Methodology

How we calculate ESG scores and find sustainable investment alternatives.

ESG Scoring

Each company is evaluated across three dimensions. Scores represent risk exposure — lower scores indicate less risk and better sustainability practices.

Environmental

  • Carbon footprint — greenhouse gas emissions and carbon intensity
  • Resource usage — water consumption, waste management, energy efficiency
  • Renewable energy — commitment to clean energy and sustainability initiatives

Social

  • Employee relations — workplace safety, diversity, and satisfaction
  • Community impact — engagement and social responsibility programs
  • Human rights — supply chain ethics and human rights practices

Governance

  • Board structure — independence, diversity, and expertise
  • Transparency — financial reporting quality and disclosure practices
  • Ethics & compliance — anti-corruption measures and ethical business practices

Risk Scale

ESG risk scores map to five severity levels. Lower scores are better.

0–10Negligible Risk
10–20Low Risk
20–30Medium Risk
30–40High Risk
40+Severe Risk

Similarity Algorithm

We use a vector similarity approach to find companies that are financially comparable but have better ESG performance.

1. Company vectorization

Each company is represented as a multi-dimensional vector: market capitalization, revenue, profit margins, P/E ratio, beta, sector, industry, and ESG scores.

2. Weighted similarity

We calculate similarity using a weighted algorithm:

Sector match40%
Financial metrics40%
Industry match20%

3. ESG filtering

Only companies with a lower ESG risk score (better performance) than the searched company are included as alternatives. Minimum similarity threshold is 10%.

if similarity_score ≥ 0.1 AND comp_esg_total < base_esg_total → include

4. Ranking

Results are sorted by ESG improvement first, then by similarity score. The top 5 matches are returned.

Data Sources

Alpha VantageESG ratings and financial data
Yahoo FinanceReal-time market data and pricing
SEC FilingsRegulatory compliance and governance metrics
Sustainability ReportsCompany ESG initiatives and progress

Technology

Frontend

Next.js 14, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Recharts

Backend

Python, Flask, NumPy, yfinance

Infrastructure

Vercel serverless, global CDN

Data

88+ pre-loaded companies, real-time APIs

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