Standard Ethics
Standard Ethics is a Milan-based European ESG rating agency that issues solicited Standard Ethics Ratings (SER) — independent opinions on corporate, financial-instrument, and (until January 2026) country compliance with UN, OECD, and EU sustainability guidelines. It serves large listed corporations and financial institutions across Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Standard Ethics does
Standard Ethics is a European-headquartered sustainability rating agency that issues Standard Ethics Ratings (SER), independent opinions on entities' compliance with voluntary sustainability guidelines established by the United Nations, the OECD, and the European Union. The firm operates a small organization (11-50 employees) out of its registered office at Via Burigozzo 5, Milan, Italy, under the legal entity Standard Ethics Europe Srl, and maintains a global footprint claim across Europe and EMEA. Its core products are Corporate SER (solicited ESG opinions for listed and unlisted corporations), Country SER (suspended from January 2026 for methodological review, previously issued unsolicited to OECD member states), Security SER (ratings for bonds and other debt instruments based on issuer sustainability strategy), and Sustainability Clusters (sector indices measuring ESG policy alignment over time, formerly branded as Index/Benchmark).
The underlying technology is a proprietary ESG rating methodology grounded in UN, OECD, and EU guidelines rather than a data or machine-learning platform; ratings are assigned, confirmed, upgraded, or downgraded via analyst-driven compliance assessments published through a quarterly ratings calendar. Standard Ethics sells primarily to large listed enterprises and financial institutions across Europe — disclosed rated entities include Banca MPS, Airbus, Banca Generali, Maire, Eiffage, and DIA — and monetizes through solicited rating engagements described as subscription/recurring in nature, though public pricing is not disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, supported by content marketing through research publications, press releases, and the firm's ratings portal infrastructure (standardethicsrating.eu, standardethicsindices.eu).
Standard Ethics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Standard Ethics
- Legal name
- Standard Ethics Europe Srl
- Website
- https://standardethics.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Standard Ethics is a Milan-based European ESG rating agency that issues solicited Standard Ethics Ratings (SER) — independent opinions on corporate, financial-instrument, and (until January 2026) country compliance with UN, OECD, and EU sustainability guidelines. It serves large listed corporations and financial institutions across Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Standard Ethics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- ESG / Sustainability Rating Services
- SIC
- Insurance Carriers, Nec (6399)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Finance & ESG Ratings/Benchmarking Support (EUAHAJAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- ESG Reporting, Disclosure & Regulatory Compliance (SFDR, EU Taxonomy, TCFD/ISSB) (FSAAALAK), ESG Governance, Sustainability Reporting & Assurance Advisory (BPAHAFAJ)
Keywords
Where Standard Ethics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Standard Ethics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- ESG Rating Services: Standard Ethics issues solicited sustainability ratings to corporations, countries, and financial instruments. The agency provides independent ESG opinions on compliance levels with international sustainability guidelines.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Standard Ethics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Standard Ethics is a European solicited sustainability rating agency that issues Standard Ethics Ratings (SER)—independent ESG opinions on entities' level of compliance with voluntary sustainability guidelines established by the UN, OECD, and European Union. Its core offerings include Corporate SER, Country SER (suspended from January 2026), Security SER (for bonds and debt instruments), and Sustainability Clusters (sector indices measuring ESG policy alignment over time). Ratings are accompanied by an Outlook (Positive, Stable, or Negative) and serve as a roadmap for entities to understand their current sustainability position and steps to reach sustainability goals.
Product overview
Standard Ethics is a European solicited sustainability rating agency that issues Standard Ethics Ratings (SER) comprising four core products: Corporate SER (providing independent ESG opinions on entities' compliance with UN, OECD, EU sustainability guidelines), Country SER (unsolicited ratings for OECD countries reflecting sustainability principles), Security SER (assigned to financial instruments, bonds, and debt instruments), and Sustainability Clusters (indices measuring ESG policy alignment over time).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Standard Ethics Rating (SER): The core ESG rating product issued by Standard Ethics, providing independent sustainability opinions on entities' compliance with UN, OECD, and EU guidelines.
- Standard Ethics Indices
Products and services
- Corporate Standard Ethics Rating (Corporate SER) An independent ESG opinion on an entity's level of compliance with the voluntary sustainability guidelines established by the United Nations, the OECD, and the European Union. Issued to large listed and unlisted corporations as a solicited rating serving as a roadmap for sustainability goals.
