title at Company
• Contact email address (must be an official company email address)
• Contact phone#

(Please note that R-Factor™ scores will be provided only to employees affiliated with a company’s Investor Relations, Chief Financial Officer, ESG/Sustainability Leadership or General Secretary’s organizations. Please include attestation in your email stating that you are affiliated with one of these functions.)

Contact us for your R-Factor™ score.

Scores are provided within two weeks of submission and include disclosure about your company’s score relative to regional and global peers, as well as frequently asked questions.

We encourage you to explore the publicly available frameworks of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and your region’s corporate governance code to understand investors’ expectations around the management of financially material ESG issues facing your industry and region. We have also provided responses to frequently asked questions about R-Factor.

• The SASB industry standards can be found here: https://www.sasb.org/standards-overview/download-current-standards/.
  
  You may also wish to review SASB’s implementation primer, a reference document for companies that have chosen to integrate SASB standards into their core communications with investors. The implementation primer is available here: https://www.sasb.org/implementation-primer/
  
  
• Corporate governance codes are made publicly available by the relevant regulator / investor network
  
  
• R-FactorTM for Companies - Frequently Asked Questions