Romania Corporate Sustainability & Transparency INDEX (CST Index), formerly known as Romania CSR INDEX (2016-2020), is the most important and complex ranking in the sustainability field in Romania. The ranking takes into account mainly the companies that have more than 500 employees, more precisely more than 750 companies in Romania, and also companies that have less than 500 employees that apply in order to be evaluated according to the scorecard.

    Information regarding the methodology:

    Romania Corporate Sustainability & Transparency Index (CST INDEX) 2023 has 11 sections:

    1. Sustainability Governance

    2. Diversity Policy

    3. Economic Impact

    4. Climate Change & Energy

    5. Environmental Governance

    6. Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Policy

    7. Responsible Employer

    8. Product & Marketing Responsibility

    9. Investments in Communities

    10. Supply Chain

    11. Material Aspects – Disclosure on Management Approach

     

    Notes on Romania Corporate Sustainability & Transparency Index 2023 Methodology:

     

    1. For the 2023 Romania CST Index, we will take into account the information reported by companies for FY 2022.
    2. For the indicators included in these 11 categories, the maximum score awarded can be 4 points and it is obtained if the company communicated both textual information (1 point), performance indicators, progress obtained and targets (KPIs) (2, 3 or 4 points).
    3. Each category has a different weight depending on the industry to which the company belongs. This weight is essential for calculating the final score of each company.
    4. The score for certain indicators, marked in the evaluation sheet with the mention: “Not Applicable”, is calculated according to the relevance of the respective indicator for the industry of which the company is part.
    5. Specifically, if at least 10% of the companies in the industry has published information about that specific indicator, these companies receive 1 point or 2/3/4 points, depending on the information provided. Companies that have not published data do not receive points, so they are not scored when calculating the final score. If no company in the respective industry has published data, the indicator is not taken into account for the final score and no company is thus losing points.
    6. If no evaluated company has published information for 2022 for a specific indicator that is marked compulsory, then the indicator becomes optional and points will not be lost for this indicator.
    7. The information that will be taken into account for the Romania CST Index, especially information about policies, materiality and stakeholder engagement, will not be older than 3 years.
    8. Romania CST Index is aligned to the most important standards or references at international level used in the sustainability industry. One of the most important references is Directive 2014/95/EU – also called the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD). Regarding the reporting of sustainability information, the index is aligned with GRI Standards, the most widely used reporting standards worldwide. In addition, there is alignment to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN, United Nations Global Compact, Dow Jones Sustainability Index methodology, London Benchmarking Group, Social Return on Investment or ISO 26000.

    The 2020 edition was a special edition keeping in mind that it was the first year when all companies which have more than 500 employees were obliged to publish a non-financial report.

    You can find more information about Romania CST Index 2023 in this flash report  Report_Romania_CST_Index_2023.

    Sustainability Index Magazine: The bilingual yearbook brings to the forefront top performers in sustainability according to Romania CST Index ranking, as well as the latest trends and innovations in corporate sustainability from local and international experts

    • The Azores Sustainability & CSR Services agency launches the first edition of the Sustainability Index Magazine, a Romanian-English bilingual yearbook that aims to present the current status of corporate sustainability in Romania.
    • In the magazine, the readers may find the results of the only corporate sustainability index in the country, Romania CST Index, as well as interviews with national and international experts, educational articles, and case studies.
    • The publication aims to promote corporate sustainability as a responsible business management practice, as well as to help companies develop a better performing strategy based on aggregated market information.

    Thus, Sustainability Index Magazine follows in the footsteps of Community Index Magazine, the bilingual yearbook that contains the results of the only index of programs and projects carried out by companies in Romania to invest in their communities, launched in 2019.

    The publication can be useful not only to professionals in the field, but also to local and multinational companies, investors, universities, PR agencies, and authorities.

    The first issue of the magazine is over 120 pages long and is offered free of charge to help raise the level of market know-how. It is offered in digital format, as a flipview, and can be viewed here: https://sustainabilityindex.ro/sustainability-index-magazine-2023/

    For more information about Romania CST Index, the methodology and the indicators that are used, please contact us at office@sustainabilityindex.ro.