- Country Standard Ethics Rating (Country SER) Unsolicited ratings assigned to OECD member states that reflect the sustainability principles established by the UN, OECD, and EU. The Country SER has been suspended from January 2026 due to a methodological review.
- Security Standard Ethics Rating (Security SER) Assigned to financial instruments or general-purpose issues such as bonds or other debt instruments. The analysis takes into account the issuer, its industrial plans, and its development and sustainability strategies.
- Sustainability Clusters Clusters (formerly known as Index or Benchmark) designed to measure how closely ESG policies align with international sustainability guidelines over time across sectors including banking, fashion, rail, and football clubs.
Companies that use Standard Ethics
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Standard Ethics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Standard Ethics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Standard Ethics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): A disclosure-focused ESG data provider covering climate, water, and forests for thousands of companies and cities. Provides overlapping environmental sustainability assessments that compete with Standard Ethics' Corporate SER.
- Carbon4 Finance: European-focused ESG rating and climate finance methodology provider. Operates in an adjacent European sustainability rating niche with comparable methodologies supporting green bond and corporate assessments.
Direct peers
- MSCI ESG Research: Provides MSCI ESG Ratings covering thousands of issuers globally along with sustainability indices. Closest large-scale competitor to Standard Ethics' Corporate SER and Sustainability Clusters.
- ISS ESG: Offers corporate ESG ratings, green/social bond second-party opinions, and sustainability climate solutions. Directly comparable to Standard Ethics' SER product suite across corporate and security ratings.
- Moody's ESG Solutions (Sustainalytics): One of the largest global ESG rating and research providers, offering corporate ESG risk ratings and second-party opinions on sustainable debt. Directly competes with Standard Ethics' Corporate SER and Security SER with much greater scale.
- EcoVadis: Provides sustainability ratings and scorecards for companies across supply chains, with strong European enterprise penetration. Directly comparable to Standard Ethics' Corporate SER in addressing ESG compliance needs.
Broad incumbents
- LSEG (formerly Refinitiv) ESG: Provides Refinitiv ESG Scores and sustainability data as part of its financial data franchise. Broad incumbent covering corporate ESG ratings at a global scale that competes with Standard Ethics in European markets.
- FTSE Russell ESG Ratings: Provides ESG Ratings and FTSE4Good Index Series covering corporate ESG performance. Large incumbent in both corporate ratings and indices, overlapping with Standard Ethics' Corporate SER and Sustainability Clusters.
- S&P Global ESG Scores: Provides S&P Global ESG Scores integrated with the S&P Global corporate dataset. A large incumbent offering overlapping Corporate SER functionality within a broader data and index franchise.
Regional players
- ARC Ratings: European credit rating agency that has expanded into sustainable finance ratings. Regional peer that competes with Standard Ethics in European ESG and sustainability assessment mandates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Standard Ethics social profiles
Digital presenceStandard Ethics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Standard Ethics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Standard Ethics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Standard Ethics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Standard Ethics
What does Standard Ethics do?
Standard Ethics is a European solicited sustainability rating agency that issues Standard Ethics Ratings (SER)—independent ESG opinions on entities' level of compliance with voluntary sustainability guidelines established by the UN, OECD, and European Union. Its core offerings include Corporate SER, Country SER (suspended from January 2026), Security SER (for bonds and debt instruments), and Sustainability Clusters (sector indices measuring ESG policy alignment over time). Ratings are accompanied by an Outlook (Positive, Stable, or Negative) and serve as a roadmap for entities to understand their current sustainability position and steps to reach sustainability goals.
Is Standard Ethics a public or private company?
Standard Ethics is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Standard Ethics founded?
Standard Ethics was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Standard Ethics based?
Standard Ethics is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Standard Ethics make money?
One revenue line is on record: ESG Rating Services.
Who are Standard Ethics's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) and Carbon4 Finance. Direct peers are MSCI ESG Research, ISS ESG, Moody's ESG Solutions (Sustainalytics) and EcoVadis. Broad incumbents are LSEG (formerly Refinitiv) ESG, FTSE Russell ESG Ratings and S&P Global ESG Scores. ARC Ratings is listed as a regional player.
Does Standard Ethics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Standard Ethics.
What industry is Standard Ethics in?
Standard Ethics's product category is ESG / Sustainability Rating Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAHAJAH, Sustainable Finance & ESG Ratings/Benchmarking Support, with a secondary code of FSAAALAK, ESG Reporting, Disclosure & Regulatory Compliance (SFDR, EU Taxonomy, TCFD/ISSB). Its SIC code is 6399.