The Knowledge Hub.
Plain-language guides, a glossary of the terms used across every SYNE product, and answers to the questions we hear most often - whether you're new to ESG ratings entirely or just need a quick definition of "additionality."
New here? Start with one of these.
Short guides built for the first time you encounter a SYNE Rating, dataset, or the Index.
Getting Started with SYNE Ratings
What a SYNE Rating actually is, who commissions one, and what to expect from your first engagement.
How to Read Your First Rating Report
A walkthrough of a sample rating report - dimension scores, data quality flags, and the composite grade.
Understanding the SYNE Index
Why two axes tell a better story than one score, and how to read a quadrant position.
A Beginner's Guide to Carbon Credits
Additionality, permanence and leakage, explained without assuming any prior carbon market knowledge.
ESG for the Public Sector: A Primer
How Sustainability Ratings for Governments differs from a corporate ESG Rating, in plain terms.
Preparing for Your First Supplier Rating
What a buyer or supplier should have ready before an onboarding disclosure questionnaire.
Every term used across SYNE, defined once.
A sample of the most common terms. See the full glossary for all 32 terms, grouped by category.
Ratings & scoring
- Composite score
- The single weighted-average number, from 0–100, that determines an entity's letter grade.
- Data quality flag
- A per-criterion label - Assured, Disclosed, or Estimated - describing how verifiable the underlying evidence is.
- Quadrant
- One of four positions on the SYNE Index - Front Runners, Rising Stars, Emerging Stars, or Backmarkers.
Carbon & climate
- Additionality
- Whether a carbon reduction or removal would not have happened without the project.
- Permanence
- How durable a carbon reduction or removal is, and the risk it could later be reversed.
- MRV
- Measurement, Reporting and Verification - the process behind every credible emissions figure.
The questions we hear most often.
A sample of the most common questions. See the full FAQ for all 15 questions, grouped by topic.
What does an AAA grade actually mean?
AAA is the top tier of SYNE's shared AAA–D scale, corresponding to a composite score of 90–100. It means an entity performs strongly across every scored dimension, and that at least 80% of the underlying criteria carry Assured or higher-quality data - a strong score alone isn't enough to reach AAA if the evidence behind it can't be verified.
Can a company pay for a better rating?
No. Fees are agreed before an engagement begins and have no bearing on the outcome. Analysts hold no financial interest in the entities they rate, and every rating is signed off by an independent Rating Committee separate from the analyst who scored it.
What's the difference between an indicative index position and a full rating?
An indicative index position - like most entries on the SYNE World Index - is built from public data to the same scale, but without on-site verification or Rating Committee sign-off. A full rating, available in SYNE's 71 licensed markets, includes that complete independent verification process.
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