Terms of Use.
These terms govern your use of SYNE Ratings' websites and the ratings, data and services we publish. Section 3 in particular explains what a SYNE Rating is - and is not - and is worth reading regardless of why you're here.
Fourteen sections, start to finish.
Acceptance of Terms
02Description of Services
03Ratings Are Opinions, Not Recommendations
04Use of the Website
05Intellectual Property
06Client Engagements
07No Warranty
08Limitation of Liability
09Indemnification
10Prohibited Uses
11Third-Party Links & Content
12Governing Law
13Changes to These Terms
14Contact Us
By using this site, you accept these terms.
These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the websites, ratings, data, research, and other content published by SYNE Ratings (the "Services"). By accessing or using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.
Where you access the Services on behalf of an organisation, you confirm you have the authority to bind that organisation to these Terms, and "you" refers to both you and that organisation.
What SYNE Ratings provides.
SYNE Ratings provides independent ESG, Sustainability, Carbon and Supplier Ratings, licensed structured data, benchmarking through the SYNE Index and SYNE World Index, and related advisory, assurance and opinion services, as described across this website. The specific scope of any commissioned engagement is set out separately in the applicable engagement letter or contract, which takes precedence over these Terms for that engagement.
What a SYNE Rating is, and is not.
This is the most important section on this page. Please read it in full.
A SYNE Rating - including an ESG Rating, Sustainability Rating, Carbon Rating, Supplier Rating, Sustainability Rating for Governments, Second Party Opinion, or any SYNE Index or SYNE World Index position - is an independent, forward-looking opinion as of the date it is issued or last updated. It is:
- Not a recommendation to buy, sell, hold, or otherwise transact in any security, financial instrument, or asset
- Not a statement of fact, an audit opinion, or a guarantee of any future performance, outcome, or event
- Not a substitute for a rated entity's, investor's, or user's own due diligence, judgement, or professional advice
- Not a credit rating, and should not be relied upon as an assessment of creditworthiness
- Based on information available to SYNE as of the rating date, including information provided by the rated entity, which SYNE has not independently audited except where an assurance engagement expressly says otherwise
SYNE Ratings, and the data quality flags, grades, and Index positions associated with them, may change, be suspended, or be withdrawn at any time, without notice, as new information becomes available or as a scheduled or triggered review concludes. Past ratings performance is not indicative of future results.
Indicative index positions - such as most entries on the SYNE World Index outside SYNE's 71 licensed markets - carry the additional limitation that they are built from public data without the on-site verification and Rating Committee sign-off applied to a full commissioned rating, as described in the relevant methodology document.
What you can do here.
You may access and view content on this website for your own informational, non-commercial use, and may share links to individual pages. You may not scrape, systematically extract, or redistribute SYNE's ratings, data, or methodology content at scale without a separate licence agreement - see ESG Data for how to license structured data for that purpose.
Who owns what.
All content on this website, including text, methodology documents, graphics, logos, the SYNE name and marks, and the underlying software, is owned by SYNE Ratings or its licensors and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Nothing in these Terms grants you any right to use SYNE's name, marks, or logos without prior written permission.
SYNE's methodology documents are made publicly available for transparency purposes and may be referenced or quoted with appropriate attribution, but may not be reproduced in full or represented as your own work.
How a commissioned engagement works.
If you or your organisation commissions a rating, dataset licence, assurance engagement, or advisory service from SYNE, that engagement is governed by a separate written contract or engagement letter agreed between you and the relevant SYNE entity. Where any term of that contract conflicts with these Terms, the contract governs for that engagement.
The Services are provided "as is."
The Services, including all ratings, data, and content, are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of accuracy, completeness, timeliness, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. SYNE does not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components.
What SYNE is, and is not, liable for.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, SYNE Ratings and its group entities, directors, employees and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunity, arising out of or in connection with your use of the Services, or any reliance placed on a rating, dataset, or other content, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law, including liability for death, personal injury, or fraud.
Your responsibility if something goes wrong on your end.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless SYNE Ratings and its group entities from any claims, losses, or damages, including reasonable legal fees, arising out of your misuse of the Services, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of a third party.
What you can't do here.
- Misrepresent a SYNE Rating, grade, or Index position, including presenting an indicative index position as a full commissioned rating
- Use the Services to build a competing ratings or benchmarking product without a licence
- Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Services, or interfere with their normal operation
- Use automated means to scrape or extract content at scale without authorisation
- Use the Services in a way that violates applicable law or infringes the rights of others
Links to other sites.
Our website may reference or link to third-party regulations, standards bodies, or other external resources for informational purposes, including on the Regulatory Tracker. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or availability of third-party websites, and inclusion of a link does not imply endorsement.
Which law applies.
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, without regard to conflict of laws principles, unless you are contracting with a different SYNE group entity under a specific engagement, in which case the governing law specified in that engagement's contract applies instead. Any dispute arising under these Terms is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, except where local law requires otherwise.
How we handle updates.
We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our services or legal requirements. We will post the updated Terms on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Services after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
How to reach us about these Terms.
If you have questions about these Terms, contact our legal team at legal@syneratings.com, or use the general Contact Us form and note that your enquiry relates to these Terms.
See also our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use and protect personal information, and the Methodology Overview, which sets out the full governance, review and appeals process behind every rating referenced in Section 3.
Questions about a specific rating?
The disclaimers on this page apply generally - for questions about a specific rating, talk to our team directly